Clear Light of Day (Novel)
Clear Light of Day
is one of Anita Desai’s most
outstanding novels and may be regarded as one of the masterpiece in the field
of Indo-Anglican fiction. The novel indicates the realistic pictures of family
life. Ani ta Desai was born in 1937
of a German mother and a Bengali father. Clear
Light of Day tells the story of a Hindu family living in a rented house in
old Delhi. The house belongs to a rich Muslim landlord, whose name is Hyder Ali , Mr. and Mrs. Das live in this house with their four
children --- Raja, Bim, Tara and Baba. Raja, Bim, Tara and Baba in this novel are the victims of an unpleasant,
meaningless, hopeless, melancholy atmosphere of childhood. They spend their
childhood in a home, which smells of disease and decay. The parents are busy
with their own affairs, and do not make an effort themselves about the needs of
their children. The kind of unhappy situation creates fear, insecurity,
distrust and anxiety as the children grow up. Mr. Das sent his son Raja
in Hindu College to study. Raja is
fond of Urdu poetry, which is encouraged by Hyder Ali who has allowed a free access to Raja to his large collection of Urdu books.
Some critics say that Anita
Desai in this novel gives a new dimension to the problem of the collapse of
human ties by bringing into focus the part played by time. After the death of Mr. and Mrs. Das, Raja and Tara follow the
bent of their minds and go to their separate destinations, so that Bim is left alone in the old house to
look after the mentally disabled Baba.
It is during Raja’s illness that Hyder
Ali leaves Delhi secretly with his family and goes to Hyderabad where his
mother owns a house. However, Raja
soon receives a letter from Hyder Ali himself, informing him that he and his
family are safe and well settled in Hyderabad. After recovering from his
illness, Raja decides to go to
Hyderabad at the invitation of Hyder Ali
who has written to him to join him there, and who has also promised to get him
suitable employment in that city.
Raja leaves for
Hyderabad so that Bim is left all
alone in the old house to look after the mentally disabled Baba. Bim’s younger
sister Tara had got married to a young man in the Indian Foreign Service, and had
already left for Sri Lanka where her husband Bakul got his first posting. In course of time Raja gets married to Benazir inherit all his property including the
old house in Old Delhi in which the Das family (including Raja himself) had
been tenants, and in which Bim and Baba still live as tenants. At this
point Raja writes a letter to Bim from Hyderabad, informing her that Benazir and he have decided not to
raise the rent of their house in Old Delhi but to allow Bim and Baba to continue
living in that house as tenants on the same rent which Das family had
originally been paying to Hyder Ali.
This letter has almost a devastating effect on Bim. Actually Raja has begun to regard himself as a big landlord, and has now
written a patronizing letter to her. Bim
had once been very close to Raja,
had shared his interest in English poetry, and had been his playmate as well.
But now she feels completely separated from him on account of the shameful
letter, which he has written to her. Bim
is now a lecturer in history in a women’s college in Old Delhi. Raja is now
the father of five daughters and a son. Tara
and Bakul have now two grown-up daughters. Bim, who had rejected the proposal of
marriage from a physician by the name of Biswas,
remains unmarried and is, in fact, a confirmed bachelor. Baba is totally disabled. He spends most of his time playing a
gramophone and listening to some old English records. He is unable to express
his own thoughts and feelings.
Tara and Bakul arrive in India from the USA.
They stay with Bim and Baba. They also decide to go to
Hyderabad to attend the wedding of Raja’s
eldest daughter, Moyna, to which they
have been invited. Bim and Baba are also invited. Bim has decided not to go to Hyderabad
to attend the wedding because she is still annoyed at the behavior of Raja. She cannot forget her past
grievance. In fact, Bim now shows
that offensive letter to Tara to justify
her bitterness against Raja. Tara
tries to console Bim but Bim remains unchanged in her attitude towards
Raja. Bim alone has to look after Baba,
that she alone has to attend to the insurance business which her late father
left.
Memories of the past crowd in upon her mind; and she recalls
all the love she had felt for Raja,
for Tara, for aunt Mira, and for everybody else who had at
any time lived in this house. Gradually Bim
is consoled by Tara and Bakul. Bim’s bitter mind towards Raja
becomes soft. She decides to forgive Raja. She has forgiven Raja even though he had written to her
an unforgivable letter. She sees as well as by the clear light of the day that
she feels only love and desire for them all. Tara has got ready to leave for Hyderabad
with her husband and with her two daughters who have come from Washington.
Bim gives Tara a message for Raja.
Tara is to tell Raja because they are not used to travelling. Tara is to tell Raja further that Bim wants him to come to Delhi to meet her and Baba, and also to settle certain
business matters with Mr. Sharma
(The junior partner in the insurance business which Mr. Das had left behind him.) Yet Bim would also like Raja to
attend to Hyder Ali’s house and to
carry out certain repairs in it. The final message is as follows,’ Tell him, I
am waiting for him. I want him to come. I want to see him. This is a message of
reconciliation and love. This message would bring tears into the eyes of all
sentimental readers, and into the eyes of all brothers and sisters who have any
brotherly and sisterly feelings in their hearts. The novel ends with a
function, which is held at the house of the Misra family who has long been neighbors of the Das family. At this
function and aged singer sings Bim’s
mind the following line from T.S. Eliot
“Time the destroyer is time the preserver”. Bim feels deeply moved by this song, which softens her still more
towards her brothers and sister.
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