Abstract
In the riverine and rain-fed landscapes of Northeast India, food and water are woven into the cultural fabric as markers of identity, ecology, and survival. This paper explores the intersection of food writing and the aesthetics of water in contemporary Northeast Indian literature, highlighting how local narratives express ecological awareness in the age of the Anthropocene. Drawing on works by Easterine Kire, Temsula Ao, and Mamang Dai, alongside indigenous oral stories from communities along the Brahmaputra and Barak valleys, the study examines how culinary practices—fermentation, rice cultivation, and fish preservation—embody philosophies of coexistence and resilience. Using an eco-cultural and postcolonial ecocritical approach, the paper argues that these narratives construct a hydro-culinary aesthetic, where food and water act as living archives of memory and continuity. The sensory experiences of eating and the rhythmic cycles of rain and river are interpreted as acts of ecological remembrance that resist modern narratives of depletion and loss. By reading food and water together as cultural texts, the paper situates Northeast Indian writing within a broader discourse on environmental ethics and indigenous sustainability. Ultimately, Stories that Flow reveals how storytelling, rooted in local ecologies, becomes an act of survival—transforming nourishment, memory, and landscape into a shared philosophy of care for a fragile planet.
Presenters
Sujata KalKalStudent, M.Phil/PhD, Department of English and Cultural Studies, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Food Writing, Culinary Narratives, Water in Literature, Eco-criticism
