Concern for Nature and Environment in Indian English Poetry
Abstract
Literature has undergone a massive change with the course of the time. It holds the mirror up to nature. Environmental crisis is one of the major hazards encountered by the world today. Literature now addresses the current ecological crisis prevalent all around the globe. Ecocriticism has emerged as a new branch of study which observes the interrelationship between literature and environment. This paper aims at exploring the concern for nature and environment in Indian English poetry. The paper makes an ecocritical analysis of Indian poetry written in English and the diverse attitudes of the poets towards the environment and the need for conserving nature.
Keywords: Nature, Environment, Ecocriticism, Indian English poetry, Ecology
Indian English poetry is the oldest form of Indian English literature. Henry Louis Vivian Derozio is considered the first poet in the lineage of Indian English poetry followed by Rabindranath Tagore, Sri Aurobindo, Sarojini Naidu, Michael Madhusudan Dutt, Toru Dutt among others. Nissim Ezekiel is considered as a pioneering figure in modern Indian English Poetry. His first book, A Time to Change, was published in 1952. Some of the distinguished poets of Ezekiel's time are R. Parthasarathy, A. K. Ramanujan, Gieve Patel, Dom Moraes, Jayant Mahapatra, Kamala Das, Keki N. Daruwalla, Shiv K. Kumar, Arvind Krishna Mehrotra, Arun Kolatkar and Dilip Chitre (Wikipedia). These poets vividly capture the cultural traditions of India. They observe nature and its surroundings and become spokespersons for the current situations through their poetry. This paper intends to give a voice to the present environmental crisis through the presentation of the poetry written by some Indian English poets.
Life on earth grows in association with environment. The natural objects have therefore a crucial role to play for the sustenance of the living organisms on the earth. Trees are such a valuable treasure on earth serving as backbone for providing oxygen, foods, shelter and other raw materials for the benefits of living creatures. Human beings are selfish creatures who do not show the respect to nature and keep on moving to exploit it in the name of the development of science and technology. As a result, the world is facing drastic environmental issues which threatens the survival of all living creatures on the planet.
Literature has already started addressing the environmental issues to provide an eye-opening perspective for the humans. Eco-criticism has emerged as a new branch of “the study of relation between literature and physical environment” (Glotfelty Cheryll xviii). The main idea of the ecological writers is to bring the awareness among the people about the fact that Earth is losing its health due to the overexploitation of nature. Indian English literature show environmental concern in one way or the other. In this paper, the attempt is made to show through poetry the importance of and the need for the preservation of trees in particular and nature in general.
Ecocriticism helps the human beings have a larger view of nature, a bio-centric view to acknowledge the unavoidability of nature for the living organism on the planet. Indian English poetry showcases the human-nature relationship. Pre-Independence poet Toru Dutt wrote many poems expressing Indian sensibilities and her consciousness for environment. Her love for nature is reflected in her works “Sita”, “The Lotus”, and “Baugmaree”. Toru Dutt’s “Our Casuarina Tree” is a nostalgic poem expressing her love for childhood memories associated with the tree. She delineates the close relationship between man and nature in the description of the tree.
LIKE a huge Python, winding round and round
The rugged trunk, intended deep scars,
Up to its very summit near the stars,
A creeper climbs, in whose embraces bound
No other tree could live (Our Casuarina Tree by Toru Dutt - Poem Hunter).
For Toru Dutt, the tree is a replica of Indian history and culture. People suffer due to the hazardous condition of nature resulted out of the exploitation of it for the selfish ends. It cannot be gainsaid that the growth and development of a society or a nation is interrelated with nature. When humans goe against the laws of nature then nature regrets like Casuarina Tree,
What is that dirge-like murmur that I hear
Like the sea breaking on a shingle-beach?
It is the tree’s lament, an eerie speech (Our Casuarina Tree by Toru Dutt - Poem Hunter).
The importance of trees for the humans and their sustenance is apparent. And therefore, trees are worshipped. In Indian mythology, especially among the Tamil Brahmins, it is believed that the neem and peepal can be reunited in wedlock and it will bring prosperity for those who worship them. In India, women used to take bath early in the morning with a view to circumambulate these trees. In other words, threes are worshiped in Indian mythology since they are equated with God. The neem is considered as a lady dreaming
…her bygone bliss,
Of the splendor of her husband in his prime,
Whom barren women had circumambulated
A hundred and eight times the week’s immediate day (Gokak 254).
Apart from the beauty of nature, many Indian poets writing in English showcase the harsh reality of exploitation of nature and ill-treatment of animals by the humans. The poetry of Nissim Ezekeil (1924-2004) exhibits love, loneliness, human foibles. The poems “Squirrel” and “Sparrows” draw an eco-critical attention for portrayal of nature. According to Suresh Fredrick “Both the squirrel and sparrows are animals that live close to human beings.... But human culture devalues these animals, making symbiosis impossible” (Frederick 139). Reading of Keki N Daruwalla’s poem “A Boat ride along the Ganga” from an eco-critical perspective reveals how man is accountable for polluting the holy river. A. K. Ramanujan’s “Snakes” from his first collection The Strider’s shows how the persona in the poem is afraid of the snake and therefore he kills it and feels that he is safe in the woods.
My night full of ghosts from a sadness
in a play, my left foot listens to my right footfall,
a clockwork clicking in the silence
within my walking.
The clickshod heel suddenly strikes
and slushes on a snake: I see him turn,
the green white of his belly
measured by bluish nodes, a water-bleached lotus-stalk
plucked by a landsman hand. Yet panic rushes
my body to my feet, my spasms wring
and drain his fear and mine. I leave him sealed,
a flat-head whiteness on a stain.
Now
frogs can hop upon this sausage rope,
flies in the sun will mob the look in his eyes,
and I can walk through the woods. (Snakes by A.K. Ramanujan-POETRY FOUNDATION)”
Through this poem Ramanujan suggests how his mind is ever obsessed with the fear of snakes. The poem begins on a note of a remark, "No, it does not happen when I walk through the wood". This happens when he is walking through museums or libraries. He is always reminded of snakes. The Poet says that the book of yellow vein, and yellow amber would often remind him of snakes. Although any creature does not harm anybody without any reason but the poet’s mind is never free from his fear of snakes and ultimately kills it be safe.
Gieve Patel, an Indian poet and playwright, is a supporter of ‘Green Moverment’ which is a group of writers to protect the environment. According to an eminent critic C. V. Venugopal, “The poet’s total social commitment, his concern for the oppressed, his ire at discriminations, above all his love for anything living, make his poetry stand apart” (Venugopal 184). His poetry shows the ecological concern for nature and man’s approach towards nature. His famous poem “On Killing a Tree” urges the readers to become serious for the conservation of the environment without which the life on earth is not possible. The tree here in the poem represent the entire nature which is being exploited by the humans. The poet admires the existence of the tree which cannot be eradicated easily by humans. The poet describes that it is not an easy task for a man to ‘kill’ a tree because it has its roots deep down to the soil and has grown consuming water, sunlight, and oxygen for years.
Will do it. It has grown
Slowly consuming the earth,
Rising out of I, feeding
Upon its crust, absorbing
Years of sunlight, air, water (On Killing A Tree Poem by Gieve Patel - Poem Hunter).
The poem is a sarcastic account of modern man’s cruel approach towards nature. Killing a tree is an act akin to killing a person which needs to be avoided at any cost.
Trees are a part of our life as they provide oxygen which is inevitable for the existence of humans and other living creatures on the earth. Apart from this, the trees serve as shelter for many creatures and offer many other benefits. The poetry of Indian English poets makes us aware of the fact that “we have reached the age of environmental limits, a time when the consequences of human actions are damaging the planet’s basic life support systems” (Glotfelty Cheryll xviii-xix). And therefore, it is a need of the time that nature must be protected and conserved for the betterment and well beings of the next generations.
An eco-critical approach conveys the impersonal relationship that humans have with nature and environment which offer them the unavoidability of their existence. Despite giving the reverence to nature for everything the humans get, they over exploit nature and natural resources in the name of development and advancement leading to the unrepairable hazards to the environment and putting the entire planet in danger. Many poems written in India during different periods, from diverse perspectives and tones at the end advocate the same urgency and need for the harmonious relationship between man and nature. No one can live in isolation. All living and non-living organisms are connected with each other in the ecological system. If this cycle of ecology gets disturbed, then entire universe will face a gigantic problem. And therefore, the conservation of environment and natural resources is the need of the time and the immediate concern for the betterment of the planet.
Works Cited