Submerged Lives and Silenced Landscapes: Ecology, Displacement, and Developmental Violence in Na. D’Souza’s Dweepa

Abstract

Literary works dealing with development-induced displacement in India increasingly foreground ecological loss alongside human suffering. Na. D’Souza’s Kannada novella Dweepa: Island (2013), translated into English by Susheela Punitha, occupies a distinctive position within this discourse. It situates displacement within the fragile ecology of the Western Ghats, articulating nature as an ethically responsive presence rather than a passive backdrop. This study examines Dweepa as an ecological narrative that projects the cultural and material consequences of large-scale hydroelectric projects, particularly dam construction along the Sharavathi River Basin in Karnataka. It argues that the novel functions as an ecological archive of developmental violence, in which submerged landscapes and fragmented human identities emerge as interdependent outcomes of technocratic modernisation. Drawing on ecocritical and development-induced displacement perspectives, this study analyses how ecological consciousness in Dweepa is shaped through lived relationships with land, forests, rivers, and seasonal cycles. This study urges readers and stakeholders to interpret ecological narratives not merely as representations centred on recreation or leisure, but as urgent warnings concerning the sustainability of the environment as a whole. This study emphasises the need to move beyond exploitative models of progress and explore alternative, sustainable approaches to energy production and resource use that do not disrupt the ecological balance or weaken human–nature relationships. By foregrounding the ethical and ecological dimensions of development, this paper advocates for sustainable practices that preserve environmental integrity and reinforce the interconnectedness between people and the natural world.