Maharshi Dayanand University Research Journal ARTS 2019, Vol. 18 (2), July-Dec. ISSN 0972-706X CONTENTS Vedic Thought and Eco criticism A Study of Kavery Nambisan's 1-14 The Scent of Pepper and Sarah Joseph's Gift in Green LOVELEEN Exploring Transgender Sexuality and Agency in A. Revathi's 15-31 Autobiography The Truth About Me MANJEET RATHEE Competitive State Anxiety: A Study of Athletes 33-38 KULDEEP NARA Struggle for Survival and Dignity: A Study of Maya Angelou's 39-48 I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and Gather Together in my Name SHALINI SHARMA Classroom Assessment Techniques to Improve Teaching Learning 49-57 Y. VIJAYA LAKSHMI ISHFAQ MAJID Khaps and Village Panchayats: The Interface 59-73 NIRMALA DEVI ADITYA PARIHAR Teacher's Effectiveness and Self-esteem of High School Teachers 75-87 Teaching in Jammu and Kashmir MUKHTAR AHMAD BHAT G. RAJU Predictive Analytics Adoption by Airlines for Better 89-105 Business Decisions: An Exploratory Study DEEPAK KIKAN SUMEET SINGH JASIAL YUDHVIR SINGH Poverty Measurement: An Analysis and Comparison of 107-116 Different Approaches VINEETA KAUSHIK VIKAS BATRA KAVITA CHAKRAVARTY An Empirical Analysis of Working of Groups Under SHG- Bank 117-133 Linkage Programme of NABARD in Rural Areas of Rajasthan VIKAS BATRA POOJA YADAV A Study on Civil Service Aspirants Who Refuse to Quit Chasing 135-154 Their Dreams HARGUNEET KAUR Contemporary Conflicts in the Saas Bahu Saga (Mother-in-law, 155-172 Daughter-in-law Relationship) in Urban Delhi PRERNA KHETRAPAL BAHL (i) Article Maharshi Dayanand University Vedic Thought and Eco criticism Research Journal ARTS A Study of Kavery Nambisan's 2019, Vol. 18 (2) pp.1-14 ISSN 0972-706X The Scent of Pepper and Sarah © The Author(s) 2019 http://www.mdu.ac.in/Journals/about.html Joseph's Gift in Green Loveleen Professor, Dept. of English & Foreign Languages, M.D.U. Rohtak, Haryana Abstract The Hindu approach to ecology is largely shaped by the philosophical views of the Vedas, Upanishads and Vedanta, as well as the Hindu religious and customary conventions. The Hindu thought talks of a pantheistic spirit which pervades the cosmos embracing the human, the non-human and even the inanimate. The idea of "Everything is Brahman," SarvamKhalvidam Brahma in the Chandogya Upanishad 3.14 translated into Hindi language as 'lo±[kfYonaczã' teaches that 'All this is indeed Brahman' defining the Vedic concept which inheres the Hindu thought on Nature. Contrarily, the Western concept is based on a dualism which perceives a chasm between Nature and humans. But no such polarity is observed in the Vedas and Nature is an extension of the omniscient. This does not imply an illogical and superstitious outlook towards nature. The Hindu thought envisions an assimilative, celestial and pervasive energy that binds and sublimates all creatures. Eco criticism, an interface between literature and ecological concerns, incorporates these diverse perspectives. Keywords: Ecology, Vedas, Legacy, Eco criticism, Balance. Corresponding author: Prof. Loveleen, Dept. of English & Foreign Languages,M.D.U.Rohtak, Haryana E-mail: [email protected] 2 Loveleen Introduction The Vedas are sagacious, philosophical and idealistic chronicles pertaining to the various ways life can be lived in a fructifying and gainful way. They have a message for all stages of life, suggesting how the rare gift of life needs to be celebrated and revered in consonance with Nature. Nature references abound in all the four Vedas as Nature worship has been integral to Hinduism in all its manifestations. The "Bhoomi Suktain" the Atharva Veda 12.1 eulogizes the Earth as an eternal presence and a chronicler as well as a seer of all past, present and future times. lR;ac`g–reqxzanh{kkriksczã;K%i`fFkoÈèkkj;fUrA lkuksHkwrL;HkO;L;iRU;q#ayksdai`fFkohu%—.kksrqAA Bhoomi is upheld by Divine forces and Penance: Bhoomi is the Witness of our Past, Present and Future: It goes on to proclaim: Satyam Brhad-Rtam-UgramDiikssaaTapo Brahma YajnyahPrthiviimDhaarayanti | Saa No BhuutasyaBhavayasyaPatny[i]-UrumLokamPrthivii Nah Krnnotu ||1|| Salutations to Mother Earth, the Truth (Satyam), the Cosmic Divine Law (Ritam), the Spiritual Passion manifested in Mighty Initiations, Penances and self-dedications to the search of Brahman (by the sages), these have sustained the Mother Earth for ages, who in turn have supported these in Her Bosom. It also avers: foÜoaHkjkolqèkkuhçfr"Bkfgj.;o{kktxrksfuos'kuhA oSÜokujafcHkzrhHkwfejfXufeUæ_"kHkkæfo.ksuksnèkkrqAA (Salutations to Mother Earth). She is Vishwambhara (All-Bearing), She is Vasudhaa (Producer of all Wealth), She is Pratishtha (Foundation on which we live), She is Hiranyavaksha (of Golden Bosom) and the Dwelling Place of the World, She holds the Vaishvanara (The Universal Fire) within Her, the Fire which empowers Indra and Rishabha; May the Mother Earth bestow on us (the splendour of that Fire and make us strong). Approbation for Nature being a part of the religious faith, Indian traditions attribute supernatural powers to the flora and the fauna as manifestation of the Divine. Practices such as animals as mounts of deities, preservation of sacred groves or sacred forests and ponds tell about the ancient ecological concern being integral to religious and cultural practices. It is known as the Pantheistic Culture and the sacred natural objects, both animate and inanimate, are considered as Pantheistic Gods. This is the sanctity of the traditional Indian culture that made human beings enjoy a close rapport with Nature and Vedic Thought and Eco criticism A Study of Kavery Nambisan's The Scent of Pepper and ... 3 relish as well as absorb the very soul of Nature. The deference for the beings of Nature has been part of the Indian ethos. The preservation of certain spaces such as sacred groves, tanks and forests for religious traditions in hinterlands, small towns and agrarian clusters has contributed to maintenance of ecological equilibrium. Many of such preserved sites lie along the Western Ghats, the west coast, and in various parts of South India. These are not just precincts for the believers but also facilitators for biological diversity and conservation. They are examples of how religious faith and environment conservation have been in tandem. A large number of sacred water bodies near temples have contributed to preservation of certain endangered species of aquatic life. In a way, most of the conservation movements in India have a spiritual and philosophical connect with the teachings of the Vedas, reiterating the essential harmony between various components of Nature - the quintessential Vedic message. Some instances in recent times are listed as following: the world renowned Chipko Movement (1973), wherein tree hugging symbolized the importance of a tree, the Silent Valley Project (1978) in Kerala when people opposed a hydroelectricity project to be built on Kunthipuzha river, submerging the entire biosphere reserve and destroying the whole range of rainforests, the Tehri Dam Andolan in the 1980s, the Navdanya Movement of 1982 which emphasized ecological farming, the Narmada Bachao Andolan of 1985 when activists such as Medha Patekar and many others observed fasts or the Jal Satyagrah which started in 2012 in Madhya Pradesh, where villagers stood submerged in water, seeking compensatory and rehabilitative steps for those who faced the deluge resulting from excess water released from the Omkareshwar dam. Many critics have deliberated upon the eclectic and humanitarian thought of the Vedas. Meera Nanda discussed the concept of "Dharmic Ecology" in a paper presented at the 18th European Conference on Modern South Asian Studies at Lunds University, Sweden in 2004, critiquing the preponderance of religious motifs in Movements related to environment. Though skeptical of conflating religious symbols with environmental themes and branding it 'Religious Environmentalism,' she refers to the yatra undertaken by District Collector at Osamabad in Hyderabad, to drive home the importance of water resources. The 'Navdanya' movement by Vandana Shiva is also based on conservation of biological and cultural diversity, so that conserving knowledge of bio diversity becomes synonymous with conserving culture. So, the Indian ecological thought leans heavily on religious and philosophical sources. However, it does not imply the state of being a 'noble savage' exulting in primitivism and archaic knowledge. The thought expressed in the ancient texts has a pragmatic aspect as well so that efforts of conservation are complementary to religious beliefs as well. This is due to the unified and holistic concept of humans as part of Nature 4 Loveleen and not the masters or users of natural resources. Lynn Townsend White, Jr. in his oft quoted essay "The Historical Roots of our Ecological Crisis" talks about how Christianity promoted the idea of Man being a superior creation of the Lord, claiming that all the natural resources were available to him for use: Our science and technology have grown out of Christian attitudes towards man's relationship to nature…Despite Darwin, we are not in our hearts, part of the natural process. We are superior to nature, contemptuous of it, willing to use it for our slightest whim. The whole concept of sacred groove is alien to Christianity and to the ethos of the West… More science and more technology are not going to get us out of the present ecologic crisis, until we find a new religion or rethink the old one. (White, Jr., 1967, p.1204). White suggests a radical transformation in our belief by adopting Saint Francis of Assisi as the new icon as he had moderate view of ecology. He "tried to depose man from his monarchy over creation and set up a democracy of all God's creatures" (White, Jr., 1967, p. 1205) minimizing some of the harm done by the earlier hardliners. This was a remedial view to rectify the anthropocentric tilt of the Western (Christian) version of environment conservation which had also propagated a kind of androcentric norm.