Nectar in a Sieve

Chapter 19 focuses on The Clash Between Tradition and Progress, which Kenny’s presence represents. Kenny’s vision for the hospital is to minimize unnecessary suffering—he sees problems and wants to present solutions that signify progress. Rukmani, however, sees progress as a hindrance in many ways. She wonders what will become of her people’s spirit, reflecting that “[w]e would be pitiable creatures indeed to be so weak, for is not a man’s spirit given to him to rise above his misfortunes” (111). Rukmani’s and Kenny’s interactions demonstrate the author’s belief that tradition and progress want to achieve the same goal: sustaining people’s lives. They have different approaches to attaining that goal, creating conflicts within and between characters. However, Markandaya does not assert that tradition and progress cannot coexist, as there are many interactions between Kenny and Rukmani in which they get along well. At one point, they imagine romantic feelings for each other, symbolizing a potential world where progress and tradition work hand-in-hand rather than in opposition to each other. However, when Rukmani tries to discuss it, Kenny dismisses her, saying, “I do not understand you. I never will. Go before I too am entangled in your philosophies” (112). By ending the conversation like this, the author implies that progress and tradition aren’t yet ready to coexist in the way Rukmani dreams they can.

Chapter 21 continues to demonstrate the challenges of progress. The hospital’s construction does not go smoothly, often leaving Kenny and Selvam in “the deserted site in exasperation, dark as thunder, unapproachable” (122). Markandaya portrays progress as impatient and unapproving of delays. Though many factors are out of the builders’ control, such as wood catching on fire, Kenny and Selvam alternate between joy and despair—joy when the hospital’s construction moves smoothly and despair when unforeseen circumstances prevent construction work. When construction finally finishes, it becomes clear that Kenny has not thought through the next steps of his project. Rukmani asks how he will pay his many employees, and Kenny responds, “he would [...] find ways and means” (123). This reflects paternalistic attitudes toward colonial subjects, in which some well-meaning colonizers believed it was the “white man’s burden” to improve the lives of the colonized, regardless of whether they were capable of doing so. Through Kenny, Markandaya posits that agents of progress may not consider how they plan to move forward—they focus on the destination rather than the details. This contrasts with the concept of tradition, which is steady, consistent, and not necessarily centered on an ultimate goal. The attitude of those in favor of modernization is something the author discourages, and this calls back to exposing the novel’s end before the events begin. Despite Kenny’s best intentions, Rukmani’s life will not improve.

The final chapter of Part 1 further exposes the dangerous implications of Poverty and Surviving in a Changing World. Sivaji officially evicts the family from their land, something they always knew was a possibility because they “live by our labors from one harvest to the next [...] and if the bad times are prolonged we know we must see the weak surrender their lives and this fact, too, is within our experience” (132). This emphasizes the precarity of working-class individuals under the British Raj’s exploitation; they work to pay the taxes levied on them, but at the end of the day, they are evicted anyway. The foreshadowing of Kuti’s death is fulfilled, and Nathan and Rukmani lose their home and their dreams for stability, peace, and happiness. Now, they must travel away from what they know and find a way to survive, something that higher-class followers of modernization are not forced to do.