Fi

reont
heMount
ain:
Summer
y

Fir
eont heMount ainisa1977nov el byAni taDesai ,anIndi anwr it
er.Desai
hasbeenr ecogni zedt hr
eet i
mesont heBookerPr i
zeshor tli
standi sa
Briti
shGuar dianPr izewi nner.Fir
eont heMount ainr eceivedaSahi tya
Akademi Awar d.Thebookf ocusesonanel derlywi dow’si solati
onand
l
onel iness, asi ttell
st hest oryofNandaKaul whol i
v esinKasaul iandleads
asol itaryexi stence.Publ ishersWeekl ysaidofAni t
aDesai ,“Butwhat ’sso
refreshi ngaboutAni t
aDesai isthatshe’ samoder nliter
arywr i
terwi t
ha
straight forwar dappr oacht oherwor k.Foral ltheawar ds(andt her ehav e
beenmany ,includingI ndia’
st opli
terar yaccolade, t
heSahi tyaAkademi
Awar d),t hePh. D.theses, andt heli
ter aryjournal
ism t hathasbeendev ot ed
toher ,Ani taDesai talksofherwr i
ti
ngassi mply‘stor i
es,
’andofher selfasa
storyt el
ler .Yetshedoesn’ teschewI ndi a’
smostv exingquest i
ons:
coloni alism, theplaceofwomeni nIndi ansociety,thecast esy stem. ”

Theol dwoman, Nanda, li

vesal onei nacol onialhouseonahi l
l.Shel etsno
oneint rudeonheri solatedl i
fe.Shehadspentmanyy ear scaringf orher
husband, theirchildren, andmanygr andchi l
dren.Shehasbecomear ecluse
andst ay ssecl udedf r
om ev er yonei ncludingagr eat
-gr andchi l
d.Thi sisher
sit
uationunt i
l t
hegr eat-grandchi l
dar ri
vesonherdoor st ep.Thechi ldisa
younggi r
l whoi ssi cklyandi sasr ecl usiveasNanda.Thechi l
dl i
vesinher
ownt ypeofsecl usionassher etreat sintoawor ldofi nnerf antasywher e
shecr eatesadv ent uresofchasi ngsnakes, animals,andghost sint he
peacef ulhill
st hatsur roundherandhergr eat-grandmot her.Theol dwoman
seest hatt het wooft hem hav ethingsi ncommonbutt hatamaj or
dif
ferenceexi stsaswel l
.Nandahaschosent obear ecl usewhi lethey oung
gir
lwasbor nintot hatt ypeofexi stence.Nandasl owlybegi nstowantt obe
partoft hechi ld’
sl ifeandwant stoshar eherwor ldwi thher .Herat tempt s,
howev er ,appeart obei nv ain.Hergr eat-granddaught erwi l
lletnooneent er
herli
fe.Nandai snotdi scour agedandat tempt stoconnectt ot hechildby
shari
ngst orieswi thher .
Shecr eatesst oriesinwhi chshei nterspersesbitsoft alesi nspiredbyt he
j
our neysofMar coPol owi thnar r
ati
v esofherownl ife.Shecr eatesa
versionofherf atherthatpresent shim asat ypeofMar coPol owhose
tr
av elstookhim deepi ntothelandsoft heEast .Thest or i
est hatNanda
conjuresser vet opiquethei nt
er estoft hey ounggirlandaconnect ion
betweent het wobegi nstodev elop.Nandacont inuest ot alkoft hei dyl
li
c
placei nwhichshewasbor nandof fersst oriesaboutKashmi rthatar e
signifi
cantlyembel li
shedwi thunusual tal
esofahouset hathasapr iv
ate
zooandabackt hatleadst ofl
oodedr ivers.Asthechi ld,Raka, l
istens,she
beginst owonderaboutt heaccur acyoft hest ori
es.SheaskswhyNanda
woul dhav eleftsuchawonder fulplaceandwhyshedoesnotr eturnthere.
Assher eali
zest het r
icktheoldwomanhasbeenpl aying, shebegi nstosli
p
backi ntoherpr ivateworld.

Ani mportantaspectoft henov elistheconf li

ctbet weent heneedofan
i
ndividualtoisolatei nor dertocopewi t
ht hepr essuresofl i
feandt heneed
tostayinvolvedinl ife.InFireont heMount ain​,att
achingand
withdrawingareneedst hatseem t oalternatei nthelivesofRakaand
Nanda.Nandacr eat esani maginarywor ld,wi t
hherf atherbeingcent ralt
oit,
i
nor dertoat t
acht oRaka.Raka, meanwhi l
e, buil
dsani magi narywor ld
aroundher sel
f.Rakai sdi f
ferentfrom ordinar ychil
dren.Shedemands
nothinginlif
eandshedoesnotseem t oneedany thi
ng.Allshedesi resisto
beleftonherownt ol iv
ehersol i
taryli
fe.Itislearnedt hatshehasbeen
i
nfluencedbyev ent sinherl i
fesuchasobser v i
ngherdr unkenf at
herbeat
hermot her.Shehasnotdev elopedt heabilit
yt otrustinothers.Ar eason
whyNanda’ sstoriesdonothol dRaka’sat tentionforlongi sthattheyar e
aboutpeopl eandt heirrelati
onshipsandar et husnott hetypeoft alesto
whichRakacanr elate.

Inthey
ear2000,TheWashi ngtonPostrecognizedAni
taDesai asapioneer
amongIndianauthor
s,sayingofher ,“
Itmaybehar dtoimagine,whatwith
thecur
rentboom ofI
ndianwr i
ter
swhochooset owrit
einEnglish-
Salman
Rushdi
e,Bharat
iMukherjee, Ar
undhatiRoy,JhumpaLahiri
,PankajMishra-
butwhenDesaifir
stdeci
dedt opursuepubli
cationaf
terhergraduati
on
fr
om Delhi
Uni v
ersi
ty,
ther
ewasnotoneI
ndianpubli
sherwil
li
ngtotakethe
l
eapwithher.Shewasf or
cedt
osendherworktoEngland,wher
e,evenas
sher
aisedaf amil
yofherown,
shebegantopubli
shherstori
es.
”