Sabuj Dwiper Raja: A Fight for the Rights of Jarawa Identity and Culture

Abstract

The present paper is an attempt to study Sunil Gangopadhyay’s prose narrative Sabuj Dwiper Raja (The King of the Green Island) which may be treated as a short fiction to fight against the violation of human rights of the Jarawa tribe. The Jarawa land is as though an independent nation within a nation. The ancient tribal people of Andaman Nicobar Islands have to strive hard to protect their habitat, identity and culture from the clutches of the outside people who even consider them no better than barbaric animals. The article highlights the fact that the Jarawa people are human, not cruel animals and they have also the human right to protect their identity and culture. Their land is haunted by the so-called civilized world for the greed for natural resources. Even though the colonial rule is over, the sufferings continue. They are brutally murdered and deprived of the wealth of nature that survives them since ancient times. Yet their land is exploited by the outsiders despite they lead a life synchronized with nature.

Keywords

• culture, human rights
• exploitation
• jarawa identity