3
FORESTS AND SETTLEMENTS
Romila Thapar
It is possible to trace through Indian history a changing attitude on the part of the Indian towards his forests. This change is reflected in the texts in Sanskrit, Prakrit, Tamil and other languages as well as in the oral tradition. There is gradually a self-consciousness and a distancing from the forest, especially in the culture of high literacy. The distancing takes the form of romaniticising the forest at a time when some forests are being cleared and the forest people living there being forced to change their lifestyle. Often the oral tradition is more sympathetic to the forest.
The gradual clearing of forests over the centuries has changed the ecology of certain regions. The pace of change was ...
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