Nectar in a Sieve (1954) by Kamala Markandaya

About Author:

Kamala Markandaya (1924–2004) was an acclaimed British Indian novelist and journalist, widely recognized for her English-language novels that explored themes of rural India, social conflict, and the consequences of colonialism. Born Kamala Purnaiya in Mysore, India, she was educated at the University of Madras, where she studied history. After moving to London in the 1940s, she married Bertrand Taylor (married name as Kamala Taylor) and adopted the pen name Kamala Markandaya. She has been called "one of the most important Indian novelists writing in English"

Major Works:

1. Nectar in a Sieve (1954): Her first novel and most famous novel. her first novel, it is about miserable rural life. Story of Rukmini, an Indian peasant woman and her struggle for her family against poverty and the changing landscape of their village. The novel poignantly depicts the harsh realities of rural life, highlighting themes of resilience, survival, and the impacts of modernization.
2. Some Inner Fury (1955): This novel addresses India's struggle for independence from British colonial rule, focusing on the relationship between an Indian woman and a British civil servant, set against the backdrop of the Quit India movement. The novel explores themes of love, loyalty, and national identity.
3. A Silence of Desire (1960): In this novel, Markandaya delves into the tension between faith and rationality. The story revolves around Dandekar, a government clerk, whose wife secretly consults a faith healer, leading to a conflict between the belief in traditional healing practices and modern, scientific approaches. It is a novel of urging the readers to speak out frankly to unburden their hearts
4. Possession; a novel (1963): This novel focuses on the complex relationship between an Englishwoman and a young Indian boy whom she "possesses" by taking him away to England to develop his artistic talent. The novel deals with themes of colonialism, cultural appropriation, and identity.
5. The Coffer Dams (1969): Set in a construction site in India, this novel explores the effects of modernization on tribal communities. It deals with the building of a dam and the clash between Western technology and traditional Indian ways of life.
6. The Nowhere Man (1972): This novel portrays the struggles of an elderly Indian man living in post-war England. It explores themes of racism, alienation, and the immigrant experience in a foreign country.
7. Two Virgins (1973): In Two Virgins, Markandaya tells the story of two sisters growing up in a rural Indian village. The novel addresses themes of innocence, sexuality, and the challenges of young women facing societal expectations.
8. The Golden Honeycomb (1977): This novel is a historical saga that traces the life of a princely family in South India over several decades, against the backdrop of British rule and India's eventual independence. It explores themes of power, tradition, and change.
9. Pleasure City (published as Shalimar in US) (1982): Shalimar is a novel about love, cultural identity, and disillusionment, set in both India and England. It examines the lives of Indian immigrants in Britain and the dissonance between traditional values and the immigrant experience.
10. Bombay Tiger (2008)- Set in the 1980s, the story of Ganguli—mercurial and larger-than-life—who arrives in Bombay with little more than ruthless ambition, and becomes the city's biggest industrialist.

Kamala Markandaya's novels are known for their lyrical prose and deep exploration of social and political issues, particularly the impact of colonialism and modernization on Indian society. Though she spent much of her life in England, her writing retained a strong connection to her Indian roots, making her an important voice in Indian-English literature.

Nectar in a Sieve- Introduction:

The title and epigraph is taken from Coleridge’s line “Work without Hope draws nectar in a sieve, And Hope without an object cannot live" from a famous poem “Work without hope (1825)”. Nectar in a Sieve (1954) tells the story of Rukmani, a poor village woman in rural India, who faces constant hardship in her life. Married off at a young age to a tenant farmer named Nathan, Rukmani and her family struggle against poverty, famine, and the impact of industrialization on their traditional way of life. The arrival of a tannery in their village disrupts their agricultural community, leading to environmental degradation and economic instability.

Despite numerous tragedies—such as losing her children, the death of her husband, and the destruction of her land—Rukmani endures with quiet strength and resilience, finding solace in her deep connection to the land and her belief in perseverance. The novel powerfully portrays the struggles of the rural poor in India while highlighting themes of survival, dignity, and the impact of modernity on traditional ways of life.

Plot summary:

We meet our narrator Rukmani as an elderly woman, looking back over the events of her life. At the very onset Ruku (a nickname for Rukmani) launches into her life-story, describing what it means to be desperate and poverty stricken in rural 20th century India.

Rukmani begins her flashback reflecting on her marriage to Nathan. Ruku was the fourth daughter of a once-important village headman. As their wealth and status dwindled, it was hard to scrape together a dowry (money or possessions a woman would bring to her husband when married) for Ruku. As a result this fourth daughter was married to Nathan, a poor tenant farmer with no land, but a noble man nonetheless with heart of gold. Ruku settles into a simple farming life very happily, as Nathan is kind and loving with her. She learnt the chores her new life requires. Within a year they have a beautiful daughter, Ira, and good rice harvests. During the next six years, Rukmani does not conceive.  The main problem, though, is that she has had only one child (daughter) after six years of marriage.

Ruku desperately wants sons, because giving birth to boys is a point of pride in Indian culture. Troubled that she cannot produce a son for Nathan, Rukmani visits her ill mother and there meets Kenny, a foreign doctor who was helping her dying mother. He treats her infertility and she never mentions it to her husband, Nathan. In quick succession, Rukmani bears five sons. With each birth, however, the family has a little less to eat, as money is tight. When a tannery is built nearby, unpleasant changes come to village life. Rukmani’s two oldest sons eventually go to work there. They help the family a great deal with their wages but are eventually dismissed for being ringleaders in a labor strike.

Big changes arrive with the construction of a tannery, where animal skins are cured. The noisy process disturbs Ruku, as she watches her home transformed from a quiet village to a dirty town. Other big changes come as Ira grows older and turns fourteen, the traditional age of marriage. A friendly member of the village, Old Granny, finds Ira a nice match through the common practice of arranged marriage. Ira’s groom is the sole inheritor of some land, and many members of the village turn out for the joyful but modest celebration.

Ira leaves for her husband’s home, and immediately thereafter, a terrible monsoon strikes. It seems as if the heavens are crying out in agony at the departure of the only daughter. The family faces near-starvation for the first time, but get to eat again when the rains end. Nathan and the sons harvest rice and hunt fish living in the wet fields.

However, it’s not long before disaster strikes again. Ira’s husband delivers Ira back to her parents’ home because she has failed to conceive a child. The family’s thin resources become stretched again, and Ruku’s two eldest sons go to work in the tannery to make extra money. Their decision to seek work outside of the land dashes Nathan’s hopes that his sons will take after him. The tannery jobs are good for a while though, and bring in some much-needed money. As a result the relative financial security the family experiences, they decide to celebrate the Festival of Lights, Deepavali Deepavali. On that joyous night, Ruku conceives her last baby.

Buoyed by the improving situation, Ruku seeks help from Kenny for Ira’s infertility (still keeping these treatments a secret from Nathan). One evening she is caught on a late night visit to Kenny by Kunthi, her old neighbor. In a scramble, Kunthi threatens to reveal what she knows about Ruku’s illicit visits to Kenny, and implies not-so-subtly that Ruku is having an affair. During their brief conversation Ruku realizes that Kunthi has turned to prostitution.

Ruku then makes another visit, this time to Ira’s former husband. Unfortunately, he has already married a new woman and won’t take Ira back (in spite of the recent fertility treatments). Ruku begins to realize that Ira maybe never leave home.

She encounters more grief when her educated sons start a strike at the tannery, petitioning for better wages. Ira is moody, the boys (now out of work because of scabs at the tannery) have grown sullen and distant, and Ruku feels like she no longer knows her children. Eventually, Arjun and Thambi, Ruku’s two eldest sons, answer a call for work at a tea plantation in Ceylon (now known as Sri Lanka). She and Nathan let them go hesitantly, believing that they’ll never see the boys again. Ruku has "lost" another son too, as Kenny has found her third boy, Murugan, work as a servant in a distant city.

More ills befall the family. There’s a drought that season, which means no harvest. They sell off all their goods (but save their seed), hoping to make up half the rent for the land. Rukmani has saved up a little food to get them through, but Kunthi blackmails Rukmani to give up half of what she’s saved. Right after, she realizes the other half of food that remained is gone too. In an emotional exchange, Nathan reveals Kunthi extorted the rest of the rice from him. Kunthi threatened to reveal the fact that two of her sons were fathered by Nathan. Ruku and Nathan forgive each other, the air is clear between them, and yet they still face starvation.

In the meantime, Raja, Ruku’s fourth son, is killed at the tannery. His body is brought home. Soon after, tannery men visit to explain the death. Apparently, Raja was trying to steal a calfskin and was so weak from hunger, that he fell dead when they beat him in punishment. They insist the tannery has no responsibility. Things only worsen for Ruku and her family as they continue face starvation. The youngest child, Kuti, is taking it particularly hard. He’s weak and whimpering, but suddenly seems to start to get better.

One night, Ruku has a fight with a woman who is sneaking into their house late at night, thinking it’s Kunthi. It turns out to be Ira, who has turned to prostitution to bring money in to feed Kuti. Ruku doesn’t understand Ira’s decision, but she can’t stop her daughter, and besides, Kuti needs the food. In spite of the fact that the family does everything they can to feed the young boy, Kuti dies. In an ironic turn of events, the family has a rich harvest immediately after Kuti’s death.

Selvam, Ruku’s last remaining son, decides to leave the land and instead become Kenny’s assistant at the hospital. (By the way, did we mention that Kenny is building a hospital with funding from India and abroad?). Ruku accepts this piece of news, and then turns her attention to Ira, who is now pregnant with the child of one of her clients.

In another blow, the family’s embarrassment is augmented when they learn that Ira’s baby has a rare skin pigment disease known as albinism. Though the village is curious, Selvam chides everybody for being foolish: a baby is a baby and deserves love and attention. Eventually, everyone learns to accept the baby in spite of the fact that he looks different.

The family, as usual, is cobbling a life together, when the worst news of all comes. Sivaji, the man who collects dues for the landowner, arrives to announce to Nathan that the land he (Nathan) has rented for thirty years has been bought by the tannery. The family must leave their home in two weeks.

Nathan and Ruku are distraught and shocked. Nathan is too old to work on the land, and he can’t imagine setting up a new place. The whole family must make new plans. Nathan and Ruku will have to move in with Murugan, their son in the city whom they haven’t heard from in years. Ira and her baby, Sacrabani, will stay behind and live with Selvam.

Ruku and Nathan make the long journey to the unnamed city, only to discover that their son Murugan has deserted his wife and is nowhere to be found. Murugan’s wife has turned the prostitution, so their first meeting with her is somewhat less than joyful. Simply put, there’s no way she’ll be able to keep them. The old couple is basically out on their own: all their goods and their money were stolen earlier on the journey, and they have nowhere to stay.

They end up taking refuge in a temple where the city’s destitute are fed dinner and given shelter. All they can think of is returning home. Ruku decides to make a little money by setting up as a letter-writer and reader in the market. Business isn’t great, but every little bit helps.

Things take a turn for the better when Puli, a street orphan whom Ruku and Nathan met on the way to find Murugan’s house, shows up again in their life. Puli is fiercely independent, but he has leprosy, a serious illness that has taken his fingers. He unofficially adopts Nathan and Ruku, and he comes up with the plan of working at a stone quarry, gathering rocks for pay. With this job, Ruku, Nathan, and Puli establish something of a family routine, and begin saving up money to return to their village.

Just as they begin to have enough money, Nathan becomes ill. In spite of his illness, Nathan insists on working at the quarry. One day as Ruku is following behind him home, she finds he has collapsed into a ditch in convulsions. Helpful onlookers carry Nathan back to the temple, and Ruku holds him in her arms through the night, ministering to him as he dies.

Ruku and Puli return to the village, where Selvam, Ira, and Sacrabani greet them. Ira immediately warmly welcomes Puli, while Selvam and Ruku walk a little behind them, addressing the conspicuous absence of Nathan. Selvam assures his mother they will find some way to manage.

Themes:

1. Poverty and Survival: Poverty is a central theme in the novel. Rukmani and her family live in constant struggle to survive due to poor harvests, rising rents, and the impact of industrialization. Their basic needs—food, shelter, and clothing—are difficult to meet, and the story reveals how people endure extreme hardship with resilience and perseverance.

2. Tradition vs. Modernity: The novel explores the tension between traditional rural life and the forces of modernization. The arrival of the tannery in Rukmani's village symbolizes industrial progress, but it also brings negative consequences—pollution, disruption of farming, and social changes. The clash between traditional values and the economic changes brought by industrialization is a recurring issue.

3. Impact of Colonialism: Though not explicitly about British colonial rule, the novel addresses the aftereffects of colonialism on rural India. The tannery, representative of foreign influence and capitalist development, disrupts the local economy and way of life. The exploitation of land and labor echoes the broader history of colonial exploitation.

4. Gender Roles and Women's Resilience: Rukmani, the novel's protagonist, reflects the traditional role of women in rural India, where women are expected to care for the household and endure the hardships that come their way. Yet, Rukmani’s resilience in the face of adversity highlights the strength and quiet determination of women, who bear the burden of poverty and loss.

5. Nature and the Land: The land plays a symbolic role in Nectar in a Sieve, representing both sustenance and vulnerability. For Rukmani and Nathan, farming is their means of survival, and their connection to the land is profound. However, they are at the mercy of nature—droughts, floods, and poor harvests—which show their dependence on the environment and their powerlessness against its forces.

6. Hope and Despair: The novel balances moments of hope with deep despair. Despite the many tragedies that Rukmani faces—loss of children, starvation, the death of her husband—she continues to persevere, driven by a belief that things will improve. The title Nectar in a Sieve refers to the idea of hope slipping away like nectar through a sieve, but it also reflects Rukmani’s determination to find meaning in her suffering.

7. Family and Community: Family is at the heart of Rukmani’s life, and her love for her children and husband drives much of her actions. The novel highlights the importance of family bonds in surviving hardship. Additionally, the sense of community in the village is crucial; neighbors help each other in times of need, showing the interdependence of rural society.

 Characters:

1. Rukmani: The protagonist and narrator of the novel, Rukmani is a resilient and compassionate woman who faces numerous hardships throughout her life. She marries a poor tenant farmer, Nathan, and together they struggle to provide for their family. Rukmani's strength lies in her quiet perseverance and her deep connection to the land. She is a symbol of endurance in the face of poverty, loss, and change.

2. Nathan: Rukmani’s husband, Nathan, is a hardworking tenant farmer who toils on the land to provide for his family. Nathan is dedicated to his work and family, but like Rukmani, he is at the mercy of nature and external forces such as industrialization. Despite his efforts, he cannot protect his family from the harsh realities of life, and his death is a poignant moment in the novel.

3. Irawaddy (Ira): Rukmani and Nathan’s eldest daughter, Ira, is initially married off but returns home after her husband rejects her due to her infertility. Ira’s life is marked by hardship, and out of desperation, she turns to prostitution to support her starving family. However, despite her tragic circumstances, she gives birth to an albino son, whom she loves deeply, symbolizing her capacity for love and survival.

4. Arjun: Arjun is Rukmani and Nathan’s eldest son. He becomes a laborer at the tannery, symbolizing the younger generation's shift away from traditional farming to industrial work. Eventually, he and his brother Thambi leave the village to work on a tea plantation, representing the increasing migration of rural people in search of better opportunities.

5. Thambi: The second son of Rukmani and Nathan, Thambi is also employed at the tannery. Like his brother Arjun, Thambi is frustrated by the hardships of farming and the limited opportunities in the village, so he seeks work elsewhere. His departure from the village reflects the disintegration of traditional rural life.

6. Selvam: Rukmani’s youngest son, Selvam, is intelligent and hardworking. Unlike his older brothers, he does not go to work at the tannery but instead becomes an apprentice to Dr. Kenny, a Western doctor. Selvam represents a bridge between tradition and modernity, as he chooses to stay with his family but seeks advancement through education and modern medicine.

7. Kuti: Kuti is the youngest of Rukmani and Nathan's children. He suffers from extreme poverty and malnutrition, eventually dying of starvation. His death is one of the most tragic moments in the novel, highlighting the vulnerability of children and the cruelty of poverty.

8. Murugan: Another of Rukmani’s sons, Murugan leaves the village to work as a servant in the city. His fate takes a negative turn when he abandons his wife and children, leaving them destitute. Murugan’s abandonment highlights the dangers and moral challenges faced by those who leave their rural roots behind in search of better prospects.

9. Kenny (Dr. Kenneth): Dr. Kenny is a Western doctor who provides medical care to Rukmani and the village. He is compassionate and deeply disturbed by the poverty he sees in India. He helps Selvam by taking him on as an apprentice. Although he cares for the villagers, there is a distance between Kenny and the people he serves, as his perspective is shaped by his Western values. He represents the intersection of colonial influence and modernization.

10. Kunthi: Kunthi is one of Rukmani’s neighbors and a significant antagonist in the novel. Although she initially appears friendly, she later blackmails Nathan and reveals that she had an affair with him, casting a shadow over Rukmani’s trust in her husband. Kunthi’s character represents selfishness, manipulation, and betrayal in contrast to Rukmani’s selflessness and loyalty.

11. Old Granny: Old Granny is a village vendor who serves as a matchmaker for Ira’s marriage. She is a kind but poor woman who ultimately dies from starvation. Her fate underscores the pervasive suffering caused by poverty in the novel.

12. Puli: Puli is a young boy Rukmani and Nathan meet when they go to the city to find their son Murugan. Puli is a streetwise, homeless boy with deformed hands due to leprosy, but he helps Rukmani and Nathan survive in the city. His character symbolizes the harsh life of the urban poor but also the resilience and resourcefulness of those living in extreme poverty.

Quotes:

1. "A woman can walk through fire and not be burned."

• Significance: This quote reflects Rukmani’s resilience and inner strength. Throughout the novel, she endures unimaginable hardships—poverty, loss, famine—yet remains steadfast in her determination to survive. It symbolizes the strength of women in the face of adversity and is a key theme in the novel.

2. "Hope and fear, twin forces that tugged at us first in one direction and then in another."

• Significance: This quote encapsulates the emotional and psychological turmoil that Rukmani and her family experience throughout the novel. They constantly oscillate between hope for a better future and fear of the unknown, whether it be drought, hunger, or death. It reflects the novel's central theme of survival and the tension between optimism and despair.

3. "It is a pity that there is no hunger in your belly, for hunger is frailty. But it is your frailty, and yours alone, that will make you strong."

• Significance: This quote, spoken by Rukmani, reveals the deep connection between human suffering and strength. It shows the paradoxical idea that enduring hardship can make a person stronger, a lesson that Rukmani learns through her struggles. It highlights the theme of resilience in the face of relentless hardship.

4. "Strange, how fear keeps you alert, driving you, and how, at the same time, it numbs your senses."

• Significance: This quote illustrates the dual effect of fear on human beings—it can both motivate and paralyze. Rukmani's life is filled with fear for her family’s survival, and this quote captures the psychological complexity of living in constant uncertainty.

5. "The choice lay with me. I could do what I was told, or I could rebel; but either course would have its consequences."

• Significance: This reflects Rukmani’s understanding of personal agency and the difficult choices she must make. Despite being poor and seemingly powerless, Rukmani realizes that her actions—whether in submission or resistance—have repercussions. The quote highlights the theme of individual choice amidst overwhelming circumstances.

6. "We are like children in the hands of our gods, and they may spare us or punish us, according to their will."

• Significance: This quote touches on the theme of fate and the role of faith in Rukmani's life. Rukmani, like many of the villagers, believes in the power of the gods to shape their lives. The quote reflects a fatalistic outlook on life, where people are subject to forces beyond their control, whether divine or natural.

7. "It is better to bend than to break."

• Significance: This saying, shared by Nathan to Rukmani, captures a central message of the novel: the importance of adaptability in the face of hardship. Rather than fighting against inevitable changes, Rukmani and her family try to adjust and endure. This reflects the novel’s themes of survival and resilience.

8. "What is more terrible, the destruction of beauty or the mutilation of the spirit?"

• Significance: This profound quote raises a question about the impact of suffering—whether it is the physical destruction of one's environment and livelihood (beauty) or the emotional and psychological damage (the spirit) that is harder to endure. The novel presents both as equally devastating.

9. "They say that it is the weak who are cruel, and that gentleness is to be expected only from the strong."

• Significance: This quote highlights the idea that true strength lies in kindness and compassion. Despite their suffering, characters like Rukmani and Nathan show kindness to others, whereas those in power or with selfish motives, like the tannery owners or Kunthi, are often depicted as cruel.

10. "There is no going back. Bend like the grass, that you do not break."

• Significance: This echoes the theme of survival and adaptability in the face of inevitable change. It conveys the message that to survive, one must be flexible and resilient. Rukmani and Nathan’s ability to endure hardship by "bending" to the challenges they face, rather than resisting them, is key to their survival.