Fire on the Mountain: An Ecoconsciousness Reading

Abstract Since time unknown everything is thought of from anthropocentric point of view and at the cost of environment. The presence of nature in literature is as old as our culture. Human beings dominating and exploiting everything in nature and ecology puts them at the centre and the rest excluding humans at the periphery. The effect of this long lasted tradition is the present day problem of ecocrisis and the efforts from all branches and disciplines of knowledge are being made to right the wrong. So the present research paper on behalf of humanity aims to study, interpret and analyze ecoconsciousness as it is reflected in the novel Fire on the Mountain by Anita Desai. A three part novel set at Kasauli underlines the nature-human interaction through the character of Nanda Kaul, who establishes a strong bond of relationship with nature and environment by identifying herself with it. The three characters named Nanda Kaul, her great grand-daughter Raka and her friend Ila Das and their experiences of life are recorded with the natural background of Kasauli. The characters respond to the everyday happening and their inner consciousness is unlocked with its representation in outer objects and things from nature. Leaving behind the chaos and commotion of busy city world Nanda, the protagonist, seeks refuge in the mountain of Kasauli to spend her last remaining years in the close company of pines with which she identifies herself. Resorting to calm and quiet nature has healing effects. The novel deals with the struggles of the human soul against the ecological background. So the paper tries to raise the ecological consciousness of mass people that enables them to pause and think over the ecocrisis and take social and political action. Key words: ecoconsciousness, nature, awareness, environment, ecosensitive, ecology, ecological consciousness, exploration, exploitation, plants and animals, nature-human relationship