In Chapter 7 of Nectar in a Sieve, Rukmani describes nature as “a wild animal that you have trained to work for you.”
Nectar in a Sieve is a 1954 novel written by Kamala Markandaya. The book is set in India during a period of intense urban development and tells the story of the marriage between Rukmani, youngest daughter of a village headman, and Nathan, a tenant farmer. The point of view of the narrator is the first person by Rukmani, beginning from her arranged marriage to Nathan at the age of 12 to his death many years later.