Indian English Literature: Pluralism of Myths, Legends, Memories and Sustainability

Literature has always reflected society and it is well accepted as a mirror of the society. Literature replicates, recreates and reproduces the socio-cultural, socio-economic and also the socio-linguistic conditions of the society. Memories, thoughts, emotions and beliefs of any particular individual or any particular community or a society that diverse people with different cultural and religious orientations inhabit are captured and fictionalised in various literary works. India, a multicultural and multi-religious country has created diverse views and beliefs and has been leaving its footprints in a way of literary pluralism. Literary pluralism here means diverse literary genre be it poetry, fiction, short stories or drama. Literary works dealing with myths and legends have always been found to trace back towards individual roots of the past. Mythology may be taken as most ancient root in the origin of literary work. Myth has been a cultural resource where people actively re-engage and re-involve and has been the ground where literary works, based on myths and memories thrived. The application of myths and legends in Indian English literature have gained multiple significance in a diverse spectrum of religious, cultural, dalit persecutions, and other forms through the amalgamation of memories of people of different socio-cultural backgrounds. It is quite explicit that the Indian English writers are deeply weave their past heritage with the contemporaneity of the women’s position in the society and their works draw sustenance from the rich cultural heritage and mythology of the past. The Indian English writers weave mythology with the contemporary issues in order to modernize the past, give new shape to the present and de-contextualize the present. This paper explores how Indian English literature navigates this intricate relationship, focusing on Girish Karnad’s Nagamandala (1988), Raja Rao’s The Serpent and the Rope (1960), and Amitav Ghosh’s Gun Island (2019). Drawing upon ecocritical frameworks and the concept of mythopoeic imagination, the analysis reveals how these literary works critique unsustainable development practices, champion the voices of marginalized and silenced voices, and envision an alternative sustainable future that prioritizes ecological well-being along with human progress and environmental development. This paper argues that Indian English literature plays a vital role in raising awareness, fostering critical dialogues and discourses, and ultimately contributing to a vision of a sustainable future that prioritizes both societal and environmental responsibility and prosperity through mythic orientation, legendary connections and memories.