Contemporary Indigenous Narratives and Environmental Concerns: Reimagining Santhal’s Sustainable Synergy with the Environment

This paper examines the intersection of contemporary indigenous narratives and environmental concerns, with a focus on the Santhal community’s traditional ecological knowledge and its representation in modern literature. Drawing from oral traditions, folk tales, and recent works by indigenous authors such as Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar and Rejina Marandi, the study examines how Santhal narratives articulate a deep-rooted and symbiotic relationship with the natural world. These narratives do not merely reflect environmental themes but reimagine sustainability through the lens of indigenous wisdom, spiritual ecology, and community-centric stewardship of nature. By foregrounding Santhal cosmology, rituals, and subsistence practices, the paper highlights how such narratives critique exploitative development, deforestation, and displacement, while offering alternative modes of environmental ethics. This reimagining of the Santhal worldview underscores the urgent need to integrate indigenous perspectives into contemporary environmental discourses. Ultimately, the paper argues that Santhal stories serve as both cultural repositories and tools of resistance, fostering a sustainable synergy between humanity and the environment.