Whispers of the Waters: Eco-Spiritual Narratives in Amitav Ghosh’s Gun Island and The Hungry Tide

This article examines eco-spirituality by analysing Amitav Ghosh’s works, Gun Island and The Hungry Tide, particularly how they juxtapose ecological undertones with spirituality and formal narrative structure. Both works prominently embody the sacred relationship between humanity and nature, particularly through the rivers as motifs of ecological and spiritual confluence. This interdisciplinary study focuses on how Ghosh constructs eco-spiritual narratives to respond to the environmental crises within the parameters of culture and civilisation’s heritage. This paper draws on theories of eco-criticism and the environmental humanities, leveraging concepts from Lawrence Buell’s The Future of Environmental Criticism and Ursula King’s Climate Change and the Sacred. Through close reading, this paper reveals how Ghosh’s sacred landscapes and narrative strategies shape conceptions of environmental stewardship and spiritual fortitude. In doing so, the study seeks to illustrate the power of literature to foster ecology and resilience as well as demonstrate the narrative techniques Ghosh employs to grapple with Anthropocenic complexities. This study adds to the scope of eco-spirituality in literature with particular focus on Ghosh in the context of contemporary environmental debate.