Vol. 6, Issue 2, Part B (2024)

The divide between demographic destabilization and civic development has been a subject of study for many scholars. One argument favours the demographic stability while the other advocates the necessity of civic development. Often literature has engaged with these arguments in its own sphere and it has contributed to the discourse significantly. In a comparative study of two novels, Aranyak by Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay and The Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh, illustrates the dichotomy present in the discourse. The former novel, originally written in Bengali, has been set in colonial Bengal while the latter novel has been partly set in the colonial Bengal. Both of these novels reveal the tension between the demographic destabilization and civic development. It is worthwhile to analyse the dichotomy as it indicates a broader ideological politics behind it.