SANJAY A.DIWEKAR
Research Scholar
Department of English
CMJ University, Shillong, Meghalaya
Abstract:
This paper is related with the disturbed psyche of Nanda Kaul in the novel 'Fire
on the Mountain'. It is the exploration of the deep recesses of human psyche going
beyond the skin into the constant struggles raging the soul of Nanda Kaul at the
conscious and sub-conscious level and describing the atmosphere of the mind. It also
explores the inner emotional world of Nanda, Ila and Raka-the world is totally disturbed
world where Nanda is an old widow leading a segregated life like a recluse in a
segregated hill hut, Raka-a shy and lovely school girl by nature and instincts and Ila Das
is suffered at the hands of cruel world around her where she is no more. The present
paper focuses on disturbed psyche of Nanda Kaul though she is linking with Ila Das and
Raka who is grand-daughter of Nanda in 'Fire on the Mountain'.
INTRODUCTION
Anita Desai is one of the prominent novelists who added a new dimension to English fiction in
India by concentrating on the exploration of human disturbed psyche of her protagonists. Anita Desai has
been recognized as one of the prominent voices among Indian writers in English. Desai is solely concerned
with the inner weather of the protagonists. Her protagonists are individuals for whom 'aloneness alone' is
the sole natural condition, and 'aloneness alone'-the treasure worth treasuring. She discusses the problems
of temperamental incompatibility, conjugal chaos and inharmonious relationship between man and
woman. In her novels, most protagonists alienated from the world, society, families, parents and even from
their own selves, because they are not average people but individuals who are unable to communicate with
the people around, unable to relate themselves with this setup, they drift into their own sequestered world
where they spin their dreams, which never materialize. Her main foothold is the exploration of the deep
recesses of human psyche, going beyond the skin into the constant struggles raging the soul of human
beings at the conscious and sub conscious level and describing the atmosphere of the mind. The gift of
modern life in the form of mental tension, strained human relationship, loss of identity, constant quest for
the belonging meaning of life and soul are remarkably woven in the fictive fabric of Desai. All her
characters are constantly struggling either against individuals, against social environment or even against
own inner–selves. Desai is more concerned with the inner reality than the outside world around. She is the
painter of the moods and wills, desires and dreams and of conflicting choices and inner experiences.
Anita Desai's novel 'Fire on the Mountain' (1977) which is the winner of both the Royal Society
Award and the Sahitya Akademy Award is a study of disturbed psyche of Nanda Kaul. Nanda Kaul, the
major protagonist of the novel is the linking tie with Ila Das and Raka, not only at the level of conscious self
but also at the meeting point of infinity time-the past spent, the living present and coming future. The whole
novel is concerned with the disturbed psyche of Nanda Kaul, Raka and Ila Das. Nanda's life has been just
like a barren mountain, devoid of all human love and faith. All the three characters have one thing in
common. They are lone individuals trying to guard their privacy in their own shells, in their own distinct
manner. They are mentally very close to one another and they are quite distanced from one another in age
and in their attitude towards the outside reality of life. Nanda is unable to cope with conflicting self, and she
grows more introvert and finally she withdraws from outside world completely, for her the seclusion is a
kind of protective shell under the weight of which she grown miserably. After the death of Mr.Kaul, she
settled down in the secluded surroundings of Carignano in Kasauli hills, to safeguard her privacy, leading
an isolated life. She has passed a very busy life as a wife of the Vice-Chancellor of the Punjab University
and as a mother of many children. Nanda's children betrayed her and her husband was also shared by his
beloved Miss David throughout her life. Hence she wants to live peacefully without being disturbed by her
relations or anyone else. Even from the Postman she wants to hide herself among the pine trees. She wants
no one and nothing else. Her inner agony is the expression of it when she says, “I want no more, and I want
nothing. Can I be not left with nothing?”. Raka, the grand-daughter is emotionally starved child. Rakas's
silence and withdrawal is the direct result of a long chain of events. It is the result of her mother's nervous
breakdown and her grandmother's heartless exuberance. Her parents could not fulfill her emotional needs.
She cannot face hard realities of life and therefore, she isolates herself from everything and persons. She is
completely alienated from her family. She wants to visit all alone those places which are completely lonely.
Ila Das's life has been a life of ups and downs. Nanda had helped her in the past. Ila Das was forced
to relinquish the job with the death of Vice-Chancellor. She is then, a low paid worker, who works against
child-marriage. In such a process she has earned a good number of enemies. Staying for sometimes with
Nanda, Ila Das leaves Carignano. Next morning a telephone call came to Nanda informing her about Ila
Das's murder which made Nanda psychologically disturbed. The seclusion and alienation from society
leave different impression on all the three souls, who are highly sensitive and emotional. There is a vast
difference between their inner desires, dreams and the hard outside fact of life. Nanda Kaul grows more and
introvert and finally she withdraws from the outside world completely. For her the seclusion is a kind of
protective shell under the weight of which she grown miserably. In her own words in which she pretends to
live a happy life, full of satisfaction. But that is not real truth of her existence. The shortage of privacy
always vexed' her and her longing for a peaceful life forced her to withdraw from the outside world. So
much that she does not want to keep any link either with her past life or with the present world around. In the
very beginning of the novel when Nanda receives a letter informing her of her grand-daughter Raka's
arrival in Carignano, she is emotionally disturbed and without any second thought she bursts out and says,
'Discharge me … I have discharged all my Duties'. Nanda has reached the stage where she relished the
sensation of being alone. She does not want to keep any direct or indirect contact with the outside world,
because she fears it may rip to pieces the calm and piece that she had attained with great effort.
All this is the expressive of the agony that is burning the inner self of Nanda Kaul, which had
remained suppressed for a long time. She has been driven so much away from the world outside that any
intrusion, in any form into her private cell is repelled strongly. She simply wants to erase her name from the
book of life itself. The withdrawal from active social life had different shades of easing for Nanda and Raka.
Nanda Kaul withdrew the social world because she could not feel at ease and was also disappointed with the
family and superficial social life around. But Raka's withdrawal was natural and instinctive. She was
neither attached to her parents emotionally nor had she ever gained any emotional security for her normal
development. Nanda became more and more talkative but Raka never felt at home in this kind of
disagreeable intimacy'. Though distanced by their age and attitude towards the social environment, both
Nanda and Raka suffered from the sense of alienation. Raka who had never enjoyed any parental love, had
lived alone, wandered alone and like to be left alone.
The silence of Nanda is more roaring, thundering than her over busy resounding past. Nanda and
Ila are childhood friends; under the circumstances they faced loneliness in a different manner. Nanda has
reached such a stage in her life-old-age, infirmity, resignation, withdrawal, non-involvement-that she felt
closer to the trees than to any human being. The treatment of women-Nanda, Ila, and Raka highlights the
mental and physical oppression to which women are subjected and the intense suffering and loneliness are
portrayed with great effect. The whole novel reverberates with the agonized cry of Nanda Kaul. Nanda's
life has been just like a barren mountain devoid of all human love and faith. 'Fire on the Mountain' is thus, a
remarkable attempt to probe the various facets of disturbed psyche of Nanda Kaul.
REFERENCES
1. Quest for Self-fulfilment in the novels of Anita Desai,Neera Chakravarty,Tarun offset,Delhi.
2. Psychological Conflicts in the Fiction of Anita Desai by Ush Rani, Abhishek Publications, Chandigarh.
3. Fire on the Mountain by Anita Desai.
4. Anita Desai, Fire on the Mountain, William Heinemann, London
5. R.S Sharma, Anita Desai: Arnold Heinemann, New Delhi, 1981.
