Gun Island

Hello reader:)

                     This is a response blog task given by my teacher Dr.Dilip Barad on Novel Gun Island by Amitav Ghosh in this task we have to write on any three points out of the six.

"Climate change is like death, no one wants to talk about it."- Amitav Ghosh

Introduction of Author

Amitav Ghosh was born in Calcutta and grew up in India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. He studied in Delhi, Oxford, and Alexandria and is the author of The Circle of Reason, The Shadow Lines, In An Antique Land, Dancing in Cambodia, The Calcutta Chromosome, The Glass Palace, The Hungry Tide, and The Ibis Trilogy, consisting of Sea of Poppies, River of Smoke and Flood of Fire. His most recent book, The Great Derangement; Climate Change and the Unthinkable, a work of non-fiction, appeared in 2016.

The Circle of Reason was awarded France’s Prix Médicis in 1990, and The Shadow Lines won two prestigious Indian prizes the same year, the Sahitya Akademi Award and the Ananda Puraskar. The Calcutta Chromosome won the Arthur C. Clarke award in 1997 and The Glass Palace won the International e-Book Award at the Frankfurt book fair in 2001. In January 2005 The Hungry Tide was awarded the Crossword Book Prize, a major Indian award. His novel, Sea of Poppies (2008) was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, in 2008 and was awarded the Crossword Book Prize and the India Plaza Golden Quill Award.

Introduction of Text

The specter of climate change swirls around the characters of Amitav Ghosh’s latest novel, Gun Island. Deen, a New York-based antiquarian book dealer goes into the Sundarbans, the (disappearing) wetlands wedged between India and Bangladesh, in search of a shrine and the truth behind the myth of the Gun Merchant and Manasi Devi, the goddess of snakes. This journey sets off a chain of others and brings in Piya, an American scientist monitoring dolphins in the Sundarbans; Tipu, a slippery, ever-hustling young man who schools Deen; the earnest Rafi who goes from the Sundarbans to Venice via a convoluted, dangerous route taken by migrants today, and Cinta, the glamorous Italian academic, whose faith and insight glimmer through the book. Ghosh weaves the myth of the Gun Merchant into contemporary weather-related realities such as the Los Angeles wildfires, the unusual travels of dolphins and spiders, and the sinking buildings of Venice, to create a pacy, absurdist, and ultimately hopeful tale of our times. 

How does this novel develop your understanding of a rather new genre known as 'Cli-Fi'?

What is Cli-fi (Climate Fiction)?

Climate fiction (sometimes shortened as cli-fi) is literature that deals with climate change. Generally speculative in nature but scientifically grounded, works may take place in the world as we know it or in the near future. The genre frequently includes science fiction and dystopian or utopian themes, imagining the potential futures based on how humanity responds to the impacts of climate change. Rationales for the genre typically assume knowledge of anthropogenic effects of human-altered climate as opposed to weather and disaster more generally although broader definitions exist. Technologies such as climate engineering or climate adaptation practices often feature prominently in works exploring their impacts on society.

In the Novel first, we think that it was the story of one NRI who visited their hometown and then we think that it was like the story of Myth as we know India is a huge hub of Mythical stories but then it was one by one it opens narration goes with climate change first it was story unfold with Shrine of Manasa Devi myth and Sundarban one of the places for a great example of Climate Change how the Ocean eat the land than many references of cyclones, heavy rain then very Conscious and deliberately Amitav Ghosh making this story and with climate change we go to past than future. Dinanath's present story goes with a continuous journey like Bonduki Sadagar in myth in Migration climate plays a vital role in the episode of Lubna khala and Munir then it was also a city like Venice the great European city also facing climate change sinking the city.

It was to develop an understanding of climate change and its effects like wildfire cyclones and many other incidents. It was to develop the understanding of insects and their movements like the Spider in Venice and researchers and their valuable research which observed every movement of earth and every creature who lived on the planet. 

How does Amitav Ghosh use myth of Manasa Devi to create the myth of Gun Merchant ('Bonduki Sadagar') and  initiate discussion on the issue of Climate Change and Migration/Refugee crisis / Human Trafficking?

The novel started with Dinanath who came to India Calcutta and lives in the U.S.A  then he meets Nilima Bose then she told the story of Chand Sodagar myth everyone knows but when they visit the shrine one of the Chracter Rafi revels that it was another story of Bonduki Sadagar and Ilyas but their are two story like Bonduki Sadagar and Chand sodagar have similar story but when they meet the rafi it was also another story of slave and voyage many country in the myth of Bonduki Sadagar he denied to become devotee of Manasa Devi then he find everywhere some poision insect decided to lived the place go to the place where no poisons insect he was kept by pirates the sold him to ILyas he finding many quality on Bonduki then his journey he was passing threw the three country in the shrine of Manasa Devi their is three symbol also connected with that one of them is Island within Island it was Venice and when Deen comes Venice in present it was connected with sinking island and walls Amitav Ghosh makes this myth of Bonduki for making interest of readers for impotence of climate change with that also he was connected refugees crisis, migration, and human trafficking. Refugee crisis with the reference of people who are migrated because of climate change like Lubna Khala and Munir and many other Bangladeshi who are lived in Venice they have to work as a labour in our contemporary time it was happening a lot.Migration play the vital role illegal migration and refugee crisis author give as view that we should stand for humanity as we know that many county have strict rule for illegal migration now in our India also making many rules many country also banned some religious people great example of humanity slowly died in our planet Amitav Ghosh uses many character to show as that how this illegal migration happend like because of calamities,communal violence,poverty,socio economical condition there are such reason is their in the novel Rafi and Tipu who are migrated because of poverty in India and sundarban because of communal violence Kabir and Bilal migrated from Bangladesh to venice but in their journey Kabir was died and Bilal work at Venice and send money his and his friend both family for living normal life in this journey of this country to that country they want money as they are from the poor counrty or family they are not able to arrange huge amount money so sometimes sold their body parts and those people who are taking this body parts they always find young and specially childerns body part like kidney and other parts for rich foreigners the survival and skilling getting job in another counrty is very diffcualt and they are work as labour and secound most important think Amitav Ghosh use is humanity and friendship when Tipu in the criris and rafi reach the venice he was continuousaly try for Tipu and another was kabir and Bilal and good friendship of Deen and Cinta another important character like Palash who migrated because of socio economical condition and how the mobile play the role in youngster life with that our protagonist Dinanath also gave as the view that why he was coming to US and his migration Books are play vital role for imagination and fantcy. All the story of the migration of many characters and other things going parallel with Dinanath and Bonduki sadagar story like Dinanath visit the place where Bonduki visit in past unintensely by luck he was passing threw all the country which is arrived in Bondukis story like Rumali Desh Turkey where Tipu was stuck because of migration then Egypt and as a part of his work he was in Venice then continue all the character one by one arrived and having some conversation or connection with Deen it was like Ghosh deliberately use or create the myth of Bonduki for making his reader aware for Climate Change.

How does Amitav Ghosh make use of 'etymology' of common words to sustain mystery and suspense in the narrative? (Gun, Gun Merchant, Bhut, Possession, Shikul dwip, Rumali desh, Taal-misri desh)

First, it was started from the title it is used etymology like the title is ‘Gun Island’ but there is nothing to do with Guns or even there is not kind of references to any weapons or violence in the novel but the myth of Bonduki in India many Indian languages gun called Bandook this is one of the concerns of Gun. Gun Merchant is also one of another etymology used by Ghosh like Gun Merchant is a man who was involved in the Gun business or one who has the business of something but it is the island where people made ornaments like bullets and other things one of the foundry this place is in Venice also it was an island within island later they called it Ghetto. Venice German and Swedish used Venedig in the Arabic language it was Al-Bunduqeyya one of the reasons for the title it represents Venice as a Gun Island.

In part one Tipu emails Deen a question about Bhut or Ghost then it moves toward the possession in Bangla word ‘Bhoot’ or ‘Bhuta’ comes from Sanskrit root bhu meaning ‘to be’ in the possession it was the meaning used som-Teone is taken over by a demon and it is nothing just metaphor for greed imaginary things in Christianity it is the voice of Satan or it is also one of the meanings of new awakening people not taking easily and used three countries and it historical names with Etymology names like,

Land of Palmsugar Candy- Taal-Misri Desh in Bangla misri related with Misra -Egypt 

Land of Kerchiefs-Roomali Desh- Romalia-Turkey

Land of Chains- Shikol Dewp-Sicily.

Generate fan literature with the help of ChatGPT. 

In Gun Island, Amitav Ghosh weaves a tale Of journeys far and wide, both real and surreal Of the hunted and the hunter, in a world on the brink Where the consequences of man's actions make us think

Through the lens of Deen, a dealer of rare books We witness the unraveling of ancient lore and myths Of the Gun, a symbol of power and oppression And how its curse spreads across the world with obsession

The ocean, a witness to the migration of man From distant lands, with stories of their own to share Is now changing, a harbinger of an uncertain future As the forces of nature unleash their fury and torture

The characters in this tale, each with their own strife Embark on a journey to find their own purpose in life In the face of danger and uncertainty, they strive To find a place of peace, to be truly alive

From the bustling streets of Kolkata to the mangroves of the Sundarbans From the libraries of Venice to the ghostly pyramids of Pamban Ghosh takes us on a journey that is both captivating and real Leaving us with a sense of wonder, and the urge to feel

So, if you seek a story that is both heartwarming and thrilling Pick up Gun Island, it will keep you captivated and willing To delve deeper into the complexities of our world And the importance of preserving its beauty and its stories untold.

Thank You