Nature as Refuge and Resistance: Eco-Spirituality in the selected works of Ruskin Bond and Phanishwar Nath Renu

This paper explores the intertwined ideas of refuge, resistance, and eco-spirituality in the selected works of Ruskin Bond and Phanishwar Nath Renu, focusing on how nature becomes a moral, emotional, and cultural force within their narratives. Ruskin Bond’s writings particularly Rain in the Mountains, A Book of Simple Living, and stories such as The Cherry Tree and A Face in the Dark present the Himalayan landscape as a sanctuary that nurtures solitude, healing, and spiritual renewal. Bond’s gentle observations reveal nature as a space of quiet resistance to the accelerating pressures of urbanization, alienation, and ecological decline. In contrast, Renu’s anchalik masterpieces such as Maila Anchal, Rasool Mian, and Panchlight depict nature as an active participant in rural life, where rivers, fields, and seasons embody community resilience against social inequality, political neglect, and environmental disruption. Drawing on an eco-critical and comparative framework, this paper argues that while Bond’s eco-spirituality centers on individual harmony with the natural world, Renu emerges through collective cultural practices and lived rural experience. Together, their works illuminate nature as both refuge and resistance, offering rich eco-spiritual insights within English and vernacular literary traditions.