Mahasweta Devi’s texts offer the critique of civilization, the dichotomy of nature and culture and the threat posed by forces of modernization. She offers penetrating insights into the connection between ecological and economic concerns. She is known as a committed artist, documenting the past and continuing struggle of the people. But creative writing is only one side of her literary persona. There are several other dimensions of her persona concerns; activities and priorities which are distinct but closely interrelated. She cannot be branded by any conventional label such as writer, social activist, reporter, editor or organizer of peoples? groups at the grass root level. Each one of these titles is partially true. All these aspects of her personality considered together sharply distinguish her from her contemporaries not just in West Bengal but in the country also. As a creative writer, her contribution is noteworthy, both in significance and volume. Her writings originate from her intimate knowledge of the ground realities. Her stories deal with a diverse range of issues related to the deprivation, degradation of life and environment, exploitation and struggles of the laboring poor and the underprivileged, the landless and small peasants, sharecroppers, bonded labor, contract labor and miners in West Bengal and Bihar. She has a deep sympathy with the tribal people and she documents their life, customs, culture and their problems in the wake of modernization. Her essays deal with the degradation of the ecosystem and lopsided forestation policy of the government which has ruined the primitive life and culture of tribal people. Devi urges for sustainable development concept so that the progress can be made without ecological devastation that is being perpetrated by industrialists and government officials. Devi?s perspective on ecology forms an integral part of her entire creative output because she finds a close connection between man and nature. She believes that the survival of mankind is possible only when human beings acknowledges and respect Mother Nature rather than usurp it for personal profit. Her fiction unveils her concern about the alarming imbalance between man and nature due to globalization, privatization and capitalistic policies of different governments. She finds that consistent murder of nature has severely affected the life of poor deprived tribal and the rural women who depend on forests for livelihood and other basic requirements. These oppressed communities are the worst sufferers in the process of globalization and privatization of resources. As a writer, Devi feels that a creative artist plays a vital role in destroying the spurious elements of contemporary civilization and helps in reconstructing the future society. In the author?s preface to Bashai Tudu, translated and edited by Samik Bandyopadhyay, Devi makes biting comments on the popular writers of the time for their snobbery and insensititiveness to social issues related to the plight of the dispossessed and the disinherited tribal and dalits.
tribal, Mahasweta, works, Devi, health, government, dalits, environment, stories, essays
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