মাটি, মানুষ ও মহাপ্রাণ: বাংলা দলিত সাহিত্যের লোকায়ত ও পরিবেশবাদী পাঠ
Volume-XIV, Issue-III, April 2026
Volume-XIV, Issue-III, April 2026 | ||
Received: 15.04.2026 | Accepted: 24.04.2026 | |||
Published Online: 30.04.2026 | Page No: | |||
DOI: 10.64031/pratidhwanitheecho.vol.14.issue.03W. | ||||
মাটি, মানুষ ও মহাপ্রাণ: বাংলা দলিত সাহিত্যের
লোকায়ত ও পরিবেশবাদী পাঠ
ড. নয়ন সরকার, স্বাধীন গবেষক, নদীয়া, পশ্চিমবঙ্গ, ভারত | |
Soil, People and the Great Life-Force: A Folk and Ecological Reading of Bengali Dalit Literature Dr. Nayan Sarkar, Independent Research Scholar, Nadia, West Bengal, India | |
This research paper attempts to uncover a different reading of
Bengali Dalit literature, where the interrelationship between 'Mati' (nature)
and 'Mahaprana' (life consciousness) is made the main theme, parallel to caste
discrimination and social exploitation. The research focuses on the 'Matua
Movement' that emerged in the nineteenth century and the progressive philosophy
of life of its founders, Harichand-Gurchand Thakur. This article analyses how
this unique combination of 'labour in hands and name in mouth' - labour and
spirituality - has influenced the aesthetics of Dalit literature. The study
uses 'Ecocriticism' and 'Subaltern Studies' as theoretical frameworks. The
first part of the article discusses the ecological solidarity of rivers and
fishing communities and the devastation of that great life in the post-colonial
crisis through Adwaita Mallabarman's
novel 'Titas Ekti Nadir Naam'. The second part shows how 'soil' in the
narratives of contemporary writer Manoranjan Bepari has become a fierce
battlefield of refugee life and political struggle through text-based analysis.
The article also sheds light on the 'eco-feminist' connection between Dalit
women and nature and the folk aesthetics of Dalit literature. Finally, a
comparative discussion with Afro-American and African marginal literature
places this particular genre of Bengali literature within the context of a
global marginal consciousness. This study demonstrates that Bengali Dalit
literature is not limited to documents of social protest, but rather embodies a
deeper humanistic and environmentalist worldview. | |
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