Indigenous Resistance in Ranendra’s Novels: Challenging Dominant Paradigms

Indigenous epistemologies have the potential to offer valuable solutions for addressing environmental challenges in the Anthropocene. It emphasises the principles of interconnectedness, reciprocity, and reverence for non-human beings as viable alternatives to extractive anthropocentric ideologies, which escalate ecological degradation and intensify social inequalities. Ranendra’s novel Global Gaaon ke Devta [Lords of the Global Village], translated by Rajesh Kumar and Gayab Hota Desh, provide a poignant literary exploration of the exploitation of Indigenous communities in rural Jharkhand in India. The two works, originally written in Hindi, underscore the need to centre Indigenous epistemologies to widen the horizon of literary discussions centred around elitist approaches in contemporary literature in India. Ranendra’s unique storytelling as a form of resistance and cultural reclamation emphasises how literature can amplify marginalised voices of Indigenous communities like Asurs, Mundas, etc. and contribute to countering literary prejudices against Indigenous communities in India. It particularly registers the experiences of Indigenous people to emphasise the pivotal role of Indigenous agencies in fostering ecological and social resilience. The research explores the Indigenous knowledge system, as depicted in Ranendra’s narratives, focused on the issues of homelessness. It challenges dominant paradigms and offers alternative approaches that address environmental and social crises in the Anthropocene. It investigates how Indigenous epistemologies can define justice and sustainability, particularly in the face of land dispossession and homelessness. The paper offers alternative perspectives that Ranendra portrays in his novels and how he envisages alternative futures focused on the need for social and cultural equilibrium. Ranendra’s novels are crafted as critical texts that bring together literature and Indigenous knowledge. The study explores the significant influence of storytelling as a powerful tool for interrogating the established colonial and contemporary mainstream literary paradigms working against the literary visibility of Indigenous communities.