The Green Imagination: Reading Earth and Ecology in select Awadhi Folk Lyrics

Authors

  • R P Singh University of Lucknow image/svg+xml
  • Mallika Shukla Centre of Excellence, Department of English & MEL University of Lucknow

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.56062/

Keywords:

Awadhi folk songs, Ecology, Green Imagination, Folk Culture, Agrarian Consciousness

Abstract

In the present era of globalization and cultural homogenization, there is an increasing interest in regional and local traditions in academia. A good amount of research done in the field of literature at present focuses on the marginal and the local traditions, tropes, songs and the literature lost under the colonial whitewashing and centralization of the English language. Awadhi folk imagination envisions the earth as a living and nurturing divine presence. The paper aims at exploring the ecological consciousness embedded in Awadhi folk songs. They are rooted in an intrinsic harmony between human existence and ecology, where land, trees and rivers emerge as living participants in everyday life. The paper foregrounds how folk lyrics, particularly Samskara lyrics, seasonal lyrics, vrata lyrics and labour lyrics, convey human emotions of joy, separation, care, and continuity through natural imagery. The paper traces how animistic and naturalistic beliefs shape folk imagination, positioning nature as the creator, preserver, and an omnipresent guardian. A close reading of Awadhi folk lyrics through the lens of ecology, testifies that these songs retain a motivating force and remain closely aligned with the folk spirit, despite their differing themes and occasions.

 

 

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Author Biographies

  • R P Singh, University of Lucknow

    R.P.Singh (Prof Ravindra Pratap Singh) is a national award winning playwright, poet and Professor. He is holding the position of Director International Cell, University of Lucknow. He has worked on several foreign teaching and research assignments like those at the Department of Gender Studies, Central European University, Budapest, University of Rouen, France, Maison des Sciences de l’ Homme, Paris,  and Writer in Residence , Uzbekistan, Tajakistan, Kazakstan, Nepal and Sri Lanka. His  writings on diverse subjects of literature, culture, art and Indian Knowledge Traditions are published from leading international publications like Oxford University Press, Sage,  Springer , Blackwell , Macmillan, ABC Clio, Warsaw University Press, New York: Springer, ME Sharp Incorporation USA ,LPP Publishing Columbia, to name a few.His plays; Flea Market and other Plays (2014), Ecologue (2014), When Brancho Flies (2014), Shakespeare ki Saat Ratein (2015), Antardwand (2016), Chaudah Farvari (2019), Chain Kahan ab Nain Hamare (2018) have received critical acclaim, and wide popularity. Banjaran : The Muse (2008),Cloud ,Moon and a Little Girl (2017),  Pathik and Pravah (2016) and Neeli Aankhon Wali Ladki (2017), Adventures of Funny and Bana (2018) ,The World of Mavie(2020), Two Violet Flowers (2020) Project Penultimate (2021) Ek Anant Faila Akash(2022) represent his poetry. A frequently anthologized poet in approximately 25 prestigious anthologies, and regular broadcast from radio, he has published more than 500 poems and popular articles in newspapers and magazines.  He is the recipient of 26 awards for his creative writing and teaching, including prestigious Shikshak Shree Puraskar, Mohan Rakesh Puraskar , Bhartendu Harishchandra Puraskar, Dr Ram Kumar Varma Natak Puraskar, Amar Ujala Awadh ki Shaan Samman. He has been a panelist, chair and interviewer in many sessions at national and international seminars, conferences and literature festivals.

  • Mallika Shukla, Centre of Excellence, Department of English & MEL University of Lucknow

    Mallika Shukla is a PhD scholar in the department of English, University of Lucknow,  Uttar Pradesh. She is currently working as a Research fellow for the Centre of Excellence under the Department of Higher Education, Government of Uttar Pradesh. She is a connoisseur of literature, poetry and art. She is deeply interested in English and Urdu poetry. She is an aesthete with an eye for culture, traditions and flavours of Awadh. She has published several research papers in various fields in reputed journals. Her PhD research is in the area of outlaw literature and folklore studies. Her interests include Films and literature, journaling and engaging in intellectual discourses.

References

Dixit, T.N. Awadhi Aur Uska Sahitya, Rajkamal, 1986.

Lodh, Sahju. Oral Text1. recorded by R P Singh. 30 Mar 2025. Oral Recording.

Lodh, Sahju. Oral Text5. recorded by R P Singh. 23 Oct 2025. Oral Recording.

Pasi, Ramfer. Oral Text 3. recorded by R P Singh. 30 Mar 2025.Oral Recording.

Pasi, Nanhu. Oral Text 4. recorded by R P Singh. 23 Mar 2025. Oral Recording.

Shukla, Tribhuvannath. Awadhi Folk Literature (Art and Culture). Vani Prakashan, 2020.

Singh, R. P. “Representative Folk Literature of Hindi-Speaking North India.” Spark International Online Journal, vol. 4, no. 8, Aug. 2012.

Singh,Vidya Naresh. Oral Text 2, recorded by R P Singh. 23.10.2025. Oral Recording.

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Published

2026-02-26

Issue

Vol. 5 No. 2 (2026): February, Creative Saplings

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2026 R P Singh, Mallika Shukla

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

R P Singh, and Mallika Shukla. “The Green Imagination: Reading Earth and Ecology in Select Awadhi Folk Lyrics”. Creative Saplings, vol. 5, no. 2, Feb. 2026, pp. 1-14, https://doi.org/10.56062/.

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