Hello and welcome to the Discourse. Fire on the Mountain is a women-centric novel by Anita Desai that was published in 1977. This novel is considered one of the best works by Anta Desai that is based upon the themes of loneliness and aging while highlighting the issues related to oppressive patriarchy, gender inequalities, and the importance of taking out social responsibilities. The characters of the novel symbolize the alienation of women under patriarchy and of postcolonial identity in India. In addition, the novel also discusses the perils of motherhood and suggests that motherhood isn’t always a naturally acceptable situation rather it can be something that can be problematic.
Characters of Fire on the Mountain:
Nanda Kaul is an aged, reclusive widow. She is a proud and stern woman who doesn’t like to exhibit her feelings. Her husband was the vice chancellor of Punjab University. He was a reputed, influential but selfish person who never loved his wife. He had an affair with a co-worker, Miss David, a mathematics teacher. Though her husband didn’t love her, he had many children with her and she often found herself solely responsible for caring for her kids. Ila Das is a friend of Nanda Kaul. She has a shrill and loud voice as well as a club foot, which makes her a subject of laughter and jibes wherever she goes. She had been raised in grandeur but was left poverty-stricken after her brothers squandered their family money and died. She is a hard-working welfare officer in a village in Kasauli. Ram Lal is the cook servant of Nanda. Preet Singh is a local man who tries to marry his under-age seven-year-old daughter to an old man and when Ila Das opposes and aborts the marriage, he kills her. Asha is one of Nanda’s daughters. She is a beautiful woman who ruined her life in frivolity and glamour. Tara is Asha’s daughter who was married to a cruel and sadistic man named Rakesh. Rakesh is a reputed diplomat but he is an alcoholic and abusive. Tara is a depressed and anxious woman due to her abusive and philandering husband, and she suffers numerous mental breakdowns. Raka is Tara and Rakesh’s daughter and Nanda's great-granddaughter, Asha decides to leave Raka to live with Nanda after her parents, an abusive father and oppressed mother, move to Geneva while Raka is recovering from typhoid. The Priest of the village is a wicked man who instigates the village people against Ila Das.
Summary of Fire on the Mountain:
The novel is divided into three parts. Nanda Kaul is living a reclusive life in a village in the hilly area of Kasauli. After her husband’s death and the marriage of her children, she is living a lonely life and lets no one intrude on her isolated life. She had spent many years caring for her husband, their children, and many grandchildren. She has become a recluse and stays secluded from everyone including a great-grandchild. Her relationship with her husband was an unhappy one. She led her life as he wanted her to live out of a sense of duty. Her life as a Vice Chancellor’s wife though crowded and full of social activity was meaningless and unsatisfying. Her husband had an extra-marital affair and he never cared for her. Although her busy schedule lacked warmth and understanding, she carried on because of her obligations to her husband and children. Once she discharged her duties she does not want any disturbances. Emotional deprivation is at the root of Nanda Kaul’s disillusionment with human bonds. Her husband did not love her as a wife and treated her as some decorative and useful instrument needed for the efficient running of his household. She enjoyed the comforts and social status of the wife of a dignitary but deep down she felt lonely and neglected. Nanda believes every attachment to be the preface of a new betrayal and all socialization is fake. She lives a lonely life in her clean and spare house on a hilltop in Kasauli.
One day, she notices a postman coming towards her house and she gets annoyed by this. The postman brings a letter for Nanda from Asha, her frivolous and self-centered daughter, who is asking her to keep Raka, Nanda Kaul's great-granddaughter, for some time. Raka has just recovered from typhoid but her depressed mother, Tara, is going to Geneva to try to work things out with her cruel and abusive husband, a diplomat. Raka needs to recover outside of the heat and humidity of Bombay; otherwise, Asha would take her herself. Thus, Raka will be sent to Nanda Kaul. Nanda isn’t happy about this as she believes this will ruin the tranquility of her current life. However, she is worried about Tara as she had been a wife to a stern husband and had spent her life taking care of little children.
When Raka arrives at Kasauli, Nanda realizes the little girl is as reclusive as her. Raka lives in her own type of seclusion as she retreats into a world of inner fantasy where she creates adventures of chasing snakes, animals, and ghosts in the peaceful hills that surround her and her great-grandmother. Nanda feels that the two of them have things in common but that a major difference exists as well. Nanda has chosen to be a recluse while the young girl appears to be sad and reclusive because of the violent relationship between her parents. Gradually Nanda begins trying to be a part of the child’s life and wants to share her world with her. Her attempts, however, appear to be in vain. Ram Lal and Nanda devote themselves to the proper care of Raka. Ram Lal suggests that Raka should have an ayah to bathe her and take her to the club to play with other children. When Nanda asks her if she would like to go to the club, Raka refuses. Nanda asks her why she doesn’t wish to go to the club to which Raka replies that Nanda doesn't go either. Surprised and pleased, Nanda Kaul bursts out that Raka is exactly like she is. Raka is loath to hear this, and both are embarrassed.
Nanda decides to try harder to win the trust and emotions of Raka. She tells Raka of her childhood in Kashmir and describes the lakes, forests, orchards with great fruit trees, and the animals her father would keep. Raka cannot understand why her great-grandmother has become so talkative and wants to get away from her. When Nanda Kaul stops, both are slightly angry at the growing attachment and change of routine. When Raka returns from her expeditions, Nanda Kaul tries to interest her by telling her tales about the animals she had kept. The stories that Nanda conjures serve to pique the interest of the young girl and a connection between the two begins to develop. Nanda continues to talk of the idyllic place in which she was born and offers stories about Kashmir that are significantly embellished with unusual tales of a house that has a private zoo and a back that leads to flooded rivers. As the child, Raka, listens, she begins to wonder about the accuracy of the stories. She asks why Nanda would have left such a wonderful place and why she does not return there. As she realizes the trick the old woman has been playing, she begins to slip back into her private world.
Nanda notices that Raka prefers spending her afternoons in the wild and begins to miss her. She realizes that Raka likes nature more than she likes her neat and clean house; even if Nanda attempts to fill the house with things to interest Raka, she will not stay.
One day, Nanda receives a call from Ila Das, her childhood friend, who asks to meet Raka. Nanda is annoyed by this, but she agrees as she thinks that Ila Das may change the mood of Raka and invites her for tea. Ila Das gets late for the tea which irks Nanda but then she notices her coming towards her house followed by a group of schoolboys teasing her for her attire and voice. They knock her umbrella to the edge of the road, where she is rescued by Ram Lal who makes the boys run away. Nanda greets Ila Das and takes her to the verandah where she meets Raka. Ila greets and kisses a hesitant Raka. The kiss irks Nanda Kaul and makes her smug at the same time, and they conduct the tea party. Ila Das begins to describe their old days, and Raka is weary with their talk. Raka was uncomfortable and out of place. Ila Das mentions Nanda Kaul's house and the comfort she felt there. When she mentions playing badminton with Nanda Kaul’s husband and Miss David, a teacher, she falls silent suddenly. Nanda cracks her knuckles. She asks Raka to fetch Ram Lal to clear the teacups and muses about how well she knows Ila Das. Ila Das had once belonged to a rich family whose fortune was squandered by her brothers till there was nothing left for the two sisters. They had to divide every morsel until Nanda Kaul arranged for a job for Ila Das at the university. Ila reveals that she is finding it difficult to make ends meet but says she is much better off than the villagers who starve if the harvest goes bad and, due to a superstitious and misogynistic priest, does not visit the health clinic. She is also frustrated by the inability to make headway against child marriages. Nanda feels that she should invite Ila to live with her but is reluctant. Ila is rejuvenated after meeting Nanda and Raka and prepares to leave.
In high spirits, Ila decided to walk through the bazaar before heading home. Raka grabs a packet of matches from the kitchen and climbs down to the ravine. Ila Das leaves and Nanda Kaul feels like protecting Ila from any harm that might come to her, as is her natural instinct. Night fell as Ila Das walked home, and she was attacked and murdered by Preet Singh, who was mad at her for trying to dissuade him from marrying off his young daughter. Nanda Kaul received a phone call from the police shortly after asking her to identify the body, and the news shocked her. Nanda Kaul was overcome with despair and the realization that her whole life, everything she told herself about her motivations and her entire constructed sense of self was fabricated as a means to get through life. As this crisis or epiphany takes place, Raka tapped at the window saying “Look, Nani, I have set the forest on fire.” The novel ends as Nanda observes the black smoke engulfing the mountain.
So this is it for today. We will continue to discuss the history of Indian English literature. Please stay connected with the Discourse. Thanks and Regards!
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