ISSN 2664-4002 (Print) & ISSN 2664-6714 (Online) South Asian Research Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences Abbreviated Key Title: South Asian Res J Human Soc Sci | Volume-5 | Issue-4 | Jul-Aug -2023 | DOI: 10.36346/sarjhss.2023.v05i04.004 Copyright © 2023 The Author(s): This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0) which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium for non- commercial use provided the original author and source are credited. CITATION: Iftakhar Ahmed (2023). Reading Mahasweta Devi‘s Aranyer Adhikar Ecocritically. South Asian Res J Human Soc Sci, 5(4): 118-125. 118 Original Research Article Reading Mahasweta Devi’s Aranyer Adhikar Ecocritically Iftakhar Ahmed 1* 1 Assistant Professor, Department of English, Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University, Santosh, Tangail- 1902, Dhaka, Bangladesh *Corresponding Author: Iftakhar Ahmed Assistant Professor, Department of English, Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University, Santosh, Tangail-1902, Dhaka, Bangladesh Article History Received: 20.05.2023 Accepted: 24.06.2023 Published: 17.07.2023 Abstract: The novel Aranyer Adhikar by Mahasweta Devi is well-known due to its highbrow status of ecological consciousness. This study tries to scrutinize the novel Aranyer Adhikar from an ecocritical perspective. The researcher has deployed a close textual analysis approach to conduct this qualitative study. This novel incorporates and highlights the political struggles of the ―de-notified‖ Munda tribes of India based on ecology. Ecocriticism challenges the anthropocentric attitude of human beings. The Indian Munda tribes relinquish their land due to the anthropocentric attitude of the colonizers and the local authorities. They have suffered environmental ruination as a consequence of colonial violence and exploitation. Moreover, the tribals face the threat of losing the traditional household wisdom of living pleasantly with nature. Additionally, in Aranyer Adhikar, Devi brings out the sufferings of the different tribes, such as Kol and Santhals, who have been socio-politically pauperized by the loss of forest land. It can be pointed out that Aranyer Adhikar is about striving for the social, economic and political freedom of the different tribes in India. Substantially, Mahasweta Devi records the ―voices of tribal history‖ and offers ―striking narratives‖ of the tribal rights over the forest. Keywords: Aranyer Adhikar, Ecocriticism, Anthropocentrism, Indigeneity. I. INTRODUCTION A Pioneer ecocritic Greg Garrard describes ecocriticism as a literary or cultural analysis of environmental issues, usually connected with 'green' moral and political agenda, and the subject of ecocriticism is "the study of the relationship of the human and the non-human" in cultural history (p. 4, 5). It is a study of the connection between literature and the environment conducted with a dedication to environmentalist practice (Buell 430). On the whole, Eco- disasters are a reality in the modern world. Modern innovations alone are insufficient to handle the ecological catastrophe on a global scale. For a long time, literary critics have not paid nature the respect it deserves. Over the past three decades, ecocriticism has grown into a global emergent movement. In his essay, "Literature and Ecology: An Experiment in Ecocriticism," William Rueckert outlines ecocriticism as the use of ecology and ecological thoughts in the study of literature because ecology has extreme relevance to the contemporary and future of the world (Rueckert 107). Ecocriticism is a portmanteau of the word eco and criticism. The word "eco" derives from the Greek root word 'oikos' which means earth. The term 'logy' derives from the Greek word 'logos,' meaning logical discourse. They collectively refer to criticism of the environment as it is portrayed in literature. Rueckertalso claims that ecocriticism incorporates ecological ideas into the analysis of literature (Mishra, Ecocriticism 168). Mishra states that ecocriticism cannot be referred to as merely a nature study. Instead, it is far beyond conventional nature writing. Ecocriticism has two significant insights: (a) It has an ethical viewpoint and is dedicated to the natural world; (b) It makes an endeavor to establish a connection between the human and the non-human world. For example, Henry David Thoreau, a poet and environmental scientist, not only addresses the plants, animals, or birds in his writing but also develops a close connection with nature (Mishra, Ecocriticism 168).