A Fine Balance

From Free net encyclopedia

Image:A Fine Balance.jpg A Fine Balance is the third book by Rohinton Mistry. Set in Mumbai between 1977 and 1979 during the turmoil of The Emergency, a period of expanded government power and crackdowns on civil liberties, this book is about four characters—Dina Dalal, Ishvar Darji, his nephew Omprakash and the young lad Maneck from varied backgrounds who come together, develop a bond and depart from each other lives as dramatically as they came.

The book is a bestseller and is on Oprah's Book Club. It won the 1995 Giller Prize.

A Fine Balance was one of the selected books in the 2002 edition of Canada Reads, championed by actor Megan Follows.

The book exposes the changes in Indian society from independence in 1947 to the Emergency called by Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi. Mistry is generally critical of Gandhi in the book. Interestingly, however, Gandhi is never referred to by name by any of the characters, and is instead called simply "the prime minister". The characters, from diverse backgrounds, are all brought together by economic forces changing India.

Ishvar and Om's family was part of the Chamaar caste, who traditionally cured leather and were considered untouchable. In an attempt to break away from the restrictive caste system, Ishvar's father apprenticed his sons to a tailor, and they became tailors. As a result of their skills, passed on to Ishvar's brother's son, they move to Mumbai to get work, by then unavailable in the town near their village because a pre-made clothing shop has opened.

Maneck, from a small hill village in northern India, moves to the city to acquire a college diploma "as a back up" in case his father's business is no longer able to compete after the building of a highway near their village.

Dina, from a traditionally wealthy family, maintains tenuous independence from her brother by living in the flat of her deceased husband.

The novel is notable for its ending, which is far from happy. Over the course of the novel, each character is subjected to intense physical, mental, and emotional pain at the hands of sinister strangers. This culminates in the ending, where Ishvar's legs are forced to be amputated, Omprakash is castrated and his legs and body swell up greatly from the hormone changes caused by the operation, and Maneck, overcome by how his two friends ended up, steps in front of a speeding train in the middle of a crowded train station.