Poetics Of The Living Earth: Environmental Humanism In Northeast Indian Poetry

Abstract

This paper explores the intricate relationship between environment, culture, and poetic imagination in the works of Mamang Dai, Nini Lungalang, and select other poets from Northeast India. Framed within the interdisciplinary context of Environmental Humanities, it examines how these poets reflect ecological consciousness, sustainable ethics, and a profound sense of place. The study argues that their poetry not only captures the natural beauty and socio-political tensions of the region but also articulates an environmental ethic rooted in indigenous knowledge, memory, and cultural belonging. The approach combines close textual analysis with theoretical perspectives from ecocriticism and postcolonial environmental studies. By doing so, the paper illuminates how poetic voices from the Northeast critique modernity’s extractive ethos and affirm alternative models of sustainability that arise from affective ties to land, community, and tradition.