Nature as Resistance and Renewal: An Ecocritical Study of Siddhartha Sarma’s Year of the Weeds

Abstract

Ecocriticism examines the relationship between literature and the physical environment, foregrounding ecological concerns, environmental justice, and the ethics of human interaction with nature. Siddhartha Sarma’s Year of the Weeds presents a compelling narrative situated in the tribal village of Deogan, where indigenous Gond communities confront the encroachment of state power, corporate mining interests, and ideological violence. Through the metaphor of ‘weeds’, Sarma articulates a critique of ecological destruction, cultural displacement, and the systemic marginalisation of indigenous populations. This paper explores how Year of the Weeds functions as an ecocritical text by analysing its representation of land, environmental ethics, resistance, indigeneity, and ecological consciousness. It argues that Sarma redefines weeds not merely as invasive growth but as symbols of colonial capitalism, political domination, and ecological imbalance, while simultaneously affirming indigenous ecological wisdom as a form of sustainable resistance. Furthermore, the paper explores how Year of the Weeds contributes to Indian English eco-literature by articulating a localised yet globally relevant ecological consciousness. The study situates the novel within contemporary Indian environmental discourse and contributes to broader ecocritical debates on development, displacement, and environmental justice. Ultimately, this paper positions Year of the Weeds as a significant literary intervention that urges readers to reconsider notions of progress, control, and ecological responsibility in an era of environmental crisis.