THE ABANDONMENT OF DEEP ECOLOGY AND THE RISE OF ANTHROPOCENTRISM: VIAPOLITICS IN S. K. POTTEKKATT’S VISHAKANYAKA

Abstract

S. K. Pottekkatt’s Vishakanyaka portrays the dislocation of individuals and communities through migration, simultaneously foregrounding the ecological displacement that arises from such movements. This paper examines how the novel demonstrates the abandonment of deep ecology—a worldview that emphasizes the intrinsic value of all forms of life—as articulated by Arne Naess, in favor of anthropocentric perspectives that privilege human survival, progress, and settlement over ecological balance. Migration in Vishakanyaka is not merely a social or economic phenomenon but also an environmental rupture, leading to the silencing of nature and the relegation of ecosystems to the margins of human ambition. Drawing from ecocritical frameworks, including Chief Seattle’s reflections on the sacred interconnectedness of all beings, and Carl Sagan’s warnings about human irresponsibility toward planetary ecosystems, this study argues that the novel exposes the paradoxical tension between human progress and ecological destruction. By tracing the transformation of landscapes into utilitarian spaces, the narrative critiques how human-centered thinking undermines the deep ecological principle of biocentric equality. Ultimately, Vishakanyaka offers a profound commentary on the environmental consequences of migration and the human tendency to instrumentalize nature, thereby revealing the pressing need to reimagine ecological ethics in an age of displacement.