CSRF Lecture 2026 | Ecofeminist Narratives of Survival in Kamala Markandaya's Nector in a Sieve

[00:00:09]So good evening everyone.

[00:00:12]A warm welcome to uh everyone joining us live on Zoom and YouTube from different corners of the world. Culture is not merely a backdrop to our lives. It is a vital pulsing fabric through which we understand identity, resistance and survival. It is the language we use to negotiate our place on this earth. Welcome to public lecture 60 hosted by cultural studies research forum in relation with wallet education private limited part 60 incredible session. This forum has stood as a dynamic san uh sanctuary for intellectual disruption. A space where we look past the surface of the text to dissect the power structure, silent struggle and enduring triumphs of human civilization.

[00:01:19]Tonight we gather under the banner of learning for life to step into a landscape of profound resilence. We are delving deep into the heart of postc colonial Indian literature to explore eco- feminist narratives of survival in Kamala Marandanda's nectar in a sea.

[00:01:42]Kamala Marandanda's seinal novel is not just a story of rural hearts. It is a fierce uh testament to the intersecting ver vulnerabilities of the land and the female body. Tonight we look at how the exploitation of nature mirrors the subjugation of woman but more importantly how both art and the spirit of womanhood posess a fierce unyielding capacity to endure, reclaim and survive.

[00:02:16]to guide us uh through this lect intricate matrix of gender ecology and endurance. We are absolutely privileged to have a young vibrant voice with us tonight. Please join me in welcoming our distinguished resource person Miss Aifa Tangjit. Miss Tanjit is a UGC net qualified currently served as a lecturer in English at the Xavier Institute of Poly Technique and Technology. She is a scholar of high caliber and she holds an MA in English from St. Javier's College and is currently advancing the frontiers of her discipline by pursuing her PhD degree. What makes her presence tonight exceptionally poetic and fitting it fitting is her deeprooted commitment to sustainable learning. She has successfully completed an intensive 4month MOO course titled green earth sustainable future bringing a lived ecological consciousness directly to our discussion of eco feminism today. As a relentless seeker of knowledge, Miss Tanjit is an active uh fixture in the global academic community contributing to numerous national and international seminars, workshop, webinars and faculty development programs. Her scholarly contributions include four published articles and in a beautiful intersection of intellect, art and uh and actually intellect and art she has published a book featuring her very own original calligraphy.

[00:04:03]With such a rich tapestry of academic background, environmental passion and artistic grace, we are in for an extraordinary evening of intellectual illumination. To our vibrant audience, we invite you to actively engage and drop your question in the chat and uh be a part of this unfolding dialogue. Of course, after the completion of the talk, without further delay, let us open the floor. Miss Ashiva lounge floor is yours. Thank you.

[00:04:36]>> Thank you coy ma'am for the introduction. So before beginning the talk I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Dr. Kalyadi Walat ma'am. I would like to also thank Sudep sir uh anan sir for providing me with an opportunity to present my talk in cultural studies research forum. So before beginning the talk, I would like to present my TPT as well.

[00:05:09]Okay, let me share the screen.

[00:05:20]Are you the screen is visible ma'am?

[00:05:22]>> Yes, visible. It is >> okay. Okay. So, so the title of the talk is eco-feminist narratives of survival in Kamla Maranda's nect and it is classic text of Kamla Marandanda. I hope uh we all must have must be aware of the novel. Moving on to the core framework of the study. Let us first look at the aim, the rational and what is the main important question uh which is raised by me regarding this novel. If we'll try to see the primary aim of the study. So the primary of aim of the study is to offer a postc colonial eco feminist reading of nectar in a se. Earlier it was studied mainly as a poverty narrative focusing only on the rural destitution. So I'm trying to bring some light on the topic uh the on the novel Nectar in a seieve with regard to eco- feminist reading and secondly we'll examine our protagonist Rrookmani as an eco- feminist subjective subject and we'll see that she does not merely appear as a sufferer or a passive victim but she appears as a subject who embodies resilience and environmental agency.

[00:06:45]This brings us to the rationale of her novel. Uh again which I have pointed out that this novel was earlier only read as a poverty narrative focusing upon the rural destitution the rural problems.

[00:06:58]But here I would like to bring some light on the novel uh on the basis of our eco- feminist analysis. Uh I have tried to go through many research papers. I would like to name few of them such as that of Aner Bin Sin. uh in her paper analysis about how women's body and productive labor is being linked to uh lance fertility has been brought out.

[00:07:24]Uh she shows that how women and ecology are interconnected. Similarly, other papers such as that of Babita Kar and Dya Divy Meta talks about colonialism, patriarchy and the power dynamics and how it plays an important role or significant role in intensifying the hardships faced by the marginalized women as well as ecology. Similarly other paper as well Shobhiari and as of Sar Ahmedi they talk in the paper woman as a savior and the nurturer of nature that the power and the dominance appear as the main theme throughout the novel that have a direct impact upon the world of women and as that of nature. So our main research question is how does the novel construct Rrookman's survival as gendered and ecological struggle and what does it reveals about the patriarchy, poverty and environmental crisis in rural India.

[00:08:33]So the next slide takes us to our theoretical framework. Uh can anyone tell me what does the term eco eco feminism defines or what is eco-feministic eco feminist critical analysis any of the participants?

[00:08:58]Okay. Okay. Never mind. So eco- feminism is a basically a literary and philosophical approach that studies about the interconnectedness which the nature and the woman have between them. It tells us about the fact that the women are oppressed in a similar manner as the nature are being exploited. So basically eco- feminism is the we can define it in a manner that it tells us about that uh how patriarchy dominate women and nature as well under the capitalism or colonialism we can say uh if we uh go through the origin of the term so the term was coined by French jabborn she is a French thinker actually and in 1974 she tells She coins the term eco feminism in which she tells that how reproduction or population have emerged as a root cause for the environmental crisis. She also claims that feminism or saving female and saving planet are the same fight.

[00:10:09]Similarly, Carolene merchant as well in a book death of nature argues that the scientific revolution has replaced the nurturing organic view of earth and has mechanized everything and this mechanism has been also justified that environmental exploitation has been also justified. So these are the uh some of the theoretical framework which I have employed in my talk today. So if you'll see that eco feminism or the postcolonial eco feminism, it mainly focuses on that how land has been exploited or we'll see that uh how women are closer to the nature because they both act as provider to us as nurturer as the caregiver. If we try to examine what is postc colonial eco feminism, can anyone can point out postc colonial the postc colonial term? What do you understand by postc colonial term?

[00:11:16]Okay. Okay. So postc colonial eco feminism the term tells us or examines the environmental issues within the historical and the social realities of the countries in the global south and so we are taking one of the novel from India that is Kamla Marandanda's nectar in a seieve to analyze postc colonial eco feminism uh here we can study wand sha's uh eco feminist views but how she redefineses that environmentalism has been directly linked with feminism.

[00:11:53]How that the patriarchal capitalism tries to destroy nature as well as marginalize women. So what are the key concepts to be used regarding nature as well as women? You'll see that gendered labor and ecology, ethics of care and tactics and power. So what is gendered labor and ecology? So women have performed both productive and reproductive labor. If we look through the novel, we'll also find that Rrookmani works in the field. She looks after the children. She acts as a caregiver for the land as well as children both. She maintains the household. Uh she directly looks after the land. And consider it as her own family. So this is the gendered labor that she has to look after or the double labor which we are going to see in the next slides as well that she has to play both the role as of to look after the field in order to feed the family as well as to act as a caregiver for the family. So this again brings us to the ethics of care that she is responsible or she is responsible for the survival that survival of being nurturer of being sharer of being the protector of family as well as community.

[00:13:10]If we'll see the tactics and power here I have tried to draw some idea from Michelle Dertu who points out that people who are marginalized or who are at lower position they do not directly confront the people at the power but they try to confront or uh to take actions against those people at position through the small everyday practices or small little efforts as we'll see further in the slide.

[00:13:42]It is important to understand the rural ecology. The rural ecology. Why do you think that we need to analyze rural ecology?

[00:13:51]If anyone can point out participants.

[00:13:59]Okay. Okay. So, rural ecology is important here to analyze because whole of the novel is is having a village setting. So it is important for us to understand that rural ecology that rural society that agrarian society that how it is being exploited or harmed. So if you'll see that what is rural ecology or why rural ecology is important, it is important because that village setting gives us whole of the social background.

[00:14:31]The background of the novel as well as the background of the character. It's going to shape a character.

[00:14:38]If you see the village setting, the village setting provides us with a fact that Nata being a Natan being a poor tenant farmer and uh who lives in a hut who does not owns the land uh he is completely dependent on the land for the survival of the family as well. So this is the village setting the agrarian community which we are going to focus upon and since he is a farmer he is largely dependent upon his own lands uh actually not own land the land which he cultivates we are talking about. So the ecological vulnerability we are going to see the ecological vulnerability how ecology or nature acts as both destroyer and lifegiver. Although we see that Natan and Rukmani being the tenant farmer are largely dependent upon the land but that land is again get vulnerable because of uh that ecological or ecological harm or we can say the natural disaster which is not in our hand. So this brings out uh the light to the fact that nature acts as both lifegiver as well as destroyer because life their life is completely tied to monsoon. If there would be no monsoon there would be no good harvest. It will be followed by drought and again the question of survival will be raised. If we'll further move on to the socioeconomic structure, we will see that the land the land to which Rrookmani tends sws the seed uh looks after the crops or the naan for the matter of the fact that land also does not belongs to them. They are just the tenant relation. They just have that that tenant relation. It is owned by someone else. So that that fear of losing the land is also always there in their mind. The land which they cultivate again that is not sufficient to uh completely eradicate or sometimes to bring a stoppage to their poverty or to clear out their diet. So again that farming is also subsistence farming. So their socioeconomic structure always remains in danger. So again that occurs mostly in that rural ecology. So that's why we need to understand rural ecology.

[00:17:01]If we try to put on some eco- feminist interpretation then again we'll find that land or the field in which Zukmani and Natan cultivate. They're completely mutually dependent on that. But again that land also is not loyal to them. We can say because they because it is vulnerable to ecology. Again it is vulnerable or it is completely dependent upon the seasonal cycle and if the seasonal cycle won't support the land won't support them. So this was the thing next is the tannery and the changing village the arrival of the very tannery. So here tannery here tannery basically acts as a symbol of industrialization symbol of modernization which is again further going to disrupt or complicate the life of rrookmani and natal.

[00:17:56]So this very symbol of industrialization it represents the conflict between the traditional rural life and the modern industrial development.

[00:18:07]uh the life which was earlier dependent upon land will now shift uh its survival tendency upon the tannery. This tannery will obviously provide or create multiple employment opportunities because it has led uh to the advent of uh building of good roads, bridges again. But this modernization will also harm nature will also harm the life of tenant farmers like Natan and Rrookmani because we'll see further that how Natan loses her his land because he does not own that land and with the advent of Tannery there was demand of more area or more land and so the land owner snatches that land from Nathan and provides it to the tannery owners. So again this advent of tannery is uh bringing or dispossession of land for that egrian community. Further it is also providing disruption and pollution.

[00:19:15]How uh the that the continuous noise of that machines that moral anxiety and obviously because of the process of industrialization there is rise in prices the constant noise. The air is also filled with unpleasant smells that crowded strangers that peaceful atmosphere of that village scene has been disrupted again because of the advent of tannery. So uh it it also has that uh it also harms that economic economic uh dependence of farmers upon the land because again uh with the advent of uh uh with the advent of tannery more of the farmers are shifting towards uh towards working in the industry. So that like who tend that land who look after the land the land or the nature is being ignored for the profit because again tannery provides better employment facility uh it provides better wages or it provides better lifestyle we can say. So tanner tanner can also symbolize the industrial capitalism that is going to value profit over people and nature.

[00:20:34]Now if I try to employ eco- feminist interpretation over there then uh it also raises the question of the fact that uh can this uh progress uh could be truly called progress which does which overlooks the uh necessity of the poor poor people and tries to feed more profit upon uh the people who are at the power position again. Okay, if you'll look at Rrookmani, uh we'll see that uh her marriage and attachment to the land.

[00:21:07]Uh earlier uh when in the beginning of the novel, we'll read that uh when Romani shifts to the house of or the hut of uh Natan. She finds that the there's that touch that roof, the walls, the mud walls. So she comes from a better place comparison to that of Natan's hut. But yet she gradually starts loving the heart. She gradually starts loving the soil. She loves that natural environment. She used to tend the land with that happiness with that uh familial feeling.

[00:21:46]If I look over over the infertility and the motherhood uh how motherhood is very much required in the society as per regarding the woman. If a woman is unable to conceive or if a woman is unable to become a mother, this is quite unacceptable by the society. they cannot take this thing up because motherhood would they think is an important criteria for woman to uh to exemplify her self of being a woman or to prove herself of being a woman. So we'll look at rupmani of anxiety over childlessness and we can draw parallel of this with the ecology as well that if a land isn't fertile it is again not acceptable by the society. If the land turns barren, we consider it as a waste.

[00:22:42]In a similar manner, if a woman is not able to reproduce, she is also not taken into consideration. We can justify this with a very example of Irai uh the doctor of Romani who was returned by her husband or abandoned by her husband just for the matter of the fact she was not able to conceive.

[00:23:03]uh here we'll find that during the early mar uh early years of marriage group was also facing the same problem but then she visits Kenny and uh and Kenny helps her and soon she was able to conceive and followed with a number of sons here uh okay we'll see how Kenny connection is also an important aspect in the novel uh in the further slide again this human fertility and crop of fertility is described in the similar emotional tone that uh if a child if a mother or if a woman is unable to conceive and if a land is unable to bear uh proper bear the crops they both are unaccepted in the society unacceptable in the society. So yeah uh and here we can also say that uh as there's a good harvest it brings blessing and happiness to the family. In a similar manner if a woman is able to produce sun she is acceptable and she is considered as a blessing as well. If a woman uh if a land if a field becomes barren uh there's food scarcity and uh the suffering increases. In the similar manner if a woman is not able to produce a good number of sons it is not celebrated as a uh it is not celebrated as a uh by the society. It is not acceptable by the society. So that fertility of women and fertility of nature is both important again for the survival and for the sustenance.

[00:24:44]So the labor care and ethics of survival rrookman's survival again largely depends upon that reproductive labor as well as that productive capacity of the land or we can say that her own reproductivity as well as the productivity of the land. They both share a constant sustaining role with each other. Rrookmani's body and the earth both are seen here as a source of nourishment as a source of survival and providing and yet both are affected by poverty patriarchy and environmental instability.

[00:25:27]Uh I have uh given a hint of double labor. Can anyone bring out that point from the participants?

[00:25:45]the double labor.

[00:25:49]What I'm talking about?

[00:25:56]Yes. Working for family and working for land. Yes. Rrookmani working for family as well as Rrookmani working for land.

[00:26:06]She is responsible for both the field work as well as the domestic work. She acts as a nurturer. She acts as a caregiver and she is responsible here for uh preserving the family or the very title the survival of the family.

[00:26:24]Then we look for the care work again the same thing. uh here I would like to bring an example that uh there was an instance when there was shortage of food because of the dr uh dr and that's why there was shortage of food then she and a uh used to sacrifice the amount of their food in order to fill the stomach of their son uh the brother's brother so this instance brings again light to the matter of the fact that it's women who are expected to sacrifice. It's women who are uh who take up the responsibility. If not patriarchal society then it is so much internalized in their mindset that they have to sacrifice or they are responsible for looking after. It was nothing like that Natan Nathan didn't support her. But I would like to bring light here the eco- feminist that the feminism thing that how women themselves uh come into the forefront in order to sacrifice or in order to look as uh to to emerge as a nurturer to emerge as a caregiver.

[00:27:32]So again the ethics of care that uh she takes up the responsibility for the care work. When there was a food shortage they used to carefully rush in the little amount of food available for them. uh and the we can also see the uh care thing that when was abandoned by her husband, it was Rukmani who took uh the step to look after for a man or the patriarchal society sidelining the woman and a woman coming up or emerging as an helper, as a caregiver, as a mother to look after.

[00:28:15]So again if you'll draw parallel with the land then the land and the community everything that value of empathy that value of cooperation nurturer in the field of domination is taken up by woman herself. Her relationship with land also reflects the care in the matter of the fact that she does not exploits the land for her profit. Rather she works in it respectfully. She tends the field in a manner that she consider it as her own family as her own children. So, so here she tries to maintain that balance that ecological balance between human and the land.

[00:29:09]Next slide.

[00:29:11]Okay. Net agency again. Okay. Passivity.

[00:29:16]I would like to ask that does Rrookmani appear as a passive character?

[00:29:23]Does Rrookmani appear as a passive character?

[00:29:27]What are your views?

[00:29:34]Yes. Here we'll find that Rrookmani does not appear as a passive character. She does not submits to the situation. She constantly makes that smart decisions.

[00:29:48]Her decisions, her small tactics, her small steps are responsible for the survival of the family. Uh even during the changing circumstances, she does not surrender to the situation. Uh she emerges as a character who shows that resilience, who shows that compassion towards the uh end of the novel. We can see and her silence should not be mistaken as or for a weakness and the everyday tactics which we are talking about uh again I would like to uh talk about that theorist Misha Dertu who talks that powerful oh sorry powerless people often resist the authority through the little small efforts the everyday tactics rather than the direct confrontation.

[00:30:38]They do not fight against the uh the power dynamics but rather they try to adjust according to the changing situation without giving up hope.

[00:30:51]The Kenny connection, the Kenny connection which I was talking the Kenny connection which I was talking that when in the uh after the few years of marriage she was not able to uh conceive then she visits Kenny and this uh the visit how her paying visit to Kenny was again not acceptable by the society. So she does not completely goes against the society but she does not again surreners to the society's demand because for her motherhood was also important. So what she does she used to visit Kenny in the dark of the night in order to get that medicine or in order to get that help.

[00:31:31]So here we'll find uh so here we'll find that she completely does not surreners to the society's demand but she also pays respect to the uh to the demands of the society. She uh because her because because the conservative village would have never accepted the fact that she's visiting a doctor. So this was a courageous decision again taken by her.

[00:31:57]This could also be seen as an small everyday tactic which I'm talking about that her actions are uh her actions would have been socially discouraged but yet she takes that small step she uh she takes the assistance of Dr. Kenny because she knows that even if she'll not become a motherhood then also she will be criticized by the society. So she again takes that small everyday tactic or small step which I'm talking about and later on she also sends her son Selam to assist Kenny because she was very well aware that uh education and health care is very important for the future generation. So her presence of mind, her uh adaptance with a changing situation could be also seen as an important step in survival in survival of hers throughout the novel.

[00:32:57]Okay. Kinship with nature. How do you consider nature? I would like to ask you all, how do you consider nature? How you would take up nature?

[00:33:12]If anyone can tell me in the participants, you can tell me in the chat box.

[00:33:20]How? Yes. As a friend. Okay. As a friend.

[00:33:24]And any more any more comments regarding how we take up nature?

[00:33:33]Okay. So, we generally romanticize nature. If we look at some if we look at rain as of matter if we look at rain or if we look at trees we take it we we get that joy we get that happiness we romanticize nature we see that serene beauty and we feel pleasant but this nature is not same for everyone. So again, other than romanticizing nature, we'll find uh through that eco- feminist reading, we'll find nature being more realistic and more nuanced. We'll see throughout uh the novel that it acts as both lifegiver as well as destructive in nature. It is kind and nurturing as well as it also creates problem in the life of Rrookmani.

[00:34:24]Throughout the novel, we'll find that Rrookmani describes the land as her own child, as her own family member and she experiences joy when the rains arrive.

[00:34:35]Uh because it is again a promise for the good harvest, a food and hope and as soon as that nature changes its face we can say or nature brings that uh uh drought. So that is ecological vulnerability. Again here nature could be seen beyond romanticization that nature is unpredictable. Nature is not always nurtural. Nature can be destructive as well. And Rrookmani uh being vulnerable to such forces again has to take up uh that uh uh has to take up the initiative for the survival of a family for that patriarchy for that uh industrialization process. Again say both women and nature are seen as vulnerable to the larger systems of power.

[00:35:30]Uh yeah uh if if again we can also apply uh the that the kinship that the kinship thing that the kinship is based on work dependence risk not mystical unity. So here I'm talking that rrookman's relationship with nature is not mystical or is not based on some inherent feminine quality but it is developed more as of her survival instinct in the land. Her bond with nature is created through labor, through her dependence, through the shared risk again the land and hers as well. And it is not always romantically brought out. And if you'll see through the postcolonial eco feminism lens, we'll see that it emphasizes the material realities or the facts or the practical reality rather than just focusing upon the abstract ideals of the nature.

[00:36:26]and uh and also when uh later on when the land the kingship I'm talking about uh when the land was taken away by the landlord from Rrookman and Natan so here that loss of land is just not the loss of a piece of land but it was actually loss of an identity loss of memory loss of livelihood and loss of that emotional belongingness again if we we can also apply Marxist lens here through Marx Marxist lens we can see that losing of the land the loss of the land has been considered as capitalist development which focuses which focuses upon the profit rather than upon the lives of poor. If we appoint that eco-critic uh eco-critic lens then we'll find the destruction of the land and converting into again for the benefit of the process of industrialization for adding on to the land area of the tannery which is again going to bring environmental exploitation uh the destruction the pollution which we were which we have already discussed in the previous slide. So uh here we can find that nature has not been romanticized. We have not seen uh nature or we have not focused upon the nature as being peaceful or nurturing rather as one which has been uh used by the patriarchal society as a resources for economic development.

[00:38:06]What's wrong with the slide?

[00:38:13]Yes, the industrialization process again the very symbol of Tanner gives us the hint of hint of process of industrialization.

[00:38:23]The industrialization which results in displacement, poverty and ecological destruction. It uh brings light to the matter of the fact that this process has brought a harm brought harm to the lives of poor farming families and further it will also lead to that climatic vulnerability question raising question to sustainable development and environmental justice.

[00:38:53]Uh if you'll see the eviction from the land again the land was sold the tenants were displaced that industrial encroachment leading to agradian dispossession what we are talking about it leaving the family homeless uh the landlord selling it for the commercial purpose the tirelessly uh the tirelessly working farmers have been deployed of their land and they have to just they have just become homeless and then most of them such as that of Rrookmani and Natan also they move to the city and there also they do not find uh that peace or that uh that that hunger or that homelessness has not been completed even in the city.

[00:39:40]They have to take shelter from the temp uh in the temple. They have to uh starve without the food. they have to uh survive in the condition which was again uh not acceptable by them or which was which they didn't deserve actually. So here we find that uh their movement to the city was also not at all beneficial.

[00:40:03]Again that modernization process has not provided any help or any care uh to the needy ones or the poor ones. uh rather it deteriorates the Nathan's condition later he dies exhaust of exhaustion and old age and poor living condition and eventually eventually we'll find Rrookman's returning to the city uh to the village life from that city life because again that city life was not providing her uh uh peace or a sense of belongingness and that agrarian community she was missing that agrarian community. So can we say that this development or this modernization process has brought equal uh profit to everyone?

[00:40:55]Can we say that development is equal for everyone?

[00:41:06]Yes, this processes this process of development is completely uneven. It is not at all equal for everyone. It is uh uh the development is such uneven that the if you look into from the Marxist lens then the one who are at the place of power or position they get more richer and the one who are at the vulnerable position their condition worsens or gets more vulnerable.

[00:41:35]For the capitalist it is beneficial and not for the poor and the Yes. and not for the poor ones. Yes. Uh it is completely uneven development because the economic progress only benefits the people at the position and the marginalized people are ignored as they are always being ignored. So from that Marxist uh perspective as I was talking that it exposes that exploitation of the working class. The farmers who produce the wealth who who does more of the hard work who work as a laborer they neither own that land they neither get the benefit of that production nor their condition uh gets better over time.

[00:42:19]rather it just deteriorates or the condition gets worse we can say. Uh so from a very postcolonial perspective if we'll apply then we'll find that industrialization represents a continuation of colonial models of development that prioritizes again profit rather than focusing upon the human welfare. the rural uh communities get again displaced or disrupted in the name of uh this economic progress.

[00:42:55]Yes.

[00:42:58]I think it appears to be for the Yes. Yes. uh yes they it is not beneficial for the marginalized rather it harms their progress it rather oppresses them. We can uh employ this the contemporary relevance also because this issue because it also racial uh raises the issue uh as of uh uh the relevant today issues which are relevant today also because that indigenous development or that indigenous uh in the name of that indigenous development those communities are uh displaced in the name of mining in the name of industrial project in the name of that uh urban expansion we can say uh that it it ultimately leads to the destruction of climate or weather as well. Uh they cause climatic changes, they cause environmental degradation, they remain responsible uh for the food security or for care of the family as well.

[00:44:01]Yes. So again through Rrookmani's journey from village to the city and then back again from city to the village we'll find that that displacement of Rrookman is not only physical but is again emotional her ecological cultural these bag these pointers small pointers are also important because that displacement was not at all physical displacement but her emotions her ecology her environment her surrounding ing was also changed and how it brought disruption or problem for her. How she uses her survival instincts in different situations. This has been pointed out.

[00:44:48]Okay. What's wrong with the slides?

[00:44:53]Okay. again that return to village if we'll try to uh uh apply eco- feminist narration or interpretation what we're talking is that uh the death the death of we'll focus upon the death of Natan which again uh signifies the collapse of that traditional aquarian world under the pressures of industrialization which has ultimately led to poverty so Her uh her return also uh cannot be considered as something passive or submissive. Rather it can be seen as a process. Her return could be seen as a process that uh emerges as a symbol of resilience, continuity and hope even at the time of distress. Uh she also returns with puli the orphaned boy. Again here it brings us the fact that uh woman acts as the caregiver that she does not leaves that the orphan boy pulley but she brings uh him back although there was no chance or little chance of them being at a better condition but yet she does not leaves that police hand. This also signifies that how women uh look after how women act as a caregiver and her return again her return could also be interpreted uh not as nostalgia.

[00:46:19]She was not nostalgic regarding that or not she was not longing for that past.

[00:46:25]She was well aware that there is little chance of survival in the field or in the land in the village she's returning.

[00:46:33]But again uh because she was well aware that industrial process has again brought a disruption but yet she believes that the meaningful life which she is expecting could be all only gained in that agrarian community through that honest labor through that care through that uh love in the community through that agrarian the peaceful uh surrounding. Her return also demonstrates the her survival instincts that uh she simply uh uh she is not simply uh thinking about possessing wealth or land. It is about preserving or returning to one's dignity to one's connection with the place where she actually belongs.

[00:47:22]Okay. So here we also see uh that how she demonstrates resilience uh her adaptive nature her care. Okay.

[00:47:34]Okay. Okay ma'am. Okay ma'am. Uh we have just almost come to the end.

[00:47:46]Yeah. The concluding uh the concluding slide of us uh it uh the main takeaways. Okay. So we get the main takeaway is that uh Rrookmani uh being a strong character and Rrookmani or the protagonist could be seen as a figure of eco- feminist agency. How she employs that a little tactics for the survival.

[00:48:12]um the powerful she appears as a powerful postc colonial eco- feminist uh character uh to be analyzed uh in order to uh tell us that uh the inner se is not merely a poverty based uh narration but is actually uh giving us clue to uh focus more upon that eco- feminism uh topic. The another key takeaway you can be is that uh novel also presents the environmental degradation, the industrialization, the interconnected uh issues of women and nature again uh the suffering of the poor, the and the interpretive synthesis again. Yeah. uh just we'll go through then we'll find the eco feminist agency more as of the matter of the fact and uh how the novel raises the environmental the question of environmental justice the development and the gender particularly in the global south we can take uh we can understand econom uh environmental justice the how the development process have uh led to class exploitation women acting as unpaid laborers. Uh the relationship between human and environment and uh and the criticizing of environmental destruction caused by the patriarchal society which takes up the control of women as well as nature. We can also connect nectar in a sea with other texts as well. for example as that of Margaret Edwards suffering which is also read as twin eco- feminist reading with nectar in a seieve and uh we can also go for other text as well of Anita Desai uh and Kosh's the hungry tide so these are the text which can be also taken up as eco- feminist reading and we can make a comparative study so this was all about the talk uh the questions are welcome welcomed. Uh, thank you ma'am and thank you everyone for being a patient listener.

[00:50:32]>> Thank you so much Asha.

[00:50:34]>> Yes ma'am. It was really a spellbinding and deeply emulating lecture.

[00:50:40]>> Okay.

[00:50:41]>> And you have beautifully uh unraveled the delicate threads of eco feminism in nectar in a reminding us that the scars on the land and the struggles of womanhood are profoundly interconnected.

[00:50:59]Yet both poses uh an unbreakable spirit of resistance and survival.

[00:51:05]you have given our forum an immense amount of intellectual sustenance to digest tonight. you know this is true uh to to so to kick off our question answer session and open the floor to our global audience I would love to ask you that uh in our current era of rapid uh climate crisis how can we use Marandrea's mid 20th century rural narrative to better understand and navigate the contemporary eco- feminist battles of the 21st century.

[00:51:47]>> Okay. Uh uh by analyzing the character of Rupani versus >> Sorry for the interruption. Will you please stop the slides? So and also the sharing.

[00:51:58]>> Okay.

[00:51:59]>> Because the screen is black, right?

[00:52:01]Yeah. Thank you.

[00:52:02]>> Okay.

[00:52:04]I hope this is great.

[00:52:09]>> Yeah.

[00:52:10]Oh yeah. Okay ma'am. So through the character of Rrookmani, her compassion, her resilience uh her resilience in every situation uh can help us to understand that how we need to not lose hope in the difficult situation also and should work uh and should work with the uh work with the flow or work with the hope and this will help us in the continuation of uh uh our work or the task which will take and the very that the climate question and that how the climatic conditions of the 21st century are is being also harmed.

[00:52:51]So we need to take some key steps. We need to uh encourage uh that sustainability that sustainable development and uh we should take the very example of the advent of tannery from the novel that that advent of tannery again not only disrupted that community but it also caused environmental pollution in a similar m manner in the 21st century as well. Uh if we try to that expand the road let let us take that very simple example real life example. uh if we just try to that expand the road we just cutting down those trees and we just not replacing it with other ones as well. So if okay if if we are focusing upon industrialization or modernization well then and good it is necessary if we are expanding that road or if you're cutting down trees for that reason we can just simply doh take a small initiative of planting those trees in some other area in order to maintain that balance. So uh the very the tannary example we can see that tannary brought just disruption it just caused destruction for the agrarian community as well for the uh the ecology as well.

[00:54:02]So we shall not do the same thing that we should not take profit as of more serious rather than human welfare or we should not break that interconnectedness between uh land and between uh women.

[00:54:20]Uh I hope I'm able to communicate ma'am.

[00:54:24]Okay.

[00:54:24]>> Sure. Sure. It was really good to know your views on that and quite I am also agreed with you. Yeah.

[00:54:33]>> Uh, someone is in the chat box asked that can eco-feminism avoid essentializing third world women? Can you please explain it?

[00:54:45]>> Okay. Can eco- feminism avoid essentializing the third world woman?

[00:54:50]Yes, I think yes. Because if we study eco feminism, we'll understand that uh uh how important role does women play especially the third world women as you're asking about the third world woman that is again we are focusing upon the women in the rural community or in the rural area. Yes, if we'll study eco feminism, we'll understand the effort or the the steps taken by the rural women uh how they act as the nurturer, the caregiver for the land, for the children, uh they are mostly responsible for uh the survival of the family, for acting as a protector. So yes, if we study eco- feminism, we'll understand the importance of third world women who who just simply act as unpaid laborer, unsung laborer, we can say. So yes, eco- feminism helps us to an analyze the importance of those third world women who are completely ignored. So yes, eco feminism would help.

[00:55:57]>> Thank you. So >> I hope I made point. Yes.

[00:56:00]>> Yeah. Yeah, I hope uh who questioned it uh E or C get Yeah. Okay, got it because said thank you. Okay, another question we have from YouTube that would you characterize Rrookman's endurance as passive suffering or uh is her survival a quiet form of eco feminist resistance?

[00:56:27]>> Yes. Uh this is a important thing to understand that no she is not at all passive character. She is not at all subdued or submissive character because because of her small everyday action as I was talking about by drawing out the ideas of Michelle Desert that a very simple act of hers. I took an example also that when uh once the field was struck with drut then they had very little amount of food very little amount of uh that um that grains left. So she used to she divided it into 24 days then again she used to daily count it she used to look after it. So she's not a passive character that she has just left the situation but actually she emerges as a strong character that even in the days when the when her survival was hard she took those small steps she took that small initiatives for the survival of the family. In a similar manner, it was not easy for her to move towards the city because she was a great lover of that agrarian community. But yet she took that initiative to move towards the city to look for her son Murugan in the city. uh another instance was also there that she she didn't like that advent of Tanner but yet again uh again her her elder sons two of the sons uh that Arjun and Tambi they they wanted to work in the tannery then she she didn't resist it she didn't uh or she didn't submit to it she emerged as a strong character no you are not allowed or she uh she was in the difficult situation they were in the difficult situation ation because the field uh was not proh prosperous at that time yet she did not submit to the situation. So she was not a passive character uh she emerges as a strong character, a very resilient character.

[00:58:28]Even towards the end of the novel uh even that when she was struck with widowhood and poverty yet she had a hope that uh when she'll return to the village she'll be able to get that prosperous agrarian community. So the hope which she holds till last shows us that she's not at all a passive character. She emerges as a strong resilient character.

[00:58:55]>> I hope I was clear ma'am.

[00:58:59]>> Julie. Yes. Yes, you are right.

[00:59:01]>> Okay. Um, anyone else wants to ask anything or just not not necessarily it will be a query.

[00:59:11]You can just talk to her. No problem.

[00:59:21]Okay. Uh, one more question we have that.

[00:59:26]Yeah. How does the metaphor of holding nectar in a sea, quote unquote, translate to an eco- feminist struggle to hold onto life and nature amidst corporate uh destruction?

[00:59:42]>> Yeah.

[00:59:43]>> Okay. So this very title nectar in a seieve has been taken from ST collerics work without home. So actually the nectar in a seieve the nectar is that sweetness uh or that uh good harvest which Rrookmani talks about and that seieve that seieve is the industrialization process. So nectar in a se metaphor is used here because Rickmani being a strong character, being a resilient character, she tries to hold that sweetness, that love of hers for the land um through a seal seal that is industrialization process that she's not losing hope that she'll she wants that to hold that sweetness that agrarian community but actually due to the industrialization process it's it's becoming waste because you can't connect anything in a seieve. A seieve is something through which the things leak.

[01:00:41]So she is trying to connect that nectar, that sweetness, that honey in a seieve and ultimately it won't be possible because that seieve is responsible for the leakage. So yeah, we can also um see that uh that se thing uh that industrial process how industrial process does not lets poor family to survive. However hard they try, however hopeful they be that see that uh that system that leakage in the system is going to cause their destruction is going to cause their disruption.

[01:01:19]So I I think this >> Yeah. Thank you Ashifa.

[01:01:24]>> Okay.

[01:01:24]>> Any other questions?

[01:01:32]Uh I think we are running out of time.

[01:01:35]Uh so as we bring this intellectually stimulating evening to a close, my heart is filled with immense gratitude.

[01:01:45]gratitude not just for the smooth conduct of this event but for the profound ideas that have been planted in our minds tonight. So on behalf of cultural studies research forum and also Vat Education private limited I extend my deepest thanks to uh Ashifa and everyone who made public lecture 60 an outstanding success. So our uh and uh next our deepest gratitude goes to the phenomenal resource person Miss Ashipa Tamjit. Thank you M Tamjit for leading us through the intricate landscapes of eco- feminist narratives of survival in Camila Maranda's nectar in you did not merely analyze a text actually you bridged the gap between mid mid-century literature and modern ecological realities. So your insights into corporate uh extraction or the gendered experience of climate displacement or you can say the radical nature of rural survival have given us a completely fresh lens through which we can look at both literature and our planet. So uh deep deep thanks to you and uh I express my heartfelt thanks to all the management community we have at our CSRF also at Balat and also a huge thank to Dr. Dr. Kalani Valad an Sudep sir for supporting us through all the time and finally an academic forum is not only I mean is alive only for the past participants right so to our wonderful audience joining us from various parts of the globe thank you for your presence so as we scatter back into our walls tonight let us carry with us Rrookmir spirit of resilience and a renewed community uh commitment to nurturing our self, nurturing our self so and also our earth. So thank you all. Uh and I am just closing this session. Yeah.

[01:04:06]>> Okay.

[01:04:06]>> Thank you.

[01:04:07]>> Thank you ma'am. thing.