Introduction:
Nanda Kaul was born of a rich and gifted father, so her childhood days passed in the atmosphere of joys and comforts. Her house was on the bank of the Dal Lake, so she moved about in Shikaras with her family members. When her relatives came from Allahabad and Lucknow, they would hire a house - boat and sailed upto the Nagin Lake. They also used to ride through orchards, pluck fruits and cherries and returned home. There was a stream behind their house in which ducks used to swim. During the rainy season that stream overflowed into the garden near the house. The father of Nanda Kaul was fond of making experiments in horticulture. He was also fond of adventures, travelling, exploring and of animals. Their house in Kashmir had many strange animals including a big Himalayan bear which her father had found as a cub in the forest when he was hunting there.
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| Novel, Fire on the Mountain, Character Sketch of Nanda Kaul |
The Married Life of Nanda Kaul:
The married life of Nanda Kaul was very happy in as her husband was the Vice Chancellor of the Punjab University. Then she looked very beautiful in silk saree along with pearls. She used to work as the mistress of her house remaining busy from morning upto evening. She was fond of keeping some pets for her children and they were cats, dogs and also some monkeys. They also had some horses because her husband was fond of horse - riding. There was also badminton - court in their house. Ila Das also recalled her game of badminton.
Nanda Kaul had extremely busy life because she had to look after her “children and grand - children, servants and guests, all restlessly surging, clamouring about her.” Her children used to go to schools and colleges for their education. Many guests used to visit them and some other persons also came to meet her husband with their own work. Many rooms of the house were always full of guests. There were some servants’ quarters in a long row. There were many guava and mango trees in their garden. Nanda Kaul remained on her toes from morning till noon attending so many persons and doing many things. She used to take rest for an hour in the afternoon to be ready for her evening engagements.
Her Craving for Peaceful Life:
Nanda Kaul only had limited moments of peace and rest because she remained overbusy with her family matters. She remembered that one evening after the busy day; she went out when the evening was very cool. She felt a lot of mental peace and rest in the moonlight, when she was walking in the lawn over the grass.
After the death of her husband and after the marriage of her children she had a craving to live the life of peace, rest and solitude. She thought “Have I not done enough and had enough? I want no more. I want nothing. Can I not be left with nothing?” Such thoughts led her to decide that she should retire and go to live at Kasauli in the mountains where she bought a house named Carignano on the ridge of the mountain. It was a very quiet place which she had chosen for herself towards the end of her life because “she wanted no one and nothing else.”
She had left her children because she did not want to be bothered with their problems. Her sons and daughters had left her at Kasauli and soon they had returned from there. They had their own families and engagements to attend. She had distributed all her things among her children and after that she had decided to live the life of a recluse, desiring nothing.
Her Duties towards Raka:
Nanda Kaul was living a peaceful life when she received a letter from her daughter, Asha. She informed her in her letter about the difficulties and problems of her daughter, Tara. Asha wished to send her granddaughter, Raka to live with her for some time. She hoped that she would have a good time in the company of Raka. Nanda Kaul had retired after a long time from the worries of life, so she became upset with the news of Raka's arrival to her house. She felt that her past worries would return once again.
Nanda Kaul went to Ramlal to enquire what he would cook for Raka because both of them were short of ideas. Ramlal said with much surprise, “She is old, I am old; we are old.” One day she sent Ramlal to the taxi stand to fetch Raka home and she stood upset how he would bring her home because she regarded it her great responsibility for her. Its reason was that she wanted to “discover her as an individual, and worse, as a relation, a dependent. She would have to urge her to eat eggs and spinach, caution her against lifting stones under which scorpions might lie asleep, see her to bed at night and die in the next room.” All such ideas made her much worried about Raka.
On her first meeting with Raka, Nanda Kaul saw her coming from a distance and she was surprised because the child was not “round faced, calm or radiant” like the Moon. Both of them were indifferent to each other and the old lady regarded Raka as “An intruder, an outsider” and Raka also “ignored Nanda Kaul. She ignored her so calmly, so totally that it makes Nanda Kaul breathless.”
Nanda Kaul had become a recluse after her “long life of duty and obligation.” She also noted that Raka was also a recluse by her nature. So, she changed her attitude towards her. She felt pity and love for the little child. Sometimes she went out for a walk with Raka. But Naka walked apart silently as if they did not know each other. Nanda Kaul told bee about the forest fire, Pasteur Institute, Garden House, arrival of the army, and the acts of vandalism done by tourists in order to develop her intimacy with Raka.
It is necessary to mention that Nanda Kaul herself was a lover of Nature, so she wanted to protect the beauty and peace of Nature. She was also fond of seeing the Rowing rivers and green fields. It was her love for Nature which had brought her to Kasauli to live her retired and peaceful life. She felt unhappy to see that the army and the tourists had desecrated the atmosphere. Her love for Nature had inspired her to leave her family in order to live peaceful life there.
Her Attachment with Ila Das:
It is necessary to mention that Nanda Kaul had deep love, much attachment and real intimacy with Ila Das. She was her childhood friend and both of them had studied together in the school and college. They loved each other much.
It is clear that Nanda Kaul had deep love and real sympathy for the suffering humanity. She had helped Ila in many ways. Though Ila had a deformed body for which she was laughed at by the street children, yet Nanda Kaul always welcomed her warmly when she came to meet her. Ila Das recalled that “It was so delicious to know, I had a welcome waiting for me there ....... I could always be sure of finding you on the veranda tea waiting in winter lemonade in the summer.”
Nanda Kaul had helped her to get a job in the Home Science College with the help of her Vice Chancellor husband. Secondly, she also helped her to do a course in social service with which she had got the government service of social welfare officer. She was always worried about her safety. After hearing the news of her rape and death she became very unhappy and she lost her faith in everything including herself. She regarded everything in the world false and wicked.
Conclusion:
It is necessary to mention that Nanda Kaul had a dynamic personality. She had become tired of richness, prosperity and abundance before her retirement to Kasauli. She left her family life after completing her duties to her husband and family. She became a recluse because she was fond of Nature and solitude. Later she loved Raka because she also regarded her a recluse by her nature like herself. She said, “Raka, you really are a great grand - child of mine, aren't you? You are more like me than any of my children.”