Rohinton Mistry - A Fine Balance

"Sometimes you have to use your failures as stepping-stones to success. You have to maintain a fine balance between hope and despair. In the end, it's all a question of balance."

Uttered very nonchalantly by Vasantrao Valmik, a lawyer turned proofreader turned political-speechwriter turned lawyer turned astrologer, the above words summarize the central theme of the many varied characters that take shape in Rohinton Mistry's 'A Fine Balance'. Revolving around the lives of 4 very different characters whose fate brings them together in a small apartment in A-City-by-the-Sea during the period of India's national emergency; 'A Fine Balance' is a monumental saga of struggle and survival, of hope and despair, of small successes and mighty failures, and an ode to life. It has been one of my most fulfilling experiences between the pages of a book.

So what is it about?

It is about Maneck Kolah, the young refrigeration and air-conditioning student who unwillingly leaves his small town in the mountains to study in the big city. His small town is shaken from its roots by big establishments and multinationals threatening to take it over and his father is unwilling to use hard-sell tactics to save their small soft-drink business. Its about his life in the big city, his horror faced being ragged by his seniors, his decision to move out the hostel, and ending up as a paying guest in a small apartment.

It?s about Ishvar Darji, who is calm, compassionate, patient and responsible, and comes from a low-caste family of cobblers. His father having suffered generations of upper-caste oppression, decides to send his sons to learn another trade, namely tailoring. While Ishvar stays back in the city, his brother Narayan comes back to the village to give back to the the society he grew up in. With fate striking a horrible blow, and Ishvar's job in the city threatened by the readymade garment industry, Ishvar is forced to take a tailoring job in a small apartment in the-city-by-the-sea.

It?s about Om Darji, young, hot-headed, reckless and playful, nephew of Ishvar Darji and son of Narayan. With his family destroyed by the evil Thakur due his father Narayan's desire to cast his vote, Om is forced to leave the village, and live with his uncle Ishvar for the rest of his life. Immature, wild and bashful, he is always looking to make a quick buck and get back to the village where he grew up.

And it?s about Dina Dalal, the struggling Parsi widow, who rents out her flat to Maneck, and hires Ishvar and Om for her business. Losing her father at a young age and suffering under the strict rule of her elder brother, she breaks all family traditions to marry a person she loves, only to be widowed at a young age. Having none of the skills to make a decent earning in the city, and too much of self-respect to live with her well-off brother, she fights a never-ending battle of survival in the city.

Four very unlikely characters try to shape their lives and their futures, and struggle for survival in the big city. The book follows their story as their apprehension, fear and distrust of each other turns into friendship, respect, admiration and love, and ultimately an ever-lasting bond of humanity between them.

Set against the backdrop of India's period of National Emergency declared by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, Mistry details how the emergency and the brutal tactics employed by the government affected the life of the poor and helpless citizens, especially Om and Ishvar. Dina and Maneck are also not spared, and their small lives are also affected in one way or another. Ultimately, the Emergency was not a different period for them, everyone was absorbed in their own struggles and the chaos of that period was just another hurdle for their daily sustenance.

Numerous hard-working, oppressed, interesting or wild characters adorn the book. The aforementioned Valmik. Dina's friends Zenobia and Mrs. Gupta who runs the export business. Her brother Nusswan, his wife and her kids. The battered rent-collector Ibrahim. Maneck's political activist friend Avinash. But the most interesting characters are friends of Om and Ishvar. The Monkey-Man, the hair-collector Rajaram, their tailoring-teacher Ashraf, the cripple beggar Shankar, and Shanti who remained Om's obsession.

As they go through a year of happiness and joy while sharing the apartment, the book also details the transformation in their lives. Om is transformed from a brash youngster to a more sincere and responsible person. Maneck's dislike in his studies grows, and he wishes to be a part of the tailoring business and maybe start a business of his own. He also begins to like and appreciate the company of the poor tailors. Ishvar begins to appreciate the benefits of regular pay, and dreams of getting a wife for Om. But the most poignant story is that of Dina, after her isolated existence and her terrible past, she opens out to these unlikely characters, engulfing them in her almost motherly warmth and love, and finding a family amongst strangers.

And as things change, they again cross the line between hope and despair, and life comes around a full circle and engulfs them in its wake.

Rohinton Mistry weaves a fantastic story about India and her peoples. Developing his characters with the minutest detail, he delves deep into the hearts of the common man and his struggle for existence. The relationships between the characters are intimately expressed, and succeed in transporting us into the time that was 1975, as we laugh and cry, celebrate and mourn, and hope and despair along with them. It?s the quintessential Indian Novel.

After years when the four central characters meet again, I could not but think of these lines from Lord Byron, so mellow was their relationship:
In secret we met
In silence I grieve
That thy heart could forget,
Thy spirit deceive.
If I should meet thee
After long years,
How should I greet thee?
With silence and tears.