Studying Structures: An Ecocritical Analysis of Mahashweta Devi's Short Story in the Context of

Sustainability and Climate Change

Author: Parushi Ruhil

9891795941
parushi.ruhil@iitjammu.ac.in

Extended Abstract

Key Words: Sustainability, Structuralism, Mahashweta Devi, Tribes, Ecocriticism, Docufiction,

Development

Sustainability is the only way forward. The governments of the world and the international
institutions have made it clear that if the threshold of 1.5 degrees celsius1 is crossed then the
consequences could be dire. But the vulnerable communities of the world are even more at risk
as they do not have the resources to offset the damages. For example, the climate changes
induced migration has seen an all time high in the recent years.

One of these vulnerable populations is the tribal communities of the world that are more
vulnerable to the effects of climate change than other populations due to their dependence on
natural resources, traditional livelihoods, and unique cultural practices. Here are a few citations
that support this claim:

1. The United Nations Development Programme states that "Indigenous peoples, who
make up less than 6% of the world's population, are custodians of around 22% of the
world's land surface. They have been disproportionately affected by climate change due
to their reliance on subsistence agriculture, fishing, and hunting" (UNDP, 2019).

2. According to the World Wildlife Fund, "Tribal peoples depend heavily on natural
resources, such as forests, for their livelihoods. Climate change is causing more frequent
and severe droughts, floods, and storms, which are threatening these resources and the
survival of these communities" (WWF, 2019).

3. A study by the International Union for Conservation of Nature found that "Indigenous
peoples' lives, livelihoods, and cultures are inextricably linked to the natural
environment. As such, changes in weather patterns, temperature, sea level, and
precipitation will have profound impacts on these communities, and they are likely to be
among the first to feel the effects of climate change" (IUCN, 2017).

4. The United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues has reported that "Climate
change is leading to the loss of traditional knowledge, biodiversity, and cultural practices

1
The 1.5 degree Celsius climate change threshold refers to the goal of limiting global warming to no more than 1.5 degrees
Celsius above pre-industrial levels. This goal was established by the Paris Agreement, a global agreement on climate
change signed in 2015 by nearly every country in the world.
 among indigenous communities. This loss is not only detrimental to the communities
themselves but also to the world's cultural diversity and the resilience of ecosystems"
(UNPFII, 2017).

But how does one prove that the life of a tribal community in the Chotanagpur Plateau of India2
is directly intertwined with the global climate change which has been induced by the coal and
the petrol economy? How is an Amazonian tribe’s injury a part and a product of unsustainable
global agricultural practices? Measuring the environmental and climate change damage to tribal
communities can be a challenging task due to various reasons such as the complexity of
environmental systems, the lack of reliable data, and the diversity of cultural practices and
values. Indigenous peoples are often excluded from data collection and analysis, which makes it
difficult to understand the impacts of climate change on their lives and livelihoods.
Furthermore, traditional scientific measures of environmental damage may not capture the
unique cultural practices and values of tribal communities, and the long-term cumulative effects
of environmental damage are often difficult to attribute to specific factors. Additionally,
indigenous communities often have different understandings of the environment and the
impacts of climate change than mainstream scientific or policy perspectives, making it
challenging to develop effective adaptation strategies.

This paper tries to look for an answer through Mahashweta Devi’s “docufiction” Shanichari.
This is

About Mahashweta Devi

Mahasweta Devi's works can be seen as a form of “engaged literature”, “docufiction” that
incorporates both fictional and non-fictional elements to create narratives that are socially
relevant and politically charged. Her writings often draw from her own experiences as an activist
and her research into marginalized communities in India, such as tribals, dalits, and women.

While some of her works, such as "Breast Stories" and "Draupadi," incorporate real-life events
and people, others, like "The Hunt," are more firmly rooted in the realm of fiction. Nevertheless,
even in her more fictionalized works, Devi often addresses themes and issues that are relevant to
contemporary society, such as the exploitation of the poor, climate change and the
marginalization of women.

It's worth noting that the use of real-life elements in Devi's works is not intended to provide a
faithful or objective account of events, but rather to create a sense of authenticity and urgency.
By blurring the lines between fact and fiction, Devi is able to bring attention to social and
political issues that might otherwise be overlooked or ignored.

About Docufiction

2
The Chota Nagpur Plateau is a large plateau in eastern India, covering the states of Jharkhand, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, and
Odisha. It is home to many indigenous tribes, including the Munda, Oraon, Kharia, Ho, and Santal.
Docufiction, also known as documentary fiction, is a genre of literature or film that combines
elements of documentary and fiction. It presents a narrative that is based on real-life events and
characters, but also includes fictionalized elements such as dialogue, scenes, and characters.

In docufiction, the line between reality and fiction is blurred, as the story is often presented as a
re-creation of actual events, with some creative liberties taken to fill in gaps or add dramatic
effect. The aim of docufiction is to present a compelling and engaging story while also remaining
faithful to the facts and events that inspired it.

Some examples of docufiction include Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood," which tells the story of
a real-life murder case, and the film "The Social Network," which dramatizes the founding of
Facebook (Shaw).

Why structuralism?
Structuralism is concerned with signs and their signification. It deals with “any or all of the
means by which human beings convey information to each other (Pg 868)”. The reason
structuralism becomes important for this paper is because Mahashweta Devi’s short story can be
seen as a “product of a system of signification” without which one “cannot apprehend reality”.
Saussure, one of the founders of Structuralism gave a number of concepts, a few of which will be
used in the paper-
I. Distinction between langue and parole- "Langue" refers to the underlying system of rules and
conventions that govern a language, while "parole" refers to the actual use of language in speech
or writing.
II. Distinction between diachronic and synchronic - Diachronic and synchronic are two
important concepts in linguistics that refer to different ways of studying language. Diachronic
linguistics is concerned with the historical development of language over time, while synchronic
linguistics focuses on the study of language at a particular point in time.

According to Saussure, "Language is not a static thing, but a dynamic process which is
constantly evolving and changing" (Saussure, 1916, p. 127). Diachronic linguistics looks at the
historical development of language over time, examining how language has changed over
centuries or millennia. It is concerned with the origins of language, the ways in which languages
have diverged from each other, and how they have evolved over time.

In contrast, synchronic linguistics focuses on the study of language at a particular point in time,
without regard to its historical development. It looks at language as it exists in the present
moment, examining its structure, function, and use. Synchronic linguistics is concerned with
analyzing the patterns and structures of language in a particular context, and how they reflect
the social and cultural practices of a given community.

III. Distinction between signifier and signified- In linguistics, Ferdinand de Saussure introduced
the concept of signifier and signified, which form the basis of his theory of sign and signification.
The signifier refers to the physical form or material representation of a sign, while the signified
refers to the mental concept or meaning associated with that sign.
According to Saussure, "A sign is composed of a signifier and a signified" (Saussure, 1916, p. 67).
The signifier is the perceptible aspect of the sign, such as the sound of a word or the visual image
of a symbol. The signified, on the other hand, is the concept or meaning that the signifier
represents. For example, the signifier "tree" represents the signified concept of a woody plant
with leaves and branches.

Saussure emphasized that the relationship between the signifier and the signified is arbitrary
and conventional. That is, there is no inherent connection between the physical form of a sign
and the concept or meaning that it represents. Instead, the relationship between the signifier
and signified is established through social and cultural conventions.

Noam Chomsky’s ‘surface structures and deep structures’ will be equally important for the
paper. Chomsky's theory of generative grammar proposes that language is based on both surface
structures and deep structures. Surface structures are the actual words and grammatical
structures that we use to form sentences in a language. They are the observable and superficial
aspects of language that we use to communicate. Deep structures, on the other hand, refer to the
underlying abstract representations of the meaning of a sentence. They are not directly
observable, but are inferred from the surface structures of the sentence. Deep structures are the
underlying rules and principles that govern language and give rise to the surface structures.
Chomsky argues that the human brain has an innate ability to generate deep structures, which
allows us to understand and produce an infinite number of novel sentences. Surface structures,
on the other hand, are the result of applying rules to the deep structures (Chomsky).

Why structuralism to analyze this story?

The structuralist perspective is important to study inequalities because it focuses on the
systemic factors and structures that contribute to unequal distribution of resources, power, and
opportunities in society. This perspective emphasizes the role of social, economic, and political
structures in shaping the distribution of resources and opportunities, rather than solely
attributing inequality to individual choices or characteristics.
By studying inequalities through a structuralist perspective, researchers can identify the root
causes of social, economic, and political disparities, and develop strategies to address them. For
example, they can examine how social institutions like education, healthcare, and the legal
system contribute to inequality, and develop policies and interventions to reform these
institutions and create more equitable outcomes.

Shanichari by Mahashweta Devi

Shanichari by Mahashweta Devi is a powerful narrative on how lives, politics, environment and
institutions are interconnected through structures of politics, power and gender. Devi’s fiction
has been called a docufiction. The characters are only fictitious to the point that they do not exist
in real life but many tribals find their voice and representation through Devi’s work. Shanichari
is one such character. Narrated in the style of an oral story with the refrains of “and why not?”
which is a deep sarcasm on the choices made, the story starts when the protagonist is 12 and
traveling to a haat in a train, along with her grandmother. This is where the readers are
introduced to the major characters like Hirala and Ghulam Bibi. The time passed and Shanichari
who was a tribal girl living in the forests found herself in a situation where she had to leave for
Kolkata to work in a brick kiln. Along with other girls, there she was exploited, sexually and
physically. When she did come back home, she was not accepted as she was pregnant. As a
means to provide for herself and her child, she decided to collect the coal from the sides of the
rail track. The story starts with Shanichari feeling a sense of freedom in the train, later the train
takes her to the brick kilns and at last it's the rails from where he picks up the coals to make the
ends meet.
The story of Shanichari is the story of structures. For instance brick kiln is the sign of not just
brick kiln but it emerges out of the narrative of development. The sign of the brick kiln signifies
development, progress, but at the same time it shows the environmental damage, the obvious
side effect of the progress. The sign of brick kiln has a much expansive meaning to it.
Similarly, the way Devi has represented time, it is in terms of growing of trees and seasons
passing instead of the clock time. The sign here is of blossoming trees and with every passing
season, people forget about the girls who had left for the brick kilns.

The paper will analyze the text of the short story through such signs which will help understand
the dominant structures that run passively (and actively) in the culture and how the idea of
individual subjugation, national development and climate change are intertwined in the story of
Shanichari, and try to come to an answer as asked by Mahashweta Devi herself in the story,
“kaise bache?” “How does one survive?”(Pg 46)

Work cited
1. Chomsky, N. (1965). Aspects of the Theory of Syntax. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
2. Shaw, D. (2010). Docufiction: A review of the literature. Studies in Documentary Film,
4(2), 181-195. https://doi.org/10.1386/sdf.4.2.181_1
3. Saussure, F. de. (1916). Course in General Linguistics. (C. Bally, A. Sechehaye, & A.
Riedlinger, Eds.; W. Baskin, Trans.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. (Original work
published 1913)