Gender, Colonialism, and Ecological Consciousness in Namita Gokhale’s "Things to Leave Behind"

Ecofeminism in the Indian context recognizes that rural and indigenous women possess valuable ecological knowledge gained through their daily interaction with forests, rivers, soil, and environmental diversity. The study examines Namita Gokhale’s Things to Leave Behind through the dual lens of Western and Indian ecofeminist concepts, arguing that the novel offers a multilayered ecofeminist perspective that explores the intersectionality of gender oppression, colonial exploitation, and ecological degradation. The novel depicts nineteenth-century colonial Kumaon, tracing how the female characters are interconnected with the Himalayan landscape. Gokhale’s narrative integrates ecological consciousness with the characters, analyzing the rationality of colonial development as a form of ecological and gendered violence. By employing the ecofeminist framework, Gokhale reimagines the Himalayan landscape as an active agent in the novel, which is not only a backdrop but a protagonist that influences the characters, reflecting in their emotional and social realities and playing a vital role in their development and ecological journey. The study employs qualitative textual analysis based on both Indian and Western ecofeminist frameworks. It positions the ecological consciousness and feminine agency as vital forms of resistance to the colonial patriarchal society, enabling women to liberate themselves from the clutches of gendered social conventions.