Abstract
Kashmir, with its unique blend of picturesque landscape,
perennial fresh water streams and lakes, lush-green vegetation, snowcapped peaks, variety of birds, rare animals and various seasons with
changing hues, is one of the most environmentally vibrant areas in
South Asia. Traditionally known as the paradise on the earth, the valley
is currently sandwiched between the geopolitical ambitions of India and
Pakistan, and host to the worst political crisis in the region. It is
plagued with militarism, violence, encounters, curfews, atrocities, and
controversies. This research paper on Kashmiri novelist Mirza
Waheed’s work The Book of Gold Leaves (TBGL) (2014) links the
ecological crisis in the valley to the unending cycle of violence and
terror. Violence has created an environment of fear in the valley which
overshadows the beauty of the land. Tourism to Kashmir has dwindled
almost to non-existence. Landscape, forests, water bodies, birds and
animals face an existential threat at the hands of the ecocidal forces
which are proactive in the valley. Historically, there has been a dearth
of authentic voices from the Indian part of Kashmir to record the
conflict, fear and ecological crisis emanating from the presence of the
Indian military, armed resistance and negligence. But the current
writers from Kashmir are bent on emphasizing the gravity of the
ecological situation. Keeping in view all this and partially drawing on
ecocritical and ecofeminist strands of ecology, this paper explores the
strategic use of ecological trope on the part of Mirza Waheed to
highlight the plight of Kashmir along with its flora and fauna.
Muhammad Shoaib. (2019) Desecration of the Earthly Paradise: An Ecocritical Reading of Mirza Waheed’s Novel The Book of Gold Leaves, Journal of Research ( Humanities), Vol LV, Issue 1.
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