Abstract
This paper examines the ecological narratives in Aranyer Adhikar by Mahasweta Devi and Aranyak by Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay through the lens of Arne Næss’s deep ecology framework. Both novels challenge anthropocentric worldviews and emphasize the intrinsic value of nature, interconnectedness, and ecological egalitarianism. In Aranyer Adhikar, Devi depicts the collective struggle for the rights of the Munda tribe and how the colonial and capitalist exploitation of Indigenous communities and natural resources upsets the ecological balance. On the other hand, Aranyak narrates the transformation of the protagonist, Satyacharan from an urbanite into someone concerned with ecological well-being, being influenced by the Indigenous Santhal philosophy of life’s interconnectedness with nature. The paper discusses how these novels engage in a critique of the ‘commodification’ of nature and plead for an ecological and harmonious mode of existence. Further, it looks at how Bengali literature, represented by these works, has been concerned with themes of deep ecology, and the Indigenous symbiotic lifestyle long before contemporary environmental movements. The paper places the Indigenous contexts within the broad ecological discourse and asserts their pertinence to contemporary ecological and social crises.