Traces Of Ecological Imperialism In Mahasweta Devi’s Novel Titu Mir

Abstract

Ecocriticism complements the third world writers’ voice against the developed countries’ politics to centralize the world’s natural resources in their periphery. This politics is a prominent legacy passed on by the colonial masters who reigned the east till the half of 20^th century. Ecological Imperialism can be defined as a theory which believes that Colonization has been a successful undertaking because the Colonists have executed an ecological strategy based on a thoughtful introduction of an ecosystem which could easily disintegrate the native land’s ecosystem. The term Ecological Imperialism was introduced by Alfred Crosby in his book Ecological Imperialism: The Biological Expansion of Europe, 900-1900 whereby he tries to explore reasons behind the overwhelming European dominance over the third world. He tags the places where the Europeans colonized and settled as the ‘Neo-Europe’. He contemplated whether technology was the factor behind the massive victory over the native’s land or the success of European imperialism has an ecological tactics. According to Crosby, there was more biological tactics and less military expertise behind such success. The European Imperialists introduced new plants and live stocks which effortlessly outnumbered their indigenous counterparts. The new ecological intervention resulted in many outbreaks which threatened the demography of indigenous people. Pneumonia, dysentery and venereal diseases were unfamiliar to them while the Europeans knew the cure for such diseases.  Mahasweta Devi’s Novel Titu Mir revolves around the ecological exploitation of the East India Company during in Colonial India. It focuses on the forceful plantation of Indigo on arable lands and the extensive exportation of indigenous resources to Britain which was challenging the environment of the indigenous people. Titu Mir, the hero of the novel organises a government consisting of people from his village and Wahabis to overthrow the ‘Ecological Imperialism’ activated by the British in their land.