Paper short abstract:

Enduring influence of British Empire in South Asia has led to environmental shifts that persist post-independence, posing recent challenges. Cultural symbiosis between humans and environment, exemplified by movements i.e, Chipko Andolan, stands in contrast to incongruous inter. legal frameworks.

Paper long abstract:

The enduring legacy of the British Empire in South Asia has engendered profound environmental shifts and institutional practices, persisting through the post-independence era and actively contributing to contemporary ecological challenges. These dynamics stand in stark contrast to the culturally interdependent relationship between human and non-human elements, which remains a vital facet of regional identity. Movements like the Chipko Andolan in post-independence India and the legal recognition of rivers as legal persons in Bangladesh exemplify this cultural symbiosis. While at the state level, the convergence of colonial legacies with climate crises, geopolitical exigencies, and burgeoning populations has exacerbated these fault lines, at the individual level, culturally imprinted identities continue to uphold this symbiotic rapport.

An illuminating illustration of this interplay can also be gleaned through a re-evaluation of literary narratives, of the indigenous stories of tribal communities, as Giles Deleuze elucidates in the context of their "political aim." This dynamic encounters a complex challenge in the form of incongruous international legal frameworks, which inadequately capture the post-colonial cultural identities of the Global South, particularly South Asia. This predicament is compounded by an intransigent call to halt economic progress rather than to promote collaborative approaches.