Abstract
In this article, we have explored the nature of
relationship between literary narrative and physical
environment. Our argument is that the representation of
plants, animals and buildings in a literary text not only
serves the purpose of providing a natural background to
human drama but they also contribute to developing a
political statement by the authors. Thus, the mentioning of
indigenous plants and animals, serves the purpose of
highlighting the features of indigenous identity. In Twilight
in Delhi, Mir Nihal feels grieved over the loss of political
power in the public sphere. He devises different strategies
to counter the existential vacuity created by the colonial
intrusion in the public sphere. Amongst the various
strategies that he adopts, the love for indigenous fauna
and flora is the one that serves the purpose of negotiating
with the colonizer in aesthetic terms. The local plants,
animals and buildings are dear to him because he feels
spiritually attached to them. Hence, he reacts strongly to
the colonial endeavour of building a New Delhi because
the cityscape would be changed. The “neem trees” will be
cut down. A new boulevard will be built replacing the old
which had an oriental appeal for Mir Nihal. Thus,
deforestation becomes a metaphor for dehistoricizing. In
other words, the neem trees and the precolonial ambience
represent indigenous aesthetics and historical
consciousness. And Mir Nihal is incapable of fighting this
ecological intrusion. He finds a release or imaginary
escape in holding the pigeon flying competition
Khurshid Alam, Hammad Nazir Zaki. (2018) The Politics of Environmentalism: An Ecological Study of Twilight in Delhi, Bazyaft, Volume 32 , Issue1 .
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