LAND ACQUISITION AND THE TRAUMA OF THE DISPLACED: AN ECOPERSPECTIVE OF VISWAS PATIL’S 'A DIRGE FOR THE DAMNED' (Pages 85-90) by admin in THE ENGLISH RESEARCH EXPRESS / ISSN:2321-1164 (Online); 2347-2642 (Print)

Land acquisition is a common issue nowadays in this changing progressive world, since it is unavoidable. The fertile land is acquired either by the government or by the multinational corporate companies for infrastructural and other developmental activities. Politicians and bureaucrats, for their selfish ends acquire the lands of innocent farmers to make huge profits by changing the serene and unspoilt nature, leaving behind thousands of the poor indigenous. The displaced are neither given a proper compensation nor a conducive environment for living. We have witnessed so many land acquisitions and their drastic and disastrous consequences .Progress and development is the need of the hour as it decides the growth of the country and it is necessary for the well being of the people as well., But at what cost is the question mark..Not only the people, but also our ecology and biodiversity are adversely affected in this process of progress. This paper deals with one such issue – land acquisition and its consequences in Viswas Patil’s A Dirge for the Damned. It is a heartbreaking and familiar story of land acquisition and displacement, which is relevant to our time. The novel is the voice for the voiceless who victimized in the name of progress and development. Keywords: land, progress, development, ecocentricism.