The Deltaic Ebbs and Flows: An Eco-psychological Analysis of Amar Mitra’s Dhanapatir Char

Abstract

Amar Mitra’s novel Dhanapatir Char (Whatever Happened to Pedru’s Island?) is a novel where myth, mind, and the environment meet. Primarily drawing on the “ecological unconscious” and “biophilia” hypotheses of Theodore Roszak and E.O. Wilson, this study explores how the characters' psychological identities evolve in response to the volatile environment of the Bengal Delta. The novel presents a six-monthly world where the boundary between land and water calls for a psychological boundary. The call is a resistance against the urban-industrial psyche imposed by state intruders. The mythological figure of the tortoise chief represents a record of evolution and an interplay between personal and planetary well-being. Through a detailed analysis of the characters Batashi, Jamuna, Kunti, and Dhanapati Sardar, the study illustrates how the cultivation of ‘fishy smells’ and ‘imaginal engagements’ such as witchcraft, serves as a defence against the commodifying gaze of the government. This study explores the novel through the framework of eco-psychology. The analysis posits that the novel is a critique of human alienation from nature, advocating for an ‘ecological ego' amidst a silent yet destructive Anthropocene.