The book Jangael Naar is a Kashmir translation of the award winning novel Fire on the Mountain , by Anita Desai, a prominent Indian Novelist . It has been translated in Kashmiri by Prof Farooq Fayaz , a Sahitya Acadamy award winning author, academic who has already worked on wide variety of themes pertaining to Kashmir history , folklore and literature . The book printed and published by Sahitya Academy New Delhi , consists of 196 pages and is priced at Rs 220.
Anita Desai is an Indian novelist and Professor of Humanities at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology .She has been shortlisted for the Booker Prize so far three times She received the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1978 for this novel Fire on the Mountain and has also won the prestigious Guardian Prize and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, London.
Fire on the mountain is a profound exploration of solitude, aging, and the complexities of human relationships. The novel revolves around Nanda Kaul, a reclusive widow who retreats to her secluded house in Kasauli, longing for peace and detachment from the chaos of her past life. Kasauli, is located in the state of Himachal Pradesh, India. This quaint hill station serves as the backdrop for much of the novel’s setting, reflecting its serene yet isolated ambiance that aligns with the themes of solitude and introspection in the story. Her solitude is disrupted by the arrival of her great-granddaughter, Raka, a quiet and enigmatic child with a deep connection to nature. As the story unfolds, the stark contrast between Nanda’s desire for isolation and Raka’s quiet inquisitiveness highlights themes of generational divide, loneliness, and unspoken emotional traumas.

AUTHOR ANITA DESAI
The entry of Ila Das, Nanda’s old friend into the story , complicates the story, as Ila represents a complete contrast to Nanda’s chosen isolation. Ila’s tragic fate at the hands of a patriarchal society serves as a grim reminder of the vulnerabilities women face. The novel ends on a haunting note as Raka, seemingly unaffected by the human turmoil around her, sets a forest fire, symbolizing destruction, rebellion, and a desire for transformation. Through its evocative prose, the novel delves into themes of loneliness, disillusionment, and the search for freedom, set against the backdrop of nature’s indifferent beauty.
Anita Desai’s narrative style is marked by its lyrical prose. Through all the pages one finds the intricate descriptions of the natural world. Desai masterfully evokes the serene yet haunting atmosphere of Kasauli, blending it seamlessly with the emotional landscapes of her characters. “Introspective” is the most appropriate term one can use to describe her writing and fire on the mountain is a typical example of masterfully handling such a theme. By helping her characters to look within, introspect and find meanings to their actions Desai,s characters are unique in a way. She artistically all along the novel weaves the internal struggles of her characters with their environment. Her nuanced exploration of human emotions and her ability to portray silence and solitude as both a refuge and a torment make “Fire on the Mountain “ a deeply contemplative work. Through minimal dialogue and vivid imagery, Desai crafts a story that is both intimate and universally resonant. The novel is rich in imagery and symbolism. The mountain is a dominant image, symbolizing isolation, solitude, and spiritual quest while fire represents transformation, destruction, and renewal.

TRANSLATOR DR.FAROOQ FAYAZ
The Translator of fire on mountain Farooq Fayaz , is an eminent Kashmiri and English writer historian, academic and a prominent scholar of Kashmiri folklore ,culture and heritage .Zael Dab, for which he received the Sahitya Akademi award in 2022, is a collection of critical essays on literary personalities of Kashmir and their works . For the first time under the wide frame of a post-modern critical theory, neo-historicism he examined Kashmir’s wide range of writers. Zael Dub got 14 reviews published in regional and national media by eminent writers. The Jammu and Kashmir State Academy of Art, Culture, and Languages awarded Farooq Fayaz for his book “Kashmiri Folklore: A Study in Historical Perspective” (English) in 2009. This background makes Farooq Fayaz the right person to translate such a novel as “Fire on the mountains.” And the translation says it all.
The significance of this translation Jangael Naar lies in the background of the fact that not many novels are being published in Kashmiri language and this attempt by Farooq Fayaz to translate such a profound novel in Kashmir has immense potential to be a remarkable literary achievement which is bound to entertain and inform and educate Kashmir readership . Such a translation work into Kashmiri adds to the preservation and modernization of the language also helps create a bridge for contemporary readers to engage with global literature.
Creativity and care have been kept in mind while handling the translation, capturing the original novels subtleties. Kashmiri’s nuanced vocabulary beautifully renders the emotional undercurrents of the novel, especially Nanda Kaul’s solitude and Raka’s quiet resilience. Kashmiri’s rich tradition of describing nature aligns well with the novel’s vivid imagery of the mountains, making it possible to retain or even enhance the poetic essence and the translator has been successful in handling it that way.
hile the novel is rooted in a different geographical location in Indian culture, Kashmiri readers can relate to themes like isolation, societal expectation and the natural environment, which are prevalent in Kashmiri literature and life and Farooq Fayaz has quite understood this phenomenon and used such words and phrases which make it happen.
Some inbuilt Strengths of Kashmiri language as a Medium have gone to the advantage of the translator. Like Kashmiri languages natural lyricality has enhanced the novel’s vivid descriptions of the mountain and its surroundings. The choice of the Kashmiri idioms and expressions by the translator have effectively captured the inner conflicts of the characters.
There have of course been some impediments in the way of the translation , which we can be termed as linguistic challenges especially when it comes to some psychological or metaphorical expressions, which lack direct Kashmiri equivalents Frankly speaking the translator has quite successfully found the nearest and acceptable expressions to handle such situations .Again preserving Anita Desai’s restrained , elegant and lyrical prose style is a difficult task , but the translation weaves a poignant narrative in Kashmiri,. Again some references in the novel belonging to other regions of the country, culturally distinct might not resonate fully with Kashmiri readers unless carefully adapted or explained That is where Farooq Fayaz rightly described as a polymath handles things with confidence. Fayaz developed a keen interest in art and culture and gradually moved into the realm of literary criticism particularly Kashmiris folk lore history. His work on Kashmiri folklore as a source information is an attempt to build a cultural history of Kashmir has already won him acclaim from national literary circles and this has helped in the fine translation of the Fire on mountains into Kashmiri language. His way of substituting cultural references of other Indian region with Kashmiri ones has made the translation relatable without losing its essence.
The Kashmiri translation of Fire on the Mountain, Jangael Naar has the potential to be an exquisite and meaningful contribution to regional literature. The poetic and expressive strength of Kashmiri language has enhanced the beauty of the novel that is what I felt while reading the novel. And someone like me, who is basically a student of English literature but whose mother tongue is Kashmiri has enjoyed the translation of the novel more than the original . And I think every Kashmiri reader will feel like that after reading Jangael Naar that beckons readers to embark on a profound journey of self-discovery and introspection.
ABOUT THE REVIEWER
Showkat Shafi a former Media Education Faculty at Kashmir University, Columnist, blogger Critic and Academic.