Introduction:
The title of the present novel “Fire on the Mountain” indicates those unhappy moments when big and beautiful houses were burnt due to fire. Men, women and animals were also burnt to death. Ramlal told Raka that he did not know how forest fires had started but he added that he had seen many of them because they used to take place every year at Kasauli. He recalled that some of those fires reached Carignano. Many trees and houses were burnt before the fire engine arrived.
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| Appropriateness of the Title of Novel Fire on the Mountain |
Ramlal told Raka that a beautiful cottage, ‘South View’ was burnt in the forest fire. The English lady who lived in it rushed into the fire to save her cat and she herself was burnt. She had a deep mental shock, so she became mad and she was taken to the lunatic asylum with her arms and legs tied with a rope. The watchman of that house heard the mewing of the cat inside the burnt house. Later that burnt house became a favourite haunt for Raka who visited it as an ideal place far from the madding crowd. Raka was a girl with an inquisitive mind, so she had a strong desire to see the forest fire. Once, a heavy dust storm rose and it covered the sky with a thick yellow haze over the villages and over the mango groves. Then Ramlal had pushed Raka into the kitchen but Raka liked to see that storm as the power of Nature. She went to the window and peeped out to look at the rising storm. The dust clouds had almost covered the Sun. Then Raka asked Ramlal, “Will it set fire to the garden? Will it set the hill on fire?” It was the strong desire of Raka to see the fire on the mountain. She wanted to see an uncommon feature of the forest fire beside the mountain.
The Chastening Effect:
Once when Raka was walking with her great grandmother she had the opportunity to watch the forest fire. Then she saw a copper glow near the hill and soon it became very radiant. Nanda Kaul told her that it was a forest fire which often broke out in that season. It was the first forest fire which Raka had seen in her life. Then that fire which she had seen was far away and on the other side of the valley, so neither she could smell the burning pine trees, nor she could hear any sound. Raka became restless and her great grandmother comforted her.
Raka went into the room thinking if the fire - brigade would succeed in putting out the fire. Ramlal had told her that the fire brigade did not help at all in such condition due to the shortage of water. Raka herself knew that “there is not a drop of water in the Simla Hill in June.” She felt much worried about the houses and trees. Nanda Kaul expressed her sympathy to the little girl.
Raka became so much restless with the idea of the fury and ruin of the forest fire that she could not sleep at night. “At night she kept getting out of bed and coming bare foot into the drawing room to look out of the window and see the fire spread.” She went to the window again and again to see if the fire had come nearer to Carignano, or Kasauli but the fire was far from there. Raka was so much worried about the safety of the people, animals and trees that “she heard the cries of animals and birds burning in that fire.” It clearly shows that Raka had a sympathetic soul with a clear feeling of kindness in her heart for the people, animals and trees against the forest fire.
Fire against the Wicked World:
After hearing about the rape and murder of Ila Das who was gentle, a good social worker and innocent by her nature Raka was deeply shocked. She had been raped and murdered by that Preet Singh whose minor daughter was to be married to an old and rich land owner. It was the main mission of her life to do good not only to Preet Singh, to his daughter and also to all the common people of that area because she had been working in that area with the sole purpose of social welfare as well as for the good of the common masses.
As soon as Raka heard about the rape and murder of Ila Das, she was deeply shocked like her great grandmother, Nanda Kaul because both of them were good and gentle ladies with their sensitive nature. Ila Das was closely and dearly attached to both of them, so they had been adversely influenced by the cruel rape and tragic murder of Ila Das who was very near and dear to both of them.
The concluding part of the novel shows that Raka had put a match box in her pocket secretly and silently. Her main aim was to set the forest on fire. She had also a feeling to set the whole wicked world on fire. She set the forest on fire and soon she told her great grandmother in these words, “Look Nani, I have set the forest on fire. Look, Nani --- look the forest is on fire.” Such fire was the symbol of that fire which was burning in the hearts of Raka and her great grandmother, Nanda Kaul.
Fire in the hearts of Raka, Nanda Kaul and Ila Das:
After reading the story of the present novel ‘Fire on the Mountain’ written by Anita Desai we note that a fire was also burning in the hearts of Raka, Ila Das and Nanda Kaul. First of all Raka was disgusted with the evil worldly things like the club where lifeless men and women used to take part freely and shamelessly in drinking and dancing because they did not feel the values of the higher truths of life which Raka had seen and felt at a very early age of her life. She had become like a mystic. This is the reason that she had set the forest on fire after hearing the news of the rape and murder of Ila Das.
Nanda Kaul also had burning fire in her heart because she had become tired of the evils of the world. Only with this reason she had come to Kasauli to live her retired, peaceful and lonely life at Carignano. She had come there after the death of her husband and after the marriages and the permanent settlement of her children. At last she had the company of Raka whom she regarded like herself or even superior to herself by her many virtues.
Ila Das had suffered much in her life when she became the Welfare Officer. A fire was burning in her heart to do some social work. She was working honestly and sincerely. She worked for the welfare of the common masses. She was raped and killed by Preet Singh because she wanted to stop the marriage of his minor daughter to an old and rich land owner.
