Poetry: March 2026

1. Issue Editor’s Note : Aditee Sharma
2. What My Mother Taught Me About Soil– Abraham Aondoana

Issue Editor’s Note : Aditee Sharma

“We are either going to have a future where women lead the way to make peace with Earth or we are not going to have a human future at all.”

Vandana Shiva

This claim made by Shiva calls for the urgency of the ecological crisis and the need to find solutions where women must take the centre stage. The present environmental destruction is not merely scientific but political and cultural. Ecofeminism emerges as a significant theoretical framework that provides a ground of association of the exploitation of nature and the oppression of women, arguing that both arise from the same patriarchal logic of oppression. The woman-nature nexus, central to ecofeminist discourse examines the interface between woman and nature through their symbolic similarities of fertility, nurturing and motherhood, firsthand agrarian dependency, and hierarchy of dualism where ‘woman’ and ‘nature’ both have been the victim of atrocities of ‘man’ and ‘culture’, challenging the gendered hierarchies, insisting that ecological justice cannot be achieved prior to social and gender justice.

            Ecofeminism emerged as a theoretical and activist movement in the late 20th century, growing out of the realization that the environmental crisis and women’s oppression are interconnected. A major foundation was laid by Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring (1962), which exposed the harmful effects of pesticides, especially DDT. Carson showed how chemicals sprayed in the name of “progress” were poisoning soil, water, birds, and ultimately human bodies. She claims that her own infertility is the consequence of her mother eating grains grown with the use of DDT, when she was pregnant.  Her work revealed that environmental destruction is produced by a system driven by profit and control. Although Carson did not use the term ecofeminism, her critique became a turning point for ecological consciousness and inspired environmental movements worldwide. The term “Ecofeminism” was first coined by Françoise d’Eaubonne in her book Le Féminisme ou la Mort (1974, translated as Feminism or Death). She argued that patriarchal power structures and unchecked industrial development were destroying the planet, and that women must lead ecological resistance. For d’Eaubonne, feminism was not only about gender equality but also about survival, because patriarchy’s exploitation of nature and women could lead to ecological collapse.

During Women’s Pentagon Action in 1980, women became central voices in protesting nuclear testing and radiation science. Similarly, In 1981, the Greenham Common Women’s Peace Camp in the UK became one of the most iconic ecofeminist movements when women camped outside a military base to oppose the placement of nuclear missiles, arguing that nuclear politics reflected masculine aggression and threatened life itself. Another major Western ecofeminist-inspired movement was the Love Canal protest (late 1970s, New York). Women, especially mothers, led campaigns against toxic chemical dumping near residential areas.

The movement of Ecofeminism has received considerable attention in India. It has been in Indian literature since Vedic times. Ecology, with respect to its association with human beings, is traced in the idea of Panchtatva explored in Taittiriya Upnishad, which delineates the importance of the five vital elements of nature (Earth, water, fire, air and sky), maintaining ecological balance. The philosophy of Bhumi-Pujan from Vedic tradition is a significant example given in the context of Ecofeminism, where Earth is worshipped as the Goddess. Ecofeminism within contemporary Indian discourse can be traced back to historical events that exemplify the intersection of environmental concerns and women’s empowerment. The 18th-century Bishnoi Revolt and the 1974 Chipko Movement are two notable instances that highlight this connection. The Bishnoi community, primarily concentrated in the Jodhpur region of Rajasthan, has a long-standing tradition of environmental conservation. One of India’s earliest instances of ecofeminism can be seen in the Bishnoi Revolt of 1730. Amrita Devi Bishnoi, a woman from the Bishnoi community, courageously sacrificed her life to protect trees. The incident occurred when the king’s men ordered cutting trees to construct a palace. Amrita Devi Bishnoi and other women confronted the loggers and hugged the trees, refusing to let them be felled. This act of defiance showcased a deep connection between women, nature, and a commitment to conservation. The Bishnoi Revolt serves as a powerful historical example of women taking a stand for environmental preservation and challenging authority. The other is the Chipko Movement, which emerged in the Indian Himalayan region during the 1970s in response to deforestation and ecological degradation caused by commercial logging. Led by women in the village of Mandal, Uttarakhand, the movement gained international attention for its unique form of protest – hugging trees to prevent their felling. The term “Chipko” translates to “hug” or “embrace” in Hindi, signifying the close bond between women, their communities, and the natural environment. The movement highlighted not only the environmental consequences of deforestation but also the role of women as key actors in safeguarding their local ecosystems.

Inspired by the Green Belt Movement in Kenya, Indian women have participated in tree planting and environmental restoration activities to counter deforestation and land degradation. Vandana Shiva an eminent ecofeminist critic, argues, there exists a complex and intimate relationship between women and the natural world, marked by a shared history of exploitation, degradation, and subjugation under a male-centered perspective. She argues that both women and nature have suffered from a common experience of dominance. Furthermore, Shiva asserts that this displacement has triggered a larger assault on local cultures, causing fragmentation and transforming cultural elements into marketable commodities on the global stage. For instance, practices such as ‘ethnic food’, ‘ethnic music’, and ‘folklore’ are exploited for the tourist industry. Traditional objects and practices become commodified and sold, contributing to the erosion of authentic cultural expressions.

This cultural commodification is powerfully reflected in Indian literature, particularly in the writings of Mahasweta Devi, who exposes how Adivasi lives, forests, and indigenous traditions are appropriated and marketed while the people themselves remain dispossessed. Similarly, Amitav Ghosh in The Hungry Tide reveals how local ecological knowledge and folk beliefs are often misunderstood or exploited by outsiders, while Arundhati Roy critiques the commercialization of local landscapes and identities under the disguise of development and modern tourism. Even Kiran Desai’s The Inheritance of Loss captures how globalization converts native culture into consumable “exoticism,” creating a false image of authenticity. Indian graphic narratives often highlight that environmental destruction is inseparable from cultural erasure, because when land is exploited, the folklore, rituals, food practices, and oral traditions rooted in that ecology are also displaced. Works like Amruta Patil’s Aranyaka and Adi Parva reimagine mythic and forest spaces through a feminine lens, challenging patriarchal ownership of women and nature alike. Similarly, Orijit Sen’s The River of Stories critiques large-scale dam projects and shows how “development” destroys riverside communities and their cultural memory. These texts reveal that the commodification of tradition is not harmless celebration; rather, it is a form of cultural violence where the living relationship between community and environment is reduced to a tourist-friendly image. Thus, Indian eco-conscious narratives demonstrate that the exploitation of folklore is not merely cultural theft but a deeper ecofeminist crisis, where land, tradition, and the lives of women and indigenous communities are systematically turned into commodities for profit.

Ecofeminism, despite being criticized for its theoretical limitations, finds resonance in these indigenous ethical traditions, where healing the earth is inseparable from healing human society. Ecofeminism and its paradigms are restricted to the dyadic relationships between women and nature; it only addresses the ideas of human existence in an eclectic form. But, ecofeminism, as a theory, has the potential to intervene and change the patriarchal and cultural orders of suppression. It is a strategic tool providing recuperative and alternative space for women and nature. Although it has often been criticized for its essentialist approach, as referred to in the first chapter, this charge needs to be examined more carefully. This theory does not claim that women have the privilege of care and that men are inherently aggressive and destructive. Rather, it tries to expose that patriarchy is a real-time oppressive logic of domination upon which the current world system relies.

The relevance of ecofeminism lies not in proving women as the sole saviours of the planet, but in challenging the destructive grammar of domination that has normalized exploitation as “progress.” In a time of ecological collapse, cultural displacement, and ethical decline, ecofeminism urges a shift from conquest to coexistence. It demands that society reimagine development driven by care. If the Earth is to remain habitable, ecological justice must become a shared moral commitment, where men and women participate in building a future guided by compassion, restraint, and reverence. The current special issue of Parcham Online ‘Women-Nature Nexus: Ecology and its Feminist Undertones’ is thus a pressing reminder: healing the planet is not an optional ideal, but it is the only path to preserving humanity itself.

What My Mother Taught Me About Soil— Abraham Aondoana

My mother never used the word ecology.
She said: do not turn your back
on the ground that feeds you.

She bound the turmeric on a wound,
left water out for ants,
and spoke to plants as if they could hear.
because they could.

The world called this domestic,
Unscientific.

But I watched her practice
a science of care--
how to seize without despoiling,
how to return what you borrow,
how it is possible to kneel without yielding.

Now the land is tired.
The rivers are hoarse.
I bore holes with her teachings.
and wonder why we ignored
the women who knew
how to keep things alive.