Environmental Ethics in Nilesh Shrivastava’s No Man’s Land and Khuswant Singh’s The Sunset Club

Abstract

This research analyzes two seminal novels No Man’s Land by NileshShrivastava and The Sunset Club by Khushwant Singh from ecocritical perspective to explore the absence of environment ethics and responsibility in human’s treatment towards nature and its adverse effects on land, natural diversity, its integrity and ecological balance. The study deploys ecocritical approaches, especially of those of critics such as Aldo Leopold, LenkaFilipova, and Eliza F. Kant to interpret and analyze the texts. Shrivastava’s novel deals with the issue of a farmland near Gurgaon, its treatment by Agastya and its eventual downfall after his death. The treatment of land among the human beings are starkly contrasted: Agastya treats the land with love and respect and brings life to it but the people of the outskirts of his farmland treat land as commodity and they trade lad for economic benefits. The burgeoning city, with the extension of physical infrastructures, is encroaching Agastya’s land, and threatens the existence of the land community. After the death of Agastya the land becomes barren and lifeless as his sons, Pranay and Karan, do not know how to treat the land in better way. Similarly, Khushwant Singh’s noveldeals with the affairs of Lodhi Gardens, the urban space in Delhi, and the evening meetings of three octogenarian characters. Their meetings draw attention to the value of urban spaces, their contribution in the city ecology and the limited awareness of the old men about the cultural mechanisms that are put on the practice for the betterment of ecology. Their limited awareness results into the destruction of Lodhi Garden in terms of its natural significance as it is full of leftovers, dirt and pollution. As a result, on the program of the Indian Republic Day on January 26, Lodhi Garden is crowded and has huge amount of wastage left, a debris of paper plates stray dogs wagging their tails, begging for the leftovers. This is how, it has an adverse effect on the flora and fauna of the place. Besides, the place is no more a place for social bonding for the people as it has been polluted and crowded. Therefore,human is not the conqueror of land but a member of land community. The beauty, stability and integrity of the land community help in maintaining global justice and planetary health.