Animal Rights and Representation: the Non-Human Turn in Selected Works of Ruskin Bond
| Authors |
| Mutum Sandhyarani Devi & Sobhana Laishram |
| Date of Publication: December, 2024 |
| Volume: XXIII, No.- XXVI |
| Abstract |
| Ecocriticism is an all-inclusive and refreshingly relevant approach towards literature and the arts. Owing to its anti-anthropocentric inclination, it generates room for discussions, deliberations as well as representations of the non-human entities that share the earth with human beings. Animals have been featuring in literature and other forms of artistic as well as social representations over the centuries, but seldom is their representation or portrayal as relevant and significantly faithful as in the works of Ecocritically-conscious works which give the centerstage to the non-human environment and hence enable serious and relevant debates and deliberations on issues other than the human. Most works of Ruskin Bond exhibit ecocritical sensitivity towards the plight and predicament of animals, along with that of other things natural and non-human. Bond’s representations reflect an unmistakably sensitive attitude towards our animal friends. Many pressing issues as well as subtle nuances related to the animal world are seen in bond’s celebrated short stories. A dedicated nature writer, Bond shows remarkable ecocritical consciousness in his approach. His short story “No Room for a Leopard” for instance, deliberates on the issue of extinction and exploitation of animals. “A Tiger in the House” gives an adorable portrayal of the nurturing of a tiger by Bond’s grandfather, hence providing a whole new perspective to the equation between the “man-eating” animal and human beings. |
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