This paper is an attempt to identify how H S Shivaprakash, a well-known Kannada poet and playwright, expresses the essential connection between Nature and the human beings. Many of his plays have been translated into many languages and were performed at several major places. He is the winner of four Karnataka Sahitya Akademi awards and the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi award. Through his plays, he enlightens people about the intrinsic value of Nature and her contribution to human life. His play, The Bride, originally written in Kannada and translated into English by the author himself, narrates a Toda tribal tale of self-destructive passion amid Nature. The bridegroom, overpowered by his overwhelming passion for his bride, forsakes the warning sounded by Nature and unwittingly kills his own bride. Traditionally, the stage is considered to be the exclusive domain of humans, but in this play (right from the beginning) Nature, in the form of Trees, establishes her invigorating presence and dictates the direction of events. In the play, Shivaprakash has not used Nature as a mere background; in this play, trees are characters and they act even as commentators. They point out how humans violate the bounty of Nature and pollute her rich natural resources. Moreover, the Trees have their own history and they proclaim the view of Barry Commoner: "Everything is connected to everything else".

The history of humans is implicated in the history of Nature and in the play the author elucidates the connection between Nature and Culture. Culture teaches humans that they are dependent on Nature, whereas Nature is independent. Humans must watch Nature closely to predict future and to avoid disasters. The bridegroom, in the play, fails to refine his ways in spite of the warning articulated through the songs of Nature and puts himself in a sad, lonely state. He goes not only against the counsel of Nature, but also against the teachings of his Culture. He belongs to a Culture that treats Nature as its constituent part and advises its people to conform to the laws of Nature. But he acts to the contrary and precipitates his own doom. Shivaprakash's perception of Nature is relevant to the present century that witnesses alarming disasters such as the depletion of ozone and the destruction of world's last remaining resources. Realization of Nature's immense potential and Nature's immense potential which Shivaprakash asserts, alone can redeem the world and avert future disasters.

In this age of science and technology, humans have failed to realize their dependence on their environment and spoiled their own nest. To prevent the human community from destroying the natural community, many attempts have been made and `ecocriticism' is the response of the literary community. H S Shivaprakash is a well-known Kannada poet and playwright and his plays have been translated into many languages and were performed at several major places. He is the winner of four Karnataka Sahitya Akademi awards and the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi award. Through his plays, he enlightens people about the contribution of Nature to human life and tries to awaken the consciousness of people towards ecology.

Eco-Consciousness, H S Shivaprakash, Kannada poet, Ecocriticism, Depletion of ozone, Self-destructive passion, literary communities, Non-human environment, Ecological imbalance, Global warming, Environmental problems, Environmental Imaginations, Contemporary Literary Criticism, Ecological Imaginations.