Vol 1 No 1, 2025 Research Article
Ritika Batabyal, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of English, Bajkul Milani Mahavidyalaya, West Bengal, India.
DOI: To be assigned
[Article History: Received: 28 Apr 2025. Accepted: 06 July 2025. Published: 08 July 2025]
Abstract
There has been a continual contest between the indigenous knowledge system and the Western world. Colonisation has devalued the indigenous knowledge and culture of the colonised communities. This paper attempts to define the indigenous and understand how the indigenous knowledge system in India has incorporated ideas and concepts that not only appreciate the world of nature but also emphasize the importance of preserving and conserving nature for a harmonious existence of all living beings, including humans. The author demonstrates here how indigenous literature in India has consistently emphasized not only the beauty of nature but also its power to reintegrate all forms of life and ensure the harmony of human beings with nature. Thus, the author argues that the traditional Indian knowledge system has always emphasized the relevance of ecology and nature; therefore, Western claims of ecological sustainability, environmentalism, and ecocriticism are not new to the Indian mind.
Keywords: Indigenous, knowledge system, India, Vedā, Akam, Puṟam, ecology, environment, decolonisation.
