Authors: Dr. Supriya E
Abstract: Kedarnath Singh occupies an important place in modern Hindi poetry for his ability to connect ordinary experiences with larger questions of human existence. His poetry is closely associated with villages, fields, rivers, water, birds, animals and the earth. These elements, however, are not merely picturesque details. They become ways of thinking about human dependence on nature and the changes taking place in the environment. This paper examines the ecological dimension of Singh’s poetry through an ecocritical reading of selected poems, particularly Akaal Mein Saras, Akaal Mein Doob, Paani Ki Prarthana, Paani Tha Main, Nadi, O Meri Udaas Prithvi, Baagh and Prithvi Rahegi. The study focuses on drought, water scarcity, biodiversity, anthropocentrism, ecological displacement and the relationship between environmental and social crisis. It argues that Singh does not treat nature merely as an object of aesthetic appreciation. Instead, human beings, animals, birds, water, soil and the earth appear as parts of an interconnected world. Drought becomes a crisis that extends from the agricultural field to the wider community of life, while water becomes both a material necessity and a symbol of memory and responsibility. Although Singh cannot historically be described simply as a “climate-change poet,” his poetry anticipates several concerns that have become central to contemporary environmental discourse. His poetry ultimately moves from an awareness of nature towards ecological anxiety, ethical responsibility and hope.
DOI: http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22301351
