A Fine Balance Summary

Introduction

A Fine Balance is the second novel by Rohinton Mistry, released by McClelland and Stewart in 1995. The book or novel focuses on the four main characters from different cultural backgrounds - Maneck Kohlah is a young college student from a remote village; Dina Dalal, a widow struggling to make a living while maintaining her independence; Ishvar Darji and his nephew Omprakash Darji, two tailors flee from their village in search of work. They all come together and develop a bond.

The novel earned the 1995 Giller Prize. It was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1996. It was one of just two Canadian books chosen for the Book Club, and it was also one of the titles featured in Megan Follows' 2002 Canada Reads initiative. The Telegraph named A Fine Balance as one of the top ten Asian books of all time in 2014.

The novel consists of 25 chapters, and each chapter is numbered and contributes to the overall narrative of the novel.

Biography

Author- Rohinton Mistry

Rohinton Mistry is an Indian-Canadian author born on July 3, 1952, in Mumbai, India. He is known for his strong and highly praised novels exploring family, identity, social challenges, and the human condition.

Mistry spent his formative years in Mumbai and later came to Canada in 1975, where he lived in Toronto. He primarily worked in a bank while following his passion for writing. Mistry's strong connection to his Indian ancestors deeply influenced his work.

His first work, "Such a Long Journey," was released in 1991 and gained significant acclaim. It earned the Governor General's Award for Fiction in Canada and established Mistry as a famous literary voice. His second work, "A Fine Balance," released in 1995, further strengthens his reputation and received international recognition. It was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and won the Giller Prize.

Mistry's writings have been hailed for their excellent storytelling, vivid descriptions of characters, and thought-provoking issues. He is noted for his rigorous attention to detail and his ability to portray the spirit of Indian culture and civilization. His writing demonstrates a genuine empathy for the trials and accomplishments of individuals, frequently in the setting of more significant societal concerns.

Summary of a Fine Balance

Dina Dalal, a widowed woman struggling to make ends meet, hires Ishvar and Omprakash as tailors in her little apartment, where she takes on piecework to live by her small sewing business. She doesn't want to return to living with her brother, Nusswan Shroff, who treats her like an unpaid servant, thus she wants to maintain her financial independence. Meanwhile, the landlord seeks an excuse to remove her and hire a higher-paying tenant.

A college student, Maneck Kohlah, has moved to the city to enroll in the city university's certificate program in refrigeration and air conditioning. He wants to return home since he is upset with the messy student housing. Instead, his parents from Dina arranged a room for him, who turns out to be Maneck's mother's school friend. Maneck thinks Dina's flat is better than the dorms, despite the fact that it is messy. He runs across two tailors, Ishvar Darji and his nephew Omprakash (Om) Darji, who are also travelling to Dina's flat to look for sewing employment. Ishvar and Om are happy to work with Dina and look forward to a new beginning in the big city.

The "untouchable" caste includes the Darjis. They were able to leave their small town, where the upper castes abused the lower castes, and where Thakur Dharamsi, a local landowner, killed the rest of the Darji family because Ishvar's brother exceeded his limit.

Since Maneck and Om are both 17, they become close friends. Dina behaves like their mother, while Ishvar behaves like their father. Despite difficulties and struggles, the four create a family relationship. Amid political instability, utter poverty, filthy slums, and governmental corruption in 1975 India, the flat became a shelter for all four of them.

Maneck is highly influenced by the shocking conditions in which people reside in the city. He easily gets carried away and frustrated despite his friend Vasantrao Valmik's suggestion that he must try to create an equilibrium between hope and despair. Maneck refuses to grow forward psychologically. He chooses to linger on his lost, happy youth and opposes the changes that life throws at him.

Dina is concerned about her financial situation and meeting her weekly Au Revoir Exports quota. She's regularly harassed by the landlord and threatened about having a business in her flat. However, Dina chooses not to acknowledge the threats and confidently states that Om and Maneck are her boys and Ishvar is her husband, temporarily holding the confused rent collector at bay.

The four people in Dina's flat thrive despite the risks encircling them. Dina makes a quilt from scraps gathered over the year together. Some memories from their shared past can be found in each tile. When they must separate?Ishvar takes Om back to their village to find him a future wife, while Maneck must go home until school resumes?this familial bond is temporarily strained. Dina misses her flatmates when they are gone and longs for their prompt return.

After returning to the village, Ishvar and Om confront several challenges?Thakur plans to seek revenge for the disrespect. Because Thakur supervises the government's voluntary sterilization scheme, he makes orders for persons to be gathered up at random for the operation. Ishvar experiences blood poisoning after his procedure and requires the removal of both of his legs when he and Om are apprehended, and Thakur arranges for Om to be castrated rather than undergo a vasectomy.

Maneck takes a job in Dubai without being aware of his friend's situation, and he doesn't come home again until his father is buried in 1984. Maneck struggled in the years that followed to discover his purpose in life. When he returns to India, he discovers that nothing has improved during his absence.

Maneck plans to see Dina and the tailor to hear happy news. Rather, he discovers Dina living as a resident in her brother's house. She is almost blind and appears old and beaten. She tells Maneck that the tailors are now beggars. Maneck meets Ishvar and Om on the street after leaving Dina, but he is troubled by their damaged look.

Maneck is waiting for a train to take him back home and thinks about the pain and all the losses his friends have endured. He mourns the death of his own loving family as well. Maneck kills himself by jumping in front of an approaching express train since he has no reason to live.

Dina brings the tailors inside for lunch as usual while the rest of the family is gone, not suspecting that Maneck has committed suicide. All four of them used to joke with each other and relive the old days. When the tailors leave, Dina remarks that they still continue to make her laugh each day, just like Maneck once did.

Main Characters

1. Dina Dalal

• Dina is a determined and independent lady who becomes a widow at an early age and tries to make a living.
• She takes up the challenging task of tailoring to support herself, despite societal pressures and expectations.
• Dina's persona exemplifies the resilience and determination of women in the face of adversity and patriarchal traditions. Dina's narrative is about survival, sacrifice, and the search for dignity in a harsh and brutal world.

2. Maneck Kohlah

• Maneck is a young Parsi student who travels to Bombay to pursue college.
• He comes from a tiny village in the highlands and finds it difficult to adapt to the hectic city life.
• Maneck's persona depicts the hardships and conflicts faced by ordinary people in a continuously changing and complex society.

3. Ishwar Darji

• Ishwar is a competent tailor and a member of the lower caste who experiences prejudice and discrimination due to his low social rank.
• Along with his nephew Omprakash, he travels to Bombay in pursuit of better chances and flees the restrictive rural life.
• Ishwar's persona represents the perseverance and determination of individuals who attempt to overcome societal injustices. Ishwar's story puts light on the issues of caste discrimination, survival, and the persistence of the human spirit in the face of a difficult situation.

4. Omprakash Darji

• Omprakash, frequently called Om, is the young nephew of Ishvar Darji, a skillful tailor.
• He is compelled to leave his village and move to the metropolis of Bombay owing to unfortunate events in his family.
• Omprakash's role illustrates the sensitivity and resilience of a young boy battling the harsh realities of poverty and societal injustice.

Analysis

The story tackles issues of political and social turmoil, poverty, caste inequality, and the tenacity of the human spirit. As the characters struggle through their tough lives, their paths converge, and they steadily grow to know about one another once assumptions are proved invalid and often dangerous. They establish surprising relationships of friendship and support.

The novel shows the harsh reality of life in India at that time, including the government's forced sterilization program, the Emergency, a period of suspended civil liberties, and political corruption. The characters continuously face tremendous challenges and heartbreaking tragedies like poverty, injustice, and grief. Yet, they display remarkable perseverance, strength, and the enduring power of human connection in their everyday experiences and relationships.

"A Fine Balance" is a significant exploration of the human condition, demonstrating the perseverance of the human spirit in a period of tragedy. It illustrates the delicate balance between optimism and despair, love and loss, and the determination to continue. Despite the darkness of their situations and the variations in socioeconomic class and experience, the individuals find moments of joy and connection, forming a close relationship and illustrating the victorious nature of the human spirit in the face of enormous obstacles.

Rohinton Mistry's superb writing and vivid descriptions bring to life the complex texture of India's society, following the hardships and achievements of ordinary people trapped in extraordinary circumstances. Through his compelling account, he gives significant insights into the complicated nature of human connections and the power of empathy and unity in the most challenging circumstances.