VOICES FROM MARGINS: ANALYSING CASTE AND ECOLOGICAL MARGINALIZATION IN AMITAV GHOSH’S THE HUNGRY TIDE

Abstract

This paper explores the intersections of caste, ecology, and systemic marginalisation in Amitav Ghosh’s The Hungry Tide, with a particular focus on the Marichjhapi massacre and the lived experiences of Dalit refugees in the Sundarbans. By drawing on postcolonial theory, ecocriticism, and subaltern studies, the article argues that Ghosh’s narrative portrays the Sundarbans not merely as a hostile ecological landscape, but as a contested socio-political terrain where environmental conservation becomes a pretext for caste-based exclusion. Through characters like Kusum and Fokir, Ghosh foregrounds voices from the margins—individuals whose lives are shaped by both environmental vulnerability and caste hierarchies. The novel critiques the hypocrisy of conservation politics that prioritize wildlife over human survival, revealing how ecological policies often reinforce social inequities. Ultimately, the study highlights Ghosh’s call for an inclusive model of environmental justice that centers subaltern agency and resists the erasures of caste and history.