Culture and Ecology in Kamala Markandaya’s The Coffer Dams

Abstract

Kamala Markandaya is one of the adroit Indian Novelists in English. Her novels deal mainly with Indian cultural, political, social and environmental issues. The Coffer Dams delves deep into ecological concerns of modern India with the help of the British experts tries to catch advancements and cultural assimilation of the characters. Markandaya vocalizes cultural nuances between East and West. The novel primarily also throws light upon how the Indian and British characters and their culture contradict nature. It exhibits a shift in identity and identity diffusion through the characters of Helen, Bashiam and tribal people. The novel is about ecology, culture and human intervention in the ecosystem. The purpose of the present paper is to explore the culture and ecology through the characters in The Coffer Dams.