A fine balance, Rohinton Mistry’s most popular work till date, is set in an unnamed Indian city in 1975...with the hugely unpopular ’State of Internal Emergency’ being the order of the day. It focuses on 4 different individuals :
Dina Dalal - a parsi widower who believes in independence but who later realises that she needs ’others’ to survive; a brave woman who lives on her own in a tiny apartment after her husband’s untimely death; a sister who rebels against her autocratic, status conscious brother Nusswan, a woman bittered by her experiences, a host for a young ’parsi’ boarder and two ’hindu’ tailors in her tiny flat;
Ishvar Darji - an extremely likeable old man, born in the ’chamar’ community...but trained to be a tailor by a ’muslim’ friend, a man who knows the evils of being a low caste rebel, a honest worker...whose only obsession is to see his orphaned nephew married, a great pacifier;
Omprakash - the orphaned nephew and a tailor, an adolescent ready to avenge the scars in his life, youthfully arrogant and cunning yet obedient towards his uncle;
Maneck Kohlah - the ’parsi’ boarder, a shy but warm character, knows how beautiful life could be...and yet defines himself through bitterness, an eternal pessimist who keeps saying that ’everything ends badly’
Circumstances and necessity intertwine the lives of these characters (when Emergency reaches its ugly peak...threatening to question the dignity of an individual). Despite the varied background that each character hails from, the four develop into a family sharing their work, food, fears, stories and instabilities...maintaining ’a fine balance’ between hope and despair through their day to day activities.This short yet sweet association amongst the four is however broken through unexpected events : horrific would be a mild word to describe them. The book ends sadly, but not before emphasizing the quintessential human spirit. It might depress....but it won’t break your heart.
The novel is touching....one just can’t help but feel for the characters! Each emotion is laid out before the reader in itz absolute grandeur deepening understanding. The periphercal characters are also pretty impressive - ranging from the benevolent beggarmaster to the philosophical Vasantrao Valmik with curious characters like Rajaram, the hair collector and Nusswan Dalal, the angry brother.
The book raises a few issues too - minority discrimination, oppressive totalitarian rule to the extent of mass sterilisation against unwilling citizens, communal disharmony during partition, oppression of women, poverty ...and Mistry does not hesitate to put everything in the right perspective.
There are many other reasons why this novel is so good...elevating it to the level of unforgettable literature. First of all the simple language...straight forward, refreshing and without word-acrobatics. A book is also gauged by the messages the author conveys...subtly but surely.... a set of sentences that illuminate the mind and the heart long after the book has been replaced on the shelf. This book has many...
’It’s extremely important [ to narrate one’s own story] because it helps to remind yourself of who you are. Then you can go forward, without fear of losing yourself in this ever-changing world.’;
’If not for us[beggars], how would people get rid of their sins.’; and many more...
This book must be read and re - read, thought about and discussed. It is a nothing short of a grand symphony of words, feelings, hope, despair, benevolence and cruelty.