There was a time when writers would escape to the hills, spending their days with trees, streams, and wildlife, seeking inspiration for their art. This romantic notion of the hills is amply felt in literary works born from such circumstances, which in turn, compel the reader to believe that the mountains are sites of pristine beauty and undisturbed peace. Writings across genres – poetry, travelogue, fiction – unanimously agree that there are few things as majestic as a mountain. These literatures have made their impact felt on movies, photography, music, and most strongly, on travel. The hills are the default getaway during the cruel summer in the plains, motorbiking in the treacherous mountains is a niche travelling style of its own, and if these weren’t invasive enough, it is now an aspiration to own houses in the hills, which are increasingly being constructed without any regard for its delicate ecology.

Deep into the hills

Bela Negi’s debut work of fiction, The Tree with Eyes and Other Stories, understands this plight very well. Negi, who lives in Nainital, has a front-row view of the reckless damage that the Himalayas have been subjected to under the guise of development and tourism. But she takes the reader deeper into the hills, away from the more popular destinations of Nainital or Ranikhet, to illustrate that the most lasting, serious damage has been done to the landscape that usually escapes the tourist’s eyes. The tiny hamlets and deep jungles of the Himalayas are being ravaged for their natural wealth – mines, quarries, and felled trees have become a regular sight, no longer drawing a word of protest or condemnation from the residents. The younger generations do not know the glory of the mountains and the older generations either watch on helplessly or violate the land for petty money. Almost always, nature retaliates.

The nine stories in the collection are slice-of-life for the reader in the hills, but for the urban reader it is eco horror. The collection begins with the eponymous story. A young woman, like many others in her village, is married to a man in the Indian Army. He leaves soon after the wedding, while she stays back with her in-laws, fighting demons of sexual desire. This is village lore about a “tree with eyes” will feel more and more real as the days pass.

“Gangrene” is a quietly terrifying story about a man’s wound getting infected when he hurts himself working in a quarry. Poverty and ignorance cause as much grief as does the haunted quarry itself, carved out of the remains of a once-verdant land. The story, with all the elements of horror, reminds us once again that retribution will be swift and painful if one messes with natural order. Another story that unfolds in a similar vein is “Where the Road Ends”. Moderation cannot compete with greed; the old way cannot keep up with the new. The desperation for the latter becomes vulgar, especially with the knowledge that it comes at the cost of total ecological destruction.

The life of a mountain

The stories “Crazy Love” and “Amma’s Keys” fit the slice-of-life description. They veer away from the larger issues of mountain living and focus on the small dramas of families. Lost loves and spirited escapes make the stories just as endearing as their counterparts.

“The Man Who Refused to Die” is a nerve-wracking story of superstition and associated fears. A mother’s resolve to protect her baby is bound to strike a chord with every reader.

Unchecked tourism in the hills is a problem but what about outsiders who have settled on lands that have belonged to the locals for generations? The lands might have changed hands but belonging is a tougher sentiment to make sense of. “The Monkey Chaser” brings a superb perspective on this dilemma. An unemployed young man seeks employment at an orchard that once belonged to his family and is now owned by a city-bred woman. The questions of proprietorship arise once again, the land and its first owners caught in an impossible tussle between commerce and primordial ties.

The final story, “Hishalu”, is a tongue-in-cheek account of a widower remarrying, after declaring to the world that he’d never subject his three young daughters to the terror that is a stepmother.

Negi’s wonderfully accomplished short story collection gives a complete, if at times extremely worrying, picture of the lives of those whom we’ve forgotten in the race for industrialisation and “world-class” tourism in the hills. The mindless destruction of nature, the disappearance of flora and fauna, and the callous violation of land sound a warning bell – the mountain is alive and its death will cost us all.

The Tree With Eyes and Other Stories, Bela Negi, Westland.

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