ENVIRONMENTAL ELEMENTS AND TULUVA IDENTITY: READING AMBIKASUDHAN MANGAD’S 'SWARGA' (Pages 22-28) by Mr. Mridul C Mrinal in THE INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH SPECIALIST / ISSN: 2350-1499 (Online); 2350-0751 (Print)

Nature and Culture is deeply intertwined. Nature serves as creative and destructive component of the nature simultaneously. Swarga is the English translation of Ambikasudhan Mangad’s novel Enmakaje by J Devika. The novel was subjected to wide analysis on its Environmental perceptions. Discourses on cultural significance portrayed in the novel aren’t addressed with proper studies. The significance of the paper lies in approach of Environmental discourses in determining the Tuluva Identity in Kasaragod. The paper proposes to discuss the environmental aspects on Tuluva culture portrayed in novel. It analyses the Cultural symbolism of the Tulu identity and how the Tuluva life has been conjectured with environmental forces. The paper identifies linguistic and ethnic diversity of the Tulunadu portrayed across the novel and how it had contributed in creating a Tuluva identity politics. The paper also observes the contemporary Socio – Cultural circumstances of the Tuluva Culture in Kasaragod and discusses in connection with the Environmental crisis of Swarga. The victimisation of the Tuluva Community is symbolically indicating the deterioration of the Tuluva identity of Kasaragod. The environmental elements serves as the destructive power of the culture and it leads to the identity crisis. The paper concludes by observing that the ethnic concerns of the Tuluva Minority are not considered properly in the novel but the author was successful in merging the environment and traits of Tuluva culture Keywords: Environmental Discourse, Tuluva identity crisis, Swarga, Kasaragod etc.