CHAPTER - III

CULTURE AS A TOOL
(IN THE NOVELS OF ROHINTON MISTRY)
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O Mazda-worshipping Zoroastrians, up on your feet, up with your

hands. Hold high your heads. Be alert and aware to do lawful, timely and

glorious deeds. Sweep away unlawful, untimely and ignominious acts. Be

industrious, and full of good deeds. Help the helpless, console the

disconsolate...

(Visperad,15.1; The Parsis)

Present day Iran (Persia) is the homeland of Parsi community. Parsis who have migrated

finally to India are also known as Zoroastrians. The community living in India for more than

thousand years now, deserves a brief introduction of its past. In fact, they had initially faced

the onslaught of Islamic persecution and handful of them somehow managed to escape to the

wilderness of Mt. Khorassan, in their country, whereas the majority population succumb to

the forceful conversion into Islam. However, these few could manage, somehow, adhere to

their faith staying away from main land; ultimately when they realised that they are not any

more secure it was up to them to decide – accept proselytization or move out of the

motherland to some other safer place to survive. They escaped out of their motherland and

sailed towards India:

“The Parsi or Persian fugitive, after undergoing numerous hardships and nearly incurring

destruction succeeded in gaining the shores of India where the rights of shelter and

settlements were conceded by a Hindu ruler.” (Karaka vol. I:xv)

What we are more interested in is their migration to our country and thereafter about

their formative years in the adopted land and their achievement as a conglomeration of Indian

society and their individual contribution to our nation building process, on various fronts, as a

whole.
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Historically the Parsis immigrated to India in c. 8th century. They touched the shore of

Gujarat and settled here once they conceded the conditions put before them by the ruler of the

state at that point of time. Between eighth and fifteenth centuries, the Parsis settled in various

small towns on the Gujarat coast. The only source of information available to us through any

extent reliable, derived from a work Kissah-i-Sanjana which was compiled in the year 1600

by a Zoroastrian priest named Behman Kaikobad Sanjana. Given the fact that so well had the

Parsis settled and integrated themselves into the land of their adoption, that by 1200 we hear

a Parsi priest, Neriosang Dhaval, translated entire Avesta into Sanskrit, presumably for the

benefit of the Hindu scholars of his time. The Parsis settled down as farmers and

agriculturists, fruit growers, carpenters and weavers. (Langrial Zoroastrains…)

Once they are assured of peaceful settlement, it’s time for them to participate and engage

themselves into the welfare of the state that given them shelter and food. “About the year

1305 circumstances occurred which roused the old fire and warlike spirit of the Parsis. In that

year they are affirmed to have greatly distinguished themselves in assisting the Hindu chief of

Sanjan against the aggression of Ala-ud-din Khilji.” (Karaka vol. 43). The Parsis realised that

it’s their solemn duty as a citizen of the newly adopted state to be loyal and consciously

participative in any given situation for its welfare and safety. The aggression of Islamic

forces of Delhi Sultanate was a challenge to the Hindu ruler. They rose to the occasion and

readily joined the forces and strengthened hands of the Hindu ruler of the state, they

belonged. The Islamic persecution that was responsible for their ancestors’ exodus from their

motherland was very much in their psyche.

Throughout the history of India since they landed in Gujarat their presence is felt at

every occasion of historical importance of our country. They are very much there during the

Mogul period. “It is said that the emperor Akbar was favourably impressed by the religion of
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Zoroaster, and bestowed upon the dastur a free grant of two hundred acres of land at

Navasari, as a mark of his royal favour.” (Karaka vol-7 138). The liberal minded emperor

who was a symbol of true secular embodiment was highly impressed by the religious tenets

of Zoroastrianism and said to have taken keen interest in other aspects and way of life of his

Parsis subjects. Historically, it is well known fact that Emperor Akbar attributed due respect

to every religion and faith under his ruling. (Gerth Zoroastrains…)

The British East India Company arrived first at Surat in 1608 and within a few years

established a permanent factory here in 1612 when the Portuguese fleet was defeated by the

English. It was at Surat, Parsis came into prominence here in India. (Eduljee Zoroastrain

Heritage) “By their pleasing manners and affable dispositions, as well as by their industrious

habits and their character for sobriety, intelligence and honesty, they soon acquired

considerable influence and a secure position in this flourishing city.” (Karka [Link] chap.1 8-

9) With the arrival of trading companies, Parsis expanded their horizon of skill, wealth and of

course a respectful position in the Indian society. The element of entrepreneurship and

acumen quality put them well above other communities of the times.

The establishment of European trading companies at Surat at once brought them to the

front, and from that date commenced the true era of Parsi prosperity and importance. “The

Portuguese, French, Dutch and English factories all employed Parsis as their chief brokers;

and without them it may be said that they found it almost impossible to conduct their trading

and banking operations.” (Karka [Link] chap.1- 9) It’s evidently clear as to how and why they

came close to British East India Company and of course thereafter the officials of Crown.

The Parsis were preferred rather than the persons from any other community because of

reasons stated above, there had been something very different and distinct qualities in them

that made them compatible to the needs and demands of the traders from other countries and
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also within the country. They were in great demand by East India Company especially when

they took up Bombay from Portuguese and in the run to establish it a commercial capital of

India. The Indian trade with China in 19th century is a pretty good example of it. They

remained brokers to mostly all the major trades handled by the British in Bombay and this

gave them ample opportunities to move down to Bombay from Gujarat. (Manuel The

Opium…)

Bombay (now Mumbai) consisted of tiny groups of islands inhabited by the fishing

community known as Koli. However, the colonising powers Portugal and mainly British East

India Company took the gigantic task of reclaiming the land from the sea and connect the

islands into one. “In pre colonial times Bombay merely consisted of a few swampy islets. It

was the abode of the Koli fishers, whose patron deity, Mumba Devi, most probably gave this

place its name. At Independence it had emerged as a dominant metropolis, proudly calling

itself the First City of India. Of course, colonial strategies and policies had much to do with

the spectacular rise of this former fishing village. Unlike preceding invading powers who

came by land and built inland kingdoms, the British came by sea and established themselves

on the maritime fringes of the indigenous empires.” (Kooiman Bombay)

“For the next 150 years, the Parsi Patells of Bombay served the government faithfully.

They administered entire villages, developed transport, built sailing vessels, farmed the Worli

Fisheries successfully, organised the supply of fresh water to the East India Company’s ships

and initiated welfare schemes among the poor. They also built Fire Temples and Towers of

Silence in Bassein and Tanna for the poor Parsi settlers in those towns.” (Nanavutty 57) It

goes beyond any doubt that this community never looked back nor set any sort of

apprehension to prove their grit and determination to serve their masters best. In turn they

rose to the effluence and wealth. Developed the taste and liking for the western style of
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living. They almost touched every aspects of the life of the people living there making

Bombay – the metropolis what it looks like today.

Most of the Parsis resettled in Bombay and its peripheral from their original locations in

Gujarat in India, acknowledging the fact that it would be commercial capital of India one day,

sooner or later. From here on every Parsi house contributed their share for the development of

Bombay and as well as to our country. They are the pillars of modern India in every sense.

The country owes as much to this community as Bombay owes for its growth and

development. The Tatas are the biggest name within the Parsi community that nurtured and

gave shape to modern India, single handedly. Jamshetji N. Tata and J.R.D. Tata are the two

names synonym to modernisation of our country. Cotton Mills, Iron and Steel Factory, Indian

Institute of Sciences, Tata Air Lines, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Tata Institute of

Social Sciences – are some of the prime institutions of our country, in the respective areas, all

being envisaged well ahead in time and nurtured these units by none other than these two

visionaries.

Pherozeshah Mehta, Zubin Mehta, Field Marshal General Maneckshaw, Nani Palkhivala,

Home J. Bhabha, Sohrab Modi, Russi Modi, Ratan Tata are few other names whose immense

contribution to their field of expertise can never be undermined. The great visionary and

entrepreneurship of Jamshedtji Tata is evident from the simple fact that in 1907 he gave us

the very first Iron and Steel factory in our country. The steel city has been rightfully named

after him as Jamshedpur, located in Jharkhand now, in his honour. “The modern iron and

steel industry in India owes its origin to the grand vision and perseverance of Jamsetji

Nusserwanji Tata. The Tata Iron and Steel Company Limited (Tata Steel) was registered in

Bombay on 26th August 1907.” (The Beginning Evolution Story) He was equally responsible

in the establishment of Indian Institute of Science at Bangalore in need of the kind of

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Research Programmes required for India, the upcoming nation’s requirements in the year

1909. “His enterprises were noted for efficiency, for improved labour-protection policies, and

for the introduction of finer grades of fibre. He also planned for the Bombay-

area hydroelectric power plants that became the Tata Power Company in 1906.” (Augustyn

Jamsetji)

Dadabhai Naoroji, also known as Grand Old Man of India, is a big name in the Indian

political scenario. He was twice President of Indian National Congress and highly respected

politician not only in our country but even in England where he was M.P. of House of

Commons. JRD doesn’t need any introduction, the doyen of Aviation Industry of India. He,

like Jamsetji, was a great visionary and helped to grow Tata Air lines into Air India and

Indian Air Lines subsequently. He is the only Industrialist so far to be bestowed with Bharat

Ratna, the highest civilian award, by Government of India, in the year 1992. (Augustyn JRD)

Talking about their contribution not only to India even to world J.R.D. in his interview

claims that they were the first almost in every venture in India they entered in and were

pioneers and world leaders in improving the working conditions of man and woman work

force at various work places especially in Mills and Factories, and recognising them as

human resource, not merely a name on the wage-sheet. After all it was Jamsetji’s legacy that

he carried forward as his personal responsibility and would like to see it in future as well. He

believed that Jamsetji was a capitalist and yet a socialist in many ways as far his view about

the Human relations and Labour relations. (Augustyn Jamsetji)

“Zubin Mehta, the child prodigy went on to become the chief conductor of a number of

orchestras in the leading countries like Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles

Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and so on. He is

revered highly across the world for his musical genius.” (Augustyn Zubin)
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Finally we can dwell upon the achievements of Dina Mehta, Keki N. Daruwalla, Boman

Desai, Nilufer Bharucha, Novy Kapadia to name a few for their contribution to Indian

English literature and of course, Rohinton Mistry who hit the board across the world and is

quite a popular and renowned name today as a novelist with many Awards to his credit,

settled in Canada.

Such a Long Journey is the first novel by Rohinton Mistry published in the year 1991. It

won many awards such as Governor General’s Award for Fiction, Commonwealth Writers

Prize, and W.H. Smith Prize. Also was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. The plot revolves

around Nobel Gustad, a bank employee, Parsi old man living in Khodadad Building in

Bombay. The novel is set in the events of Chinese aggression of 1962, Indo-Pak war of 1971

in which the birth of Bangladesh takes place.

The old lady of the building being abusive and cranky, the image she developed is a

matter of fear and amusement as well, for the children. They take full enjoyment whenever

they pass through her door screaming and shouting as if she is a witch:

“To children, Miss Kutpitia was the ubiquitous witch of their fairy stories come to life.

They would flew past her door, screaming, ‘Run from the daaken! Run from the daaken!’ as

much from fear as to provoke her to mutter and curse, and shake her fist.” (Such a Long

Journey 2)

Such kind of behavioural pattern is being observed with children in group when they are

on the run – screaming and shouting at or inflict some kind of emotional stress on old people

looking odd and slightly disturbed simply for fear and fun or they accept such characters in

their vicinity to be for their amusement and play. These kinds of playful activity within

children of age 8-10 generally observed in most of the societies in India. Daaken is synonym

to witch or sorceress in Hindi and some other languages. In fact, such kind of provocative
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activity seems to have naturally evolved in the small children out of fear and fun. Or it could

simply be a phenomenon of sadism.

The word sadism is associated with Marquis de Sade. “As for young Sade, he was not

faring better at his grandmother’s house in Avignon. She was not able to handle this difficult

boy. He remained, as he said, ‘arrogant, tyrannical and fierce.’” (Schaeffer 13). It is evident

to a large extent that this young boy, Sade had a terrible and deprived and neglected

childhood.

“They are the golden milestones of childhood. Smiling by six weeks, walking by one,

talking by two. Then, of course, at six you reach that magical age when you at last understand

the vindictive urge for vigilante justice against your fellow men.” (Whipple Children are…)

Scientists believe that children in a group have the tendency to behave in a particular way so

as to derive sufficient fun and pleasure from witnessing someone being punished.

“The Kusti which symbolises the tenets of the faith is woven of seventy two threads of

fine lamb’s wool as there are seventy-two chapters of the Yasna, the Book of Worship. Only

members of the priestly families may weave a Kusti, for it is sanctified by special prayers at

every stage of its weaving.” (Nanavutty 24) The importance of the Kusti is well documented

in the religious tenets of Zoroastrians. Gustad being a strict follower of the religious

practices, “He recited the appropriate sections and unknotted the kusti from around his waist.

When he had unwound all nine feet of its slim, sacred, hand-woven length, he cracked it,

whip-like: once, twice and thrice. And thus was Ahirman, the evil one, driven away – with

that expert flip of the wrist, possessed only by those who performed their kusti regularly.”

(SALJ 4) Today kusti ritual is performed three times a day – early in the morning rising from

the bed, retiring at night and after bathing, everyday. It is wound round the waist three times

to signify the importance of the person initiated necessarily stick to every thought, word and
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the services to Ahura Mazda. Gustard is a proud practitioner who can quell the evil spirit,

called Ahirman.

Gustad remembers in his childhood days, a basket carried on head by a servant followed

his father with chickens in it. His grandmother would inspect and certified the fowl. It had

been the practice of buying the live chickens from the market:

“‘Chicken if you buy,’ she would say when praised for her delicious cooking, ‘then you

must buy alive and squawking, jeevti-jaagti, or don’t buy at all. First feed it for two days, less

will not do. And always feed best grain, the very best. Always remember: what goes in

chicken-stomach, at the end comes back to our stomach.’” (SALJ 19)

The dressed chicken from the market is not the practice in Parsi households. Purchase

live chickens, get it at home, feed nicely at least for two days and then do the rest. This is

typical of Parsi customs and may be practised elsewhere in India and other parts of the world

also. However, it’s not possible in modern times owing to the way of life where everything

moving at such a fast pace.

Chicken is definitely not his area of expertise, unlike his father. Beef is Gustad’s

speciality. Years ago, his college friend Malcolm Saldanha taught him all about cows and

buffaloes. That is how he talks about knowledge of beef-business. Many communities in

India, irrespective of religious lines, beef is a commodity that goes well in their food habits.

Gustad’s friend Malcolm has something interesting to comment on the eating of beef:

“‘Lucky for us,’ Malcolm always said, ‘that we are minorities in a nation of Hindus. Let

them eat pulses and grams and beans, spiced with their stinky asafoetida – what they call

hing. The modernised Hindus eat mutton. Or chicken, if they want to be more fashionable.

But we will get our protein from their sacred cow.’” (SALJ 23)
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It’s not very sure if the Parsis of India are in the habit of consuming beef, however,

Gustad being a representative of his community offers us to accept the fact that they are beef

eaters like many other communities in India.

Rohinton through his protagonist, Gustad tries to project the image of Indian society

with a clear and comprehensible religious tolerance and sensible friendship, “On Sunday

morning, Gustad would set off with Malcolm for Crawford Market, but their first stop was

always the church where Malcolm attended Mass. Gustad went in with him, dipping his

fingers in the font of holy water and crossing himself.” (SALJ 23) He made it pretty clear for

him the message of Indian culture and ethos of national integration with no discrimination on

religious lines, which is flourishing in India for centuries and people, lived together in

harmony and peace. Gustad being a Parsi accommodates the sentiments of his Christian

friends, Malcolm.

India has a great tradition of its own system of medical treatments that is known more

precisely as Ayurveda. Its age old medical practices carried out since the hoary past. Besides,

we also have certain other kind of treatments practised traditionally in India. There are skilled

practitioners available all over India who can set right the dislocated bones of the body parts.

People have great faith on this practice and since it is highly effective and successful mode of

treatment people prefer for it. Even the people like Gustad living in Bombay still believe in

such practices. “It was terrible for Gustad to get his hip disc back in position. Dilnavaz made

the paste according to the Bonestter’s prescription: by soaking the bark in water and grating it

against the rough stone slab they used for grinding masala. It was hard work, making enough

paste to coat the entire hip.” (SALJ 132) The people prefer this kind of treatment for the

simple fact that it has minimum hassles and cheap as far as its treatment is concerned. In this
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part of world people generally scared to go to the hospitals and feel at home with this kind of

traditional treatment.

The lingering process of medical treatment meted out to Roshan raised many eye-brows,

besides the suffering of the girl was another concern for his parent Dilnavaz and Gustad. All

kinds of spirits are present in and around us all the times monitor our activities. This is what

we believe and which have even propounded in Indian religious-scriptures and our belief

system. The people in general lose patience being not rewarded of prolonged medical

treatments, as in the case of Roshan, there is temptation for trying and testing some more

rudimentary way like magic charms for bad eye etc. when like Miss Kutpitia is around:

“When a laughing-playing child like Roshan suddenly becomes sick, there can be other

reasons. Such as evil eye. And doctor’s medicine is no prevention or cure for that. There are

special ways. Take your needle and thread, a nice strong thread with a big knot at the end.

Select a yellow lime, and seven chillies. Chillies must be green, not turning red. Never red.

String them all together with the needle. Lime goes at the bottom. Then hang whole thing

over your door, inside your house. It is like a taveez, a protection. Each time Roshan walks

under it the evil eye becomes less and less powerful. Actually, once you hang it, everyone in

your family will benefit.” (SALJ 149-150)

It appears that Miss Kutpitia has eagle’s eyes on the matters that all take place in the

Khodadad Building. Roshan’s prolonged ailment is point in case. She immediately jumps into

the matter and proposes remedy for Roshan’s illness. These are some practices being

followed all across India not only for medical remedies but even it goes well with the

majority of shopkeepers small and big in the markets, they follow the similar kind of

prescriptions that has been suggested to Dilnavaz, Roshan’s mother. In Hindu fold of belief-

systems in addition to innumerable gods and goddesses to seek the welfare or well being,
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there is enough scope of non-religious approaches as well like magic charm to get away from

evil eyes, the forces sometimes targeted by our own neighbours out of jealousy or enmity.

There is strong urge in many Indians, under given circumstances, to accept the power and

omniscient natural and malevolent forces that asks for protective shields like fire-wall in the

modern sense, to protect from the evil forces.

Peerbhoy Paanwallah, narrates the following story to keep his customers in place and

offer them great number of choices among the various kinds of Paan he has in his weaponry

– to fix anything and everything in relation to the physical and non-physical ailments. He

claims that his paans are designed keeping certain customers to gratify the urgency and subtle

demands arise time to time in the mundane acts of life.

“In the olden days, when it was time for the annual procession in which the raja had to

walk naked before the public with erect phallus, to convince his subjects that the right to be

ruler still belong to him, it was palung-tode he relied on. The secret was told to a few

courtiers only, who, each year after the ceremony, were executed to guard the deception.”

(SALJ 158)

“To primitive man his tremendous struggle for existence in this world centred on

fertility. Existence, growth, power, riches and happiness resulted from a great number of

individuals. Everything that made the earth fruitful or tended to increase production was

eagerly seized upon and honoured and revered necessarily everything that could injure or

prevent that increase was considered had and combated with the same zeal. Thus theology

has linked itself with man’s reproductive instinct.” (Chakravarti 157-158)

“The ritual is associated with this notion that has been mythological prescription in many

of the primitive societies in the world. This practice of exhibiting erect-phallus in the public
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through procession is mostly based on belief system in primitive societies to be performed by

the king or raja who represented a cult figure of fertility and prosperity for his subjects.”

In fact, Fertility cults are common throughout Europe and other parts of the world in pre-

Christian times. The king of the ancient times is the symbol of the fertility as is phallus.

“Greek myth explains the background to phallus worship: Aphrodite, the goddess of love,

gave birth to a child, the glorious deity Priapus. With a magical touch of her stomach,

Aphrodite cursed the child that grew there. That led to the child, Priapus, being born ugly,

with a huge body and a giant, permanent erection. Aphrodite was so repulsed by the

obscenity of this creature that she threw him out of her kingdom and abandoned him in the

wilderness. Here Priapus was taken in by a shepherd who saw that wherever this creature

walked, everything grew vigorously. Plants sprang up from the ground and the animals

jumped on each other, mated violently and multiplied. Priapus soon became known and

worshiped as a fertility god.” (Beverfjord Stone Phalluses)

Both in classical as well as popular culture significance of songs are well recorded and

appreciated significantly contributing to enrich and express the collective conscious and

artistic emotions of the society at different times to spread and glorify the fragrance of Indian

traditional values. We have great tradition of devotional songs, classical songs, folk songs

and so on which represent the very core of Indian culture and its ethos. Every aspect of life

from childhood on, there is song for every occasion and event of life. The melodious lullaby

sung to the child by its mother is how the seed of listening to the songs sown very early and

that is carried all throughout one’s life. In popular culture the film music and its songs are

very much part of our life. If we go back to the times of silent era of movies, the singers and

accompanists used to sit in the pit before the screen and lent the voice to the characters on the

dance numbers. While passing through the market Gustad listens “a radio or record player
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somewhere was playing an old film song: “Dil deke dkho dil dekho, dildeke dekho ji...” Try

giving your heart away, give your heart away and see, exhorted the singer. Gustad entered the

place hesitantly.” (SALJ 201) The Indian film songs are generally being targeted to larger

audience of all classes rich in pop-lyrics and scintillating music, find straight connectivity

with young and old, male and female – cutting across the board of caste and creed. These

songs basically speak the mind and soul of an ordinary man and provide platform to express

it in fullest sense. Social or personal functions are the common sites of the display.

Gustad’s long journey appears to be endless and equally full of disappointments and

calamities for the simple reason that he receives a first massive jolt when Sohrab, his eldest

son lets down his great expectation by refusing to join IIT, a golden opportunity for a brilliant

carrier in India, daughter Roshan’s prolonged illness, Billy’s tragic episode, loss of Dinshawji

– Gustad breaks down badly. His friend Malcolm has solution for such situations and he

offers it. “‘Come with me to Mount Mary,’ Malcolm said. ‘Ask Mother Mary for help. She

will cure Roshan and your friend. Miracles are happening every day; I have witnessed

personally so many.’ Gustad learned more about the church, how it had tradition of

welcoming Parsis, Muslims, Hindus, regardless of cast and creed. She made no religious

distinctions.” (SALJ 222)

The solace and solution being offered by Malcolm is traditional way of approaching the

divinity with some kind of hope when man thinks he has no more moral strength left to face

the impounding circumstances. Churches, Temples, reputed dargahs are all spread over India

to gratify the spiritual accessibility, cutting across the religious lines, people throng, round the

year with high reverence to seek peace, comfort and relief. People still believe in miracles

performed by saints or some supernatural powers that exist in nature. The reason of believing

such phenomenon could be fear or expecting something terrible to happen in coming days in
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once life. The traits of Age of Miracles in human history are extant in modern times as well.

What we see it’s generally acceptable and yet not acceptable to the extent that there are

certain human interpretations which ought to have definite impact on the aggrieved soul. For

example Malcolm says “You see Baby Jesus on Mother Mary’s left arm? Once a year, He

moves. Next year He will be on the right arm. No one knows how it happens. A true

miracle.” (SALJ 228) Malcolm, Gustad’s buddy of his college days offers this option before

him and obviously Gustad has no other choice but to give his concurrence on the subject of

divine interventions.

Rohinton Mistry, the post colonist novelist, brings forth protagonist of his novel, A Fine

Balance, this time a female Parsi character Dina Shroff, rechristened as Dina Dalal after her

marriage. The plot of the novel is placed against the background of Partition of India, State of

Emergency in 1975 during the regime of Congress party, Indira Gandhi as the Prime Minister

and 1984 anti-Sikh riots. She was assassinated by her own Sikh body guards. She ordered the

Operation Blue Star to vacate Akal Takht of Golden Temple, Amritsar from sikh terrorists

whose leader was Sant Bhinderawale.

The plot ends with the tragic note, except for Dina Dalal, all three major characters

Ishwar darji and his young nephew Omprakash succumb to the inhuman and brutal face of

the government policies during the state of Emergency and are forced to adopt the profession

of beggary on the streets of Bombay and another young man from the mountains Maneck

Kohlah throws himself on to the track of passing express train, unable to hold himself and

bear the two of his most beloved friends both Ishwar and Om begging on the street in most

wretched state.

Rohinton provides similar beginning in the plots of ‘Such a Long Journey’ and ‘A Fine

Balance’. In both cases voice of rebel is distinctly audible. Sohrab the eldest son of Gustad
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after obtaining I.I.T. seat turns it down against the will and wish of his father, shattering all

the hopes who dreams a grand and respectful life for his son. Likewise, Nusswan in A Fine

Balance who does not like to take up his father’s respectful profession as a doctor and it

becomes open and highly tense on the dining table on the eve of Nusswan’s birth day, “The

turning point in the father-and-son relationship had come seven years ago, on Nusswan’s

sixteenth birthday. Uncles and aunts had been invited to dinner, and someone said, ‘Well,

Nusswan, you will soon be studying to become a doctor, just like your father.’ ‘I don’t want

to be a doctor,’ Nusswan answered. ‘I’ll be going into business – import and export.” (A Fine

Balance 16)

Partition of country has seen great amount of suffering by millions of people on both side

of the border. It is one of the greatest catastrophic events of 20th century. People literally

butchered each other on communal lines, women raped and murdered. Whole continent has

witnessed communal violence. The big cities pass through terrible disturbances. Normal life

disrupted completely and chaos erupts everywhere. Frustrated by the situation and cooped up

inside the flat, Nusswan finds opening to his frustration with these words. “Every day I sit at

home, I lose money. These bloody uncultured savages don’t deserve independence. If they

must hack one another to death, I wish they would go somewhere else and do it quietly. In

their villages, maybe. Without disturbing our lovely city by the sea.” (AFB 26) The novelist

has described the chaos caused by partition in the following words:

The political partition of India caused one of the greatest human convulsions in history.

Never before or since have so many people exchanged their homes and countries in such a

short span of time. But the women’s perspective of partition is harder to discover – it exists in

the private realm, in the stories told and retold inside so many households in India and

Pakistan.
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“People travelled in buses, in cars, by train, but mostly on foot. Called kafilas, the great

columns of people could stretch for dozens of miles. The longest of them, said to comprise

nearly 400,000 people, refugees travelling east to India from western Punjab, took as many as

eight days to pass any given spot on its route.” (Butalia 41)

Being capital of India and also its vicinity close to Punjab, New Delhi is the place, worst

hit. Thousands of people pour in from other side of the border. Indian government really has

tough time to manage huge task of settlement. People are accommodated in Relief camps on

temporary basis. To add fuel to the fire, the city witnesses worst kind of violence against

minority community, testing the patience of Nehru and Patel. Stephen Gill, a Canadian writer

who suffered the violence on account of partition writes in the preface to his collection of

poems, titled Songs Before Shrine “During those riots, we did not know if there would be

another dawn and when there was, it brought tales of more brutalities. I saw old people

running for help and being pelted with bricks and then burnt alive while the patrolling police

ignored the clusters of misguided zealots who were in the street in spite of curfews.

Minorities suffered this way and also because of other fears. Both the Hindus and Muslims

were engaged in this ugliness for religious reasons. Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated

because he tried to end this drama of degradation to humanity.” (Gill x)

Being elder brother, Nusswan realises that in the absence of his father it his solemn duty

to look after his sister Dina as her guardian. He plans a decent wedding for her to prove his

mettle – a successful businessman and well aware of his social responsibility and duty

towards his younger sister. “When she turned eighteen, he started inviting eligible bachelors

to their home. She invariably found them repugnant; they were her brother’s friends, and

reminded her of Nusswan in all they said and did.” (AFB 28) A suitable match to be arranged

and Nusswan tries to invite as many his friends as possible so that Dina would have ample
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opportunity for the choice and she could choose her life partner of her liking. This is typical

Parsi way of match making.

It is really a tense moments both for Nusswan and Dina. The Untimely death of young

Rustom, Dina’s husband, creates major crisis in the family. Nusswan opines that she is quite

young and immature and it’s for her future prospects to think of new lease of life with

remarriage and tries to convince Dina to give a serious thought to it. Once she is married

again she can have her independent life, otherwise she has to fall back on Nusswan. (AFB 55)

“Do you know how fortunate you are in our community? Among the unenlightened,

widows are thrown away like garbage. If you were a Hindu, in the old days you would have

had to be a good little sati and leap onto your husband’s funeral pyre, be roasted with him.”

(AFB 52)

He is highly critical about response he gets from Dina. Hind side, he knows very well

that the proposal put before her would not only acceptable to her, rather she will not take his

advice even seriously. From the very early on, both have love and hate relation between

them. Nusswan is always very conservative in his approach towards the dress code and hair

style of Dina when she is in her teens. He wants her to be a little sensible and try to

understand that life becomes hell for single woman, that too of Dina’s age. Vultures are all

around. Dina is no way interested to take the Nusswan’s advice. She knows, interestingly,

that there is no one of her own except his brother to come forward in case of need under the

given circumstances, yet she ignores him and his ideas for the unknown reasons.

Ishwar and his nephew Om come to the city hoping to get back to their village as soon as

they make sufficient money through their skilled hands of tailoring. Impatient Om, being yet

young and immature, very often loses his temper due to set back they face initially. The life

in the city has its own dynamics and demands maturity to come to terms with vague and
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unimaginable situations for the folks who venture into such places. Elderly suggestion by

Ishwar is worth noting here, “But it’s only been three weeks. Patience, Om. There are lots of

opportunities in the city, you can make your dreams come true.”

“I am sick of the city. Nothing but misery ever since we came. I wish I had died in our

village. I wish I had also burned to death like the rest of my family.” (AFB 103)

Ishvar’s face clouded, his disfigured cheek quivering with his nephew’s pain. He put his

arm around his shoulder. “‘It will get better, Om,’ he pleaded. ‘Believe me, it will get better.

And we’ll soon go back to our village.’” (AFB 91)

In fact, “I wish I had also burned to death like the rest of my family” by Om is a kind of

revelation of the tragedy that reminds us that all is not well even in the village from where

they belong. Both were fortunate enough to get away from the situation or else they would

have been the target of the caste system of the village where the Chamaars and Bhangis are

out castes and hardly treated as human beings. Brahmins, Thakurs and Baniyas are the upper

caste people in the caste system ladder and are born to rule at their will and wish over the

outcastes.

Dukhi witnesses the terror created by these people in his village which can never be

challenged by any means as far as his strength and thinking goes. Even these people can’t

fight for their own cause. British ruled our country for more than two hundred years for their

own interests – plundered the wealth of our country and demeaned our cultural values

claiming inferior to theirs yet they gave something what Rajaram Mohan Roy and other

social reformists were asking for. An example of hybridity, the term coined by Homi K.

Bhabha, a literary and cultural critic, influential theorist of postcolonial culture.

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Bhabha is critical of the oversimplification of the binaries of East and West and

colonizer and colonized in Said’s early work (as both “poles” are hybrid and implicated in

each other), their locus of enunciation and intellectual positions can be considered similar as

both examine processes that divide, categorize, and dominate the world. However, their

approaches differ in focus: while Said focuses on differences and oppositions between

colonized and colonizer. (Andreotti Homi Bhabha)

He generally examines points of similarities. Bhabha states “we should see colonialism

as straightforward oppression, domination and violence only but also as a period of complex

and varied cultural contact and interaction. His writings bring resources from literary and

cultural theory to the study of colonial archives.” (Jefferess Postcolonial…) “In The Location

of Culture, Bhabha uses concepts such as mimicry, interstice, hybridity and liminality all

influenced by semiotics and Lacanian psychoanalysis to argue that cultural production is

always most productive where it is most ambivalent.” (Ramesh 72)

Life in village of Dukhi is miserable and it convinces him that his next generation, his

sons Narayan and Ishwar must be kept away from the traditional profession of Chamaars and

must take up the profession of tailoring like his friend Ashraf in town. “Dukhi Mochi’s

decision to turn his sons into tailors was indeed courageous, considering that the prime of his

own life had been spent in obedient compliance with the traditions of the caste system. Like

his forefathers before him, he had accepted from childhood the occupation preordained for

his present incarnation.” (AFB 95)

He is well aware of the facts that both his sons and their children will be under the yoke

of caste system which his ancestors have been carrying for centuries. It’s a non-violent move,

not to take on the tormenters, it’s a peaceful reconciliation, an internal adjustment to fight

against the caste-system with due submission to the dominating forces in the village – has
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any of his predecessor ever thought of it? Can a subaltern protest? Even in twentieth century

the Indian society is still laden by the grants of caste system, with a poster in hand –subaltern

not to speak. In most of the cases it is true, there are records after records in the form of

literature where of class and caste oppression and brutality one after the other, time and

again, as if the upper castes are born with the myth of over lording the meek human beings

and crushing them under their toes until they speak in the voice of Mahatma Phule, Birsa

Munda, Dopdi, Phoolan Devi and so on.

Mahashweta Devi illustrates how any conflict or war results in the women’s body being

the primary targets of attack by men. In the contexts of both the Naxalite movement and the

Bangladesh Liberation war, men and women are brutally tortured, but it is much worse for

women. Woman’s body is mainly targeted and rampart cases of violent rape and murder

comes into light after the rise of Bangladesh. Sexual abuse against women reached to

unimaginable heights when women are treated as merely physical bodies of flesh without

soul and senses. (Dutta 50 Years of Naxalbari…)

Thus as per Spivak’s concepts Dopdi, Devi represents the gendered subaltern who exist

at the periphery of society and dare to go against the existing patriarchal structures. Spivak

has shown concern regarding the representation of the subaltern in the mainstream discourse

on the basis that the subaltern cannot be represented; only re-presented. However, Devi’s use

of polyphony not just re-presents the subaltern, it also explores the politics around the

category of the ‘subaltern.’ (Hoque Mahasweta Devi’s Draupadi …)

Manusmriti is an ancient legal text among the many Dharmasastras of Hinduism. It was

one of the first Sanskrit texts to have been translated into English in 1794, by Sir William

Jones and was used to prepare the Hindu law by the British colonial government. It is widely

regarded to be the most important and truthful book on Hindu law and dates back to at least
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1,000 years before Christ was born acknowledges and justifies the caste system as the basis

of order and regularity of society.

Having been oppressed and suppressed for centuries, hardly any voice is ever heard

which resonates the thunder of revenge or revolution – violent or non-violent. Phoolan is not

a literate person, neither Birsa Munda. The divine or supernatural power’s intervention is

solicited to lead on to the path – a single step from darkness to light.

Dukhi, being a Chamaar has a sad history and bleak future. ‘Chamaar,

widespread caste in northern India whose hereditary occupation is tanning leather; the name

is derived from the Sanskrit word charmakara (“skin worker”) Members of the caste are

included in the officially designated Scheduled Castes (also called Dalits); because their

hereditary work obliged them to handle dead animals, the Chamaars were among those

formerly called “untouchables.” Their settlements have often been outside higher-

caste Hindu villages. The Chamaars allow widows to marry either their husband’s younger

brother or a widower of the same sub caste. A segment of the caste follows the teaching of

Shiva Narayana, the 18th-century saint and ascetic of northern India, and aims at purifying its

customs in order to raise its social prestige. Other Chamaars revere Ravidas, an influential

16th-century poet-saint of Banaras (Varanasi) who challenged the idea of pollution and its

ritual manifestations. While many still practice their traditional craft, many more are part of

the broader agricultural and urban labour force. (Augustyn Chamaar)

Dukhi has witnessed all through his life and also heard terrible stories by his father and

eventually the call of suffering remotely heard by him awakens as if in dream: there is a

divine message Narayan and Ishwar, both his sons, hereafter must get redemption from the

yoke of his profession. They must make some respectable place to live in the society, no

more on the land by the stream.

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Dalit culture in the novel of Rohinton Mistry is presented as a contrast to the culture of

upper castes in society. The contemplation of heterogenic cultures and caste system in the

novel make us realise how the Dalits have been suffering from the ill treatment by upper

castes for centuries. The living culture includes the community’s way of living standards,

their homes, food, festivals, work, beliefs, superstitions, rituals, ceremony, etc. Even they are

not allowed to do the work which the upper class societies do. In the village by river side,

“the Chamaars were permitted to live in a section downstream from the Brahmins and

landowners” (AFB 96) These low caste people live like animals at the mercy of upper castes.

“Dosu got a whipping for getting too close to the well” (AFB 96) The novelist focuses on

providing us the lives of these Dalit communities in rural background by reflecting more on

socio economic culture.

Wells for drinking water remains in the custody of upper caste. Restrictions imposed on

the lower castes would be deplorable. The sanctity of the upper castes has to be maintained at

every cost – keeping a safe distance from the village wells, walking on the gravels, obeying

orders sincerely are some features if not followed deserves a punishment. Dukhi’s father

nodded ‘Have you seen Buddhu’s wife recently?’ She shook her head. ‘Not since many

days.’ ‘And you won’t for many more. She must be hiding in her hut. She refused to go to the

field with the zamindar’s son, so they shaved her head and walked her naked through the

square.’ (AFB 96-97)

The woman is more vulnerable – the body of woman is the target which can be defiled

and has been taken more seriously as far as their punishments are concerned. Very few would

dare to cross over the line of caste and dare to be a rebel. Take the incidence of Buddhu’s

wife. She was made to go naked in broad day light on the street. Her offence is her refusal.

There is no word called refusal in the rural society for the lower castes. It’s the law of the
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land lords and no space for reprisal. Village panchayat always works in tandem with

zamindars or Thakurs. The complaints even if brought forward would be carefully

manipulated by the panchayat in favour of powerful. The coin has only one face on both

sides. The blame must go to the needy – to the dalit and oppressed class. There are endless

stories. But the so called redeemer, if there is any, always stood by the people of power and

politics, even today. Great judgement!

Dukhi is treated miserably by his master and at the end he remains at the receiving end,

having no clue. At this point he dares to say at least to hack the Thakur. ‘But this time he had

done nothing wrong. He had worked hard all day, yet he had been thrashed and cheated of his

payment. “‘On top of that, my foot is crushed,’ he said. ‘I could kill that Thakur. Nothing but

a lowly thief. And they are all like that. They treat us like animals. Always have, from the

days of our forefathers.’ ‘Shh,’ she said. ‘It’s not good for the boys to hear such things. It was

just bad luck, the mortar breaking, that’s all.’ ‘I spit in their upper-caste faces. I don’t need

their miserable jobs from now on.’” (AFB 105)

Novelist has the socio-political sensitivity which he expresses through his plots; be it

Dukhi, Narayan, Ishwar or Dina from urban locality but lacks the fire in his belly. His

characters submit to the situation and fail to revolt or rebel. Barring Ishwar and Om rest of

the family meets a terrible end designed by the Thakurs in the village. Dina shows some grit

but surrenders to the circumstances and takes the shelter with his brother Nusswan. Only

Dukhi plays a significant and exemplary role by sending his two sons Narayan and Ishwar to

Ashraf, his friend to take them as apprentice in tailoring. Roopa experiences worst of all yet

she feels better to be silent, even Dukhi accepts as his forefathers and behaves normal being a

helpless creature but not as her husband.

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The friendship and relatively suitable understanding of Dukhi and Ashraf has great social

significance. The age old grappling issue of caste system and caste oppression has definite

answer in Islamic social structure and their attitude of entertaining untouchable Hindus into

their fold without any prejudices. Ashraf has not only been a good friend to Dukhi, an

untouchable, also is a well-wisher and collaborator on his mission to alleviate his sons,

Narayan and Ishwar, from old age profession of Chamaars, and provide them a new identity,

a new social status. It’s only because the love and affection of Ashraf for Dukhi, that his

dream of changing the profession of his future generation accomplished on for the simple fact

that Ashraf whole heartedly supports his plan, and also it appears that instead of hatred

towards Hindu and inbuilt Hindu caste malignation, he realises what kind of suffering and

trauma his community is passing through. A great example of understanding and

accommodation and kinship. A showcase of national character.

Another dimension of the plot is union of Dukhi and Ashraf: mutual understanding,

communal-unity and integrity. During the partition, the breeze of communal hatred blows in

the town, Muslim households and shops in the market places are being ear-marked. The

whole lane and the rest of shopkeepers assure Ashraf not to get scared and ask him to be here

under their protection, he is safer in the sense if he ventures out to join his people to move

other side of the border, there is no assurance he would be safe. One fine day a violent Hindu

militant mob knocks at Ashraf’s shop. However, it’s Narayan and Ishwars foresightedness

which finally comes to rescue. They change the name on Board outside the shop in

anticipation and paint themselves as Krishna Tailoring shop; rubs ash and mud to look

sufficiently old, also replace the pictures with Hindu gods and goddesses hanging on the

walls of the shop. Leaving Ashraf Chacha and his wife Mumtaz behind, they come down to

face agitated and violent mob. Ishwar is resolutely fearless and tactfully handles the crowd

when he convinces the leader of the group that the shop belongs to them and his father owns
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it for more than twenty years, Nevertheless, to confirm their religion, they shout at both of

them, “Come on, hurry up! Or you won’t need pyjamas anymore!” In the ranks there was

impatience. They banged their spears on the ground and shouted to torch the place. Ishvar

and Narayan obediently dropped their pyjamas. “It’s too dark to see,” called the leader. “Give

me a lantern.” The light was handed over from behind the group. He bent low, held it close to

their naked crotches, and was satisfied. The others crowded round to look as well. There was

general agreement that the foreskins were intact.” (AFB 130) Mumtaz just falls on feet of

both the brothers for their undaunted attitude against blood thirsty crowd and saving her

family’s life; which otherwise.

Dukhi and Ashraf are both good friends and of same age. On Ashraf’s request Dukhi

agrees to go to a place across the railway line where Dukhi can have good number of

customers. One morning when he goes to the yard he finds big gathering on his way, and a

cloud of dust rising while a bus passes through the road. He approaches Ashraf, tells him

about the gathering of crowd. Both decide to go to the place and enquire into the matter. On

reaching the spot they come to know that the crowd is being addressed by the Indian National

Congress Leaders.

The leaders are on the campaign to propagate the message of Mahatma Gandhi to fight

against the British. One of the speakers explains the crowd about the Hindu caste system to

which he claims ‘it as a disease.’ He says according to Mahatma Gandhi we must fight

against the disease of caste system before fighting against the British., “This disease, brothers

and sisters, is the notion of untouchability, ravaging us for centuries, denying dignity to our

fellow human beings. This disease must be purged from our society, from our hearts, and

from our minds. No one is untouchable, for we are all children of the same God. Remember
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what Gandhiji says, that untouchability poisons Hinduism as a drop of arsenic poisons milk.”

(AFB 107)

So long as Dukhi comes to Ashraf’s town everyday for his work as mochi (cobbler) he

travels long distance by some means of transport. However, the purpose of his going to town

is to avoid the unacceptable and inhuman attitude of the landlords of his village. But, this

vow weakens due to irregular transport for the town. This compels Dukhi to work at his

village and work in the fields. In his absence from the village he misses good number of news

and stories.

The news of partition does not surprise people, instead the tragic events of violence,

mass immigration; the terror of unknown future takes everyone by surprise. The days and

nights are drenched in blood, hunger and howl, fear and frustration, shouting and shivering,

well and hell, history and mystery, all came to see humanity to suffer in the hands of

politicians. The coloniser decides the fate of the people even when he is leaving the country.

It’s again a white man’s burden to depute a person from England to draw a line of to subsume

bitter enmity, between these two communities was invoked by their fiery speeches of the

political leaders before partition that add fuel to fire. It’s a heart rending scenes, bloodshed,

and riots on both fronts of the border. This resulted in mass movement due to panic. People

came under the situation of starvation as food became a rare commodity.

“Bread is become rarer than gold,’ said Ashraf. ‘What madness. These people have lived

together for generations, laughing and crying together. Now they are butchering one another.’

He did not work that day, spending the hours gazing out the door at the deserted street, as

though waiting for something dreadful to make its appearance.” (AFB 124)

This is a dialogue between father Dukhi and his son Ishvar about the changing scenario

in the independent India. Dukhi feels that the newly formed government is well aware about
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the evil in our society about caste system and untouchability. But Ishvar does not agree with

his father Dukhi. And in fact there is substantial truth in this statement. Ishvar thinks that the

problem of untouchability in our society can never be handled by the government alone and

he laments on the existing state of affairs. He agrees with his father that by profession he

becomes tailor from Chamaar yet he argues that as follows:

“Those things, yes. But what about the more important things? Government passes new

laws, says no more untouchability, yet everything is the same. The upper-caste bastards still

treat us worse than animals.” “Those kinds of things take time to change.” (AFB 142)

The mushrooming of slums or the colonies along the rail road is a peculiar phenomenon

that is being observed all across India especially in big cities where its population bulges day

after day and people find limited space for them to live. The life along the rail road is part of

journey of the people living in these slums. Rail tracks and slums are complementary to each

other – moving train on track and shacks – both establishes a mutual dialogue, a dialogue of

the journey of passengers and the journey of slum dwellers, a sort of companionship during

the journey, the meaning in life, temporality of life – finally the reality of life. Basic

amenities are minimum requirements; the poor fellows hang along the railway tracks in the

morning and evening. The uncertainty of the trains moving on the track is all the time an

undesired event for the person squatting and releasing himself / herself. Poor fellow Rajaram

laments to their fate:

“Only one problem with squatting on the rail,’ said their long-haired neighbour. “You

have to get up when the train comes, whether you have finished or not. Railway has no

respect for our open-air sundaas.” (AFB 169)

Om and Rajaram both are sitting on the rail track and relieving themselves and having

interesting conversation about the eventful incidences they encounter in their city life. One of
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them is a passing train in the mornings. At times a non verbal communication takes place

between the passenger sitting on the moving train and the individual squatting on the rail

track. This is a funny situation, enjoyable and irritating as well.

The glamorous life of big cities is very attractive for the outsiders. Besides, because the

existence of different types of industries, the working hands are always in high demands.

That is the main reason of emigration. People from smaller villages and small towns get

attracted and reach to the city for trying their luck to get a job and have a sustainable

livelihood. People like Rajaram, Ishvar and Om are here in this city of Bombay for these

obvious reasons. The city has plenty of opportunities in the form of jobs but getting a shelter

in the form of the room or a house is an uphill task. Rajaram opens his mind, “‘But

sometimes people have no choice. Sometimes the city grabs you, sinks its claws into you, and

refuses to let go.’ ‘Not us, for sure. We are here to make some money and hurry back,’ said

Om.’” (AFB 172)

Rajaram is in the business of collecting hair. City provides many kinds of such

unimaginable jobs which can generate sufficient money for one to earn his livelihood. Ishvar,

Rajaram’s colleague wonders if he can go to holy places like Rishikesh, Hardwar, Tirupati

and can flourish well. Commenting on this Rajaram educates Ishvar about this hair collection

business in these holy cities and tells him that Brahmins are the people behind this business.

Reacting to it Ishvar comment, “‘You don’t have to tell us about Brahmins and priests,’ said

Ishvar. ‘The greed of the upper castes is well known in our village.’ ‘It’s the same

everywhere,’ agreed Rajaram. ‘I’m still waiting to meet one who will treat me as his equal.

As a fellow human being—that’s all I want, nothing more.’” (AFB 174)

The novelist narrates the pathetic story of Kohlah family just after the partition. Partition

has brought great amount of miseries to innumerable families of both communities. It was
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one of the greatest human tragedies of 20th Century. The British had to leave India because of

its own reason and gives the same amount of turmoil and torture, if not less, after they

planned to leave India:

“But long before that eagerly awaited birth, there was another, gorier parturition, when

two nations incarnated out of one. A foreigner drew a magic line on a map and called it the

new border; it became a river of blood upon the earth. And the orchards, fields, factories,

businesses, all on the wrong side of that line, vanished with a wave of the pale conjuror’s

wand.” (AFB 205)

Maneck’s father, Farokh has the habit of enjoying the walks in the evenings down the

hills. He loves every bend on the mountain roads. The mountain landscape is so dear to him

that he almost talks to trees, boulders, shrubs and flowers, as one of his kith and kin. He

becomes gloomy and heart broken when his loving landscape is being virtually brought to

ground by the people of vested interests in the name of development and modernisation. He

laments and cries within for his lost belongings and his sad emotions compel him to

introspect into the past and try to assess the damage done to his near and dear ones (the Flora

and Fauna). There is a talk in the town about him, ‘Before long they began talking in town

about him. “Mr. Kohlah’s screw is getting a little loose,” they said. “He speaks to trees and

rocks, and pats them like they were his dogs.” (AFB 218)

Maneck is getting ready to leave his parents for higher studies to Bombay. However,

when his mother seems to be quite spirited and enthusiastic in the process of planning and

packing the items for her son, his father on the contrary shows least interest in this venture.

He is not happy the way his son is leaving them alone in their village. Maneck’s mother

thinks it’s better to leave him alone and not to bother him knowing the fact that he is worried

about his son’s affairs. Bombay is the long distance from her village and she initially thinks
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that distance has nothing to do with the separation but when she ponders her own case where

after her marriage the distance becomes a dangerous proposition:

Distance was a dangerous thing, she knew. Distance changed people. Look at her own

case – she could never return now to live with her family in the city. What else would he shun

after this separation? Already he was getting more solitary, harder to talk to and share things

with, always looking so depressed. How much more would he change? What things would

the city do to her son? Was she losing him now forever? (AFB 223)

On his journey to Bombay, Maneck makes acquaintance with a middle aged fellow

passenger and his daughter on train. Maneck starts talking to him in a very casual way;

during conversation he comes to know about the life of the man. He tells Maneck that during

last thirty years or so he changed many professions, finally he is happy with the present job of

proof-reader in the Times of India daily news paper. He narrates all his experiences of his life

during these years in different professions at various places with many persons in his

contacts.

“What can anyone do in such circumstances? Accept it, and go on. Please always

remember, the secret of survival is to embrace change, and to adapt. To quote: “All things fall

and are built again, and those that build them again are gay.”’ ‘Yeats?’ guessed Maneck. The

proof reader nodded, ‘You see, you cannot draw lines and compartments, and refuse to budge

beyond them. Sometimes you have to use your failures as stepping-stones to success. You

have to maintain a fine balance between hope and despair.” He paused, considering what he

had just said. ‘Yes,’ he repeated. ‘In the end, it’s all a question of balance.” (AFB 230)

The middle aged and experienced passenger is very philosophical in his approach

towards life, and that is what he tries to explain the young and inexperienced mind. He
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explains Maneck that at one point or other one has to cross the lines, that is, there should be

enough scope for flexibility in the life, rigidity is a sort of undesired and unwanted customer.

The job of proof reading takes too much toll on his eyes and one fine morning the doctor

declares him that his no more fit for the job of proof readers since condition of his eyes do

not permit for it. He narrates about the new assignment in the same organisation, ‘Because of

his position, the editor-in-chief was friendly with many politicians and was able to set me up

for freelancing, in morcha production.’ Seeing the question on Maneck’s face, he explained,

“You know, to make up slogans, hire crowds, and produce rallies or demonstrations for

different political parties. It seemed simple enough when he presented me with the

opportunity.” (AFB 231)

Maneck after leaving his home, lands in Bombay and settles in hostel of the institution

he joins. He finds it somehow uncomfortable on the very first day itself because the rooms

are not clean, doors and windows give a shabby look, dust and dirt all around him. When he

enters into bathroom and toilets in the morning he finds it really tough as they are in most

unhygienic conditions. Out of frustration he complaints to Avinash about all this who is a

hosteller, senior to him. Avinash explains him that he is new to this place and besides he

should not have expectations from the places regarding the facilities available to him in big

cities. He narrates his own story when he first landed in this hostel and found cockroaches,

cobwebs, dirty bathrooms and so on. Then he further makes him understand that he would

gradually be habituated and used to it. Avinash further says:

“The problem with you is, you see too much and smell too much. This is big-city life—

no more beautiful snow-covered mountains. You have to learn to curb your sissy eyes and

nose. And another thing you better be prepared for is ragging.” (AFB 240)
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Its morning time in the area of slum dwellers and the presence of police along with

buses surprises everyone over here. It takes some time to understand and realise the

intentions of politicians in power. This is the period of Emergency and the Prime Minister

Smt. Indira Gandhi is determined to justify people her whims and make them convince that

whatever she is doing or acting upon is all in the interest of the nation and betterment of

people of all segments of the society. Normally Prime Minister’s visit in our country is very

important and it becomes more important in view of Emergency. It is up to the local leaders

to arrange a large audience to listen to the Prime Minister. Therefore, the buses are there in

the slum colony visiting with the rays of day break. The police are on the job and they see

that all the residents are boarded in the buses. The monkey-man, however is interested to go

along with his monkeys. However, one party worker objects for the simple reason that the

presence of animals in the audience would give a chance to the opposition party to pass

sarcastic remarks, “It’s possible,’ said Sergeant Kesar, swinging his megaphone. ‘But it could

also be seen as proof of the Prime Minister’s power to communicate not only with humans

but with animals too.” (AFB 260)

This is the story of beggars in Bombay who spend all their lives on open spaces without

shelters, on the streets. There is a self styled Beggarmaster in every area of the city to control

and avoid the conflicts of interests within the beggar community. He is the controlling and

supervising authority of many departments vis a vis welfare, law and order, commercial etc.

Begging in the cities is an art and to earn more money one need to earn a great sympathy. A

person with normal impairment deserves normal sympathy. To be in the public gaze the

beggar need to have body of multitude deformities. Greater the deformities, higher the

sympathy, bigger is the game. So the Beggarmaster has a vision and devises new and

innovative ideas which he explains his new plan to his subalterns as follow:
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“They crowded around to look at the sketch: two figures, one sitting aloft on the

shoulders of the other. ‘For this, I need a lame beggar and a blind beggar. The blind man will

carry the cripple on his shoulders. A living, breathing image of the ancient story about

friendship and cooperation. And it will produce a fortune in coins, I am absolutely certain,

because people will give not only from pity or piety but also from admiration.’ The hitch was

in finding a blind beggar who was strong enough or a lame beggar who was light enough.”

(AFB 445)

The life of beggars in the big cities like Bombay by the sea has many twist and turns.

Theirs is a unique cosmos in which their lives move around like satellites and other

astronomical object around the centre of the cosmos that is hunger. One of the important

members of the cosmos, the Beggarmaster has following story to narrate:

Now this in itself had not been a surprise, explained Beggarmaster, for he had always

suspected it. “As a small boy, when he used to accompany his father on rounds, he would

often see her suckling a baby. Everyone called her Nosey because of her nose less face. She

was young then, about fifteen, with a perfect body that would have fetched a decent price, the

brothel-keepers had agreed, had it not been for the disfigured face. It was said that when she

was born, her drunken father had slashed off her nose in his rage, disappointed with the

mother for producing a daughter instead of a son.” (AFB 455)

There is hardly any bright prospect for a girl child in every society, except mother who

brings her into this world. The new born always remains in the protection of the mother. The

following paragraph is an indicator to such incidences:

“The mother had nursed the wound and saved the newborn’s life, though the father kept

saying let her die, her ugly face was the only dowry in store for her, let her die. Because of
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his continuing harassment and persecution, the child was sold into the begging profession.”

(AFB 456)

The Beggarmaster has got some more interesting story to narrate:

The child was not returned to the mother. It was more profitable to circulate him among

beggar women in various neighbourhoods. Also, strangers giving him suck found it easier to

display the utter despair in their faces that made for successful begging, whereas if Nosey had

the pleasure of clasping her little son to her bosom all day, it would have been impossible to

keep a spark of joy, however tiny, out of her eyes, which would have adversely affected the

takings. (AFB 456)

At times the company of Dina, Maneck, Ishvar and Om would have some lighter

moments as well. The life in the city always keeps the person on his toes since morning till

night. The same is with all these main characters of the novel. In one of such lighter

moments, Dina expresses her views in lighter notes about her three companions. She wishes

them all do good in their future but Dina would be absent in their memories:

‘Dinabai, I’ll bless your mouth with sugar if that ever happens,’ said Ishvar. “But before

there can be homes or shops for people like us, politicians will have to become honest.’ He

held up his index finger, crooked it, then extended it. ‘The bent stick may straighten, but not

the government.’ In fact, he said, this was his biggest worry – how would Om take a wife if

they couldn’t find a place to live?” (AFB 465)

‘Mathadi’ is a Marathi language term to denote a head-loader. In Maharashtra

the mathadis are organised under a welfare board, set up in compliance to the Maharashtra

Hamal, Mathadi and other unprotected workers (Regulation of Employment and Welfare) Act

1969 (Mahakamgar, Deptt. of Labour, Govt. of Maharashtra).

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Rajaram narrates his story of life to his friends how he started his business of collection

of hairs. He had seen many ups and downs all through his life. He never visited a place or a

colony twice for his business. He finds various kinds of costumers related to his profession

but he always is cautious of not taking any unnecessary chances to avoid the risk of being

caught by the public gaze. He finds that shipyard is a place where he can improve upon his

business. He narrates the story at the docks, “At the docks, mathadis unloading ships cheered

the exploits of the mysterious hair-hunter, convinced that it was the work of a lower-caste

brother extracting revenge for centuries of upper-caste oppression, of stripping and rapes and

head-shavings of their womenfolk.” (AFB 482)

When Ishvar and Om go back to their village Dina and Maneck left alone. One morning

Maneck and Dina having a chat about their missing partners and the joys and sorrows they

had together like within a family. Maneck hopes Om will get suitable bride and will have a

happy and peaceful life, Dina comments, “Oh, I know. But he may not have a choice. In these

arranged marriages, astrologers and families decide everything. Then the woman becomes the

property of the husband’s family, to be abused and bullied. It’s a terrible system, turns the

nicest girls into witches. But one thing she will have to understand it’s my house, and follow

my ways, like you and Ishvar and Om. Or it will be impossible to get along.” (AFB 492)

The Beggarmaster is leading the funeral procession towards the cremation ground. Dina

and Maneck both accompany him and Dina confesses before Beggarmaster that she is

attending the Hindu funeral for the first time in her life. She is full of anxiety and remorse in

her mind. On the way she enquires Beggarmaster about the religious proceedings to be

carried on the place. Dina’s queries reverberates the emotional chords and he becomes a bit

philosophical and says, “That’s the way I always feel after watching a burning pyre – a

completeness, a calmness, a perfect balance between life and death. In fact, for that reason I
 132

even go to strangers’ cremations. Whenever I have some free time, if I see a funeral

procession, I just join it.” (AFB 505)

On their way back to village, Ishvar and Om meets Ashraf Chacha and they hug him

closely as they are meeting him after a long time. Ashraf Chacha is surprised for not having

any reply from them when he writes about the demise of his wife Mumtaz. On the way to

home Ashraf explains them how his wife Mumtaz fell sick and died. It is a great shock and

loss to him after spending so many years together. The emotions just trickling out and Ashraf

is inconsolable. He talks to himself philosophically about the time he spent with his wife and

describes how it imparts its physical impression on the individuals; playing the game of light

and shadow all through the life.

“Time can be the pretty ribbon in a little girl’s hair. Or the lines in your face, stealing

your youthful colour and your hair.’ He sighed and smiled sadly. ‘But in the end, time is a

noose around the neck, strangling slowly.” (AFB 517)

Ishvar and Om enter the market where they find the crowd noisier than the usual days.

To their surprise it is because of Nussbandhi Mela, they further move and find a man selling

all kinds of medicine for curing impotency, male organ dysfunctioning. The man pulls great

crowd because of his interesting characters and well known tricks of the trade. He claims that

his medicine in an elixir prepared by the extractions of different kinds of wild animals and

reptiles which are mixed with natural oils and suppose to increase the virility of man. The

man has got tremendous sense of humour and gives appropriate answers to the onlookers:

“Does it stand, but not straight enough? Is there a bend in the tool? Leaning left like the

Marxist-Leninist Party? To the right, like the Jan Sangh fascists? Or wobbling mindlessly in

the middle, like the Congress Party? Fear not, for it can be straightened! Does it refuse to
 133

harden even with rubbing and massage? Then try my ointment, and it will become hard as the

government’s heart!” (AFB 525)

During the period of Emergency Prime Minister announces family planning drive to

control India’s explosive growth of population. As a result this matter is taken on priority

across the country. Local leaders and government employees of various departments have

been allotted targets for strict compliance. In order to fulfill the targets people are chosen

from various section of society especially from lower class and beggars. Nussbandhi program

is being launched with great funfair. During this campaign no arguments were accepted. All

male members face same kind of treatment irrespective of their age and marital status. It is

being observed in many cases that the person who already had Nussbandhi operation

becomes the victim. Under these circumstances Ishvar who himself is the victim reacts in this

manner:

“What to do, bhai, when educated people are behaving like savages. How do you talk to

them? When the ones in power have lost their reason, there is no hope.” Feeling a sharp pain

in his crotch, he lowered his elbow to lie down.” (AFB 535)

Ishvar and Om find their dreams shattered. Emergency brings in unaccounted miseries in

their lives. Young man Om who comes to get married falls in the trap of Nussbandhi

programme hunters; as a result he is no more worthy young man capable of marriage. Ishvar

on the other hand runs pillar to post to complaint the atrocities on Om. But Om, on the

contrary, curses uncle for his plan of returning home and getting him married. He thinks that

he was safe as long as they remained with Dina Bai. ‘Ishvar’s eyes filled with tears. “So you

are saying we should have stayed hidden on the veranda for the rest of our days? What kind

of life, what kind of country is this, where we cannot come and go as we please? Is it a sin to
 134

visit my native place? To get my nephew married?’ He could walk no further, and sank to the

pavement, shaking.” (AFB 540-541)

Maneck returns India after his stay in Dubai for eight years during the period of Anti-

Sikh riots of 1984 in the capital. He is totally unaware of the developments that have taken

place during past few years in our country. Punjab becomes epicentre of turmoil. After

Operation Blue Star and elimination of Bhindranwale in Golden Temple of Amritsar, the

Sikh community acknowledges this incidence as an attack on their religion and Sikh

community all over the world shows their solidarity. Subsequently, emotionally charged Sikh

body guards of the Prime Minister assassinate her. Thereafter, the Sikh community of Delhi

comes under the targets of Hindus. The government in power supports this vandalism and

encourages loot and arsenal in big way. More than two thousand Sikhs reported killed in this

carnage. Under these circumstances when Maneck, who is totally unaware of the existing

circumstances, comes out of the airport and looking at him the taxi-driver points out

Maneck’s beard and advises him to remove it at once since it could cost his life. The taxi

driver further narrates the horrible story of Delhi:

Maneck was touched by the poignant understatement. “She created a monster,’ the driver

went on, ‘and the monster swallowed her. Now it swallows innocents. Such terrible butchery

for three days.’ His fingers clenched the steering wheel, and his voice was shaking. ‘They are

pouring kerosene on Sikhs and setting them on fire. They catch men, tear the hair from their

faces or hack it with swords, then kill them. Whole families burnt to death in their homes.”

(AFB 582)

The taxi driver continues his talks with Maneck and expresses his opinion related to anti

Sikh riots and tries to speculate regarding the high cases of discussion further comments in

the situation and explains Maneck about the strategy adopted by the Prime Minister.
 135

“Aray, it’s the work of criminal gangs paid by her party. Some ministers are even

helping the gangs, providing official lists of Sikh homes and businesses. Otherwise, it’s not

possible for the killers to work so efficiently, so accurately, in such a big city.” (AFB 582)

Following is the conversation between Dr. Tarapore’s assistant Rangarajan and Prof.

Nariman Vakeel regarding global leaders in the countries like USA, UK, Canada... in the

hospital. In fact a person living in Bombay bears the brunt, in some way or other due to Shiv

Sainiks and their hooliganism. Bombay being a group of small fishing villages once has been

under the tutelage of Mumba Devi supposed to be an incarnation of Gauri (Parvati) for

centuries and now these sons of soil are in the run every where to change the name – Bombay

to Mumbai as quick as possible. Also every Mumbaikar wants to identify himself with

Chatrapati Sahuji Maharaj. The novelist writes,

“Shiv Sena in its inception waged a fight against the non-locals such as South Indians

and North Indians who have settled and dominating trade and business in various professions

especially in Bombay. Shiv Sena alleged that the outsiders are cheating the localites.

Thackeray's intention was to drive them out of Maharashtra irrespective of Hindus or

Muslims to protect the interests of Maharashtrians who are the sons of the soil particularly

from Bombay.” (Khare 141)

Mr. Rangarajan being a South Indian, is well aware of the Shiv Sena’s agitation in the

year 1966 against non Maharashtrians to drive them away from Bombay. The political stand

by this party is irritating and the outsiders feel that excesses done by the Shiv Sainiks are due

to lack of competent leadership in the organisation and this sentiment is well reflected in

Rangarajan’s speech.

“Nincompoops,” repeated Mr. Rangarajan. “that is too good, Professor Vakeel, I must

remember the word. But it’s more tragic for us, in my opinion. This five-thousand-year old
 136

civilization, nine hundred million people, cannot produce one great leader? How much we

need a Mahatma these days.” (Family Matters 54)

Nariman Vakeel is a retired Professor of English, ailing with old age complications and

whenever he visits his past he gets carried away by two female characters Yasmin, his wife

who is no more now and Lucy, for whom he is extremely helpless because after eleven years

long courtship, his parents simply rejects his choice on the grounds of her non-Parsi entity.

However, Lucy is inconsolable and life is really taking heavy toll on her. She expects

Nariman to remain sincere to her as well besides being a loyal husband engaging himself in

every aspect of married life. On particular occasion Lucy just waits outside the college gate

and tries to intercept him when he says, “Please. I have no energy to go through all that again.

And please, Lucy, for your sake and mine stop following me.” He tried to convince her that

he wished her the best in life. But he had responsibilities now, a wife, two children; things

could never again be as they were. (FM 66)

The youth of Parsi community is highly traditional with regards to his social and

religious customs. Nariman Vakeel, a well educated person teaching in a college refuses to

step out the boundaries of their customs, for a Goan girl Lucy with whom he had long

courtship. This attitude of the Parsi youth is highly deplorable. It is alright for them to have

courtship with the thought so far so good. Parents to certain extent agree to it. But when it

comes to marriage, gates are closed for the woman from other caste. It’s pity on the fate of

woman like Lucy who remains unmarried all for herself. Nariman is happy to settle with a

widow Yasmin that too with two young children, Jal and Coomy, finally, of his community.

Life in metros, especially like Bombay, is always demanding and challenging. There is

saying that Bombay never sleeps. No time to sleep, no place to sleep. Overcrowded and under

the pressure of human sufferings the faces have the similar expression till the destination is
 137

on the sight. The flood of river erodes the banks and tries to destabilises the soil structure, in

the same way the flood of people tries to erode the social and economic structure and the

banks can not contain the excessive pressure of water breaks taking water to unknown

direction, the flood of people over run every institution of the society-law and order,

judiciary, housing, education, safe drinking water, transportation. This exerts pressure on

already existing boundaries. Yezad is one of the faces in the city of Bombay out of million,

desperate to be punctual and reach his destination in his case is sports Emporium to be there

before it is too late. The sultry weather further deteriorates mopping crowd. Yezad somehow

manages to get out of the train and he finds...

“At Marine Lines station the crowd trying to get on met the avalanche of alighting

passengers. He pushed himself clear glancing at his watch- nine-thirty already-and mopped

his face. The air was a gigantic wet sponge. He thrust the damp handkerchief into his pocket

and waited to cross the road.” (FM 138)

The feelings shared by Yezad and Mr. Kapur the owner of Bombay Sports Emporium

about the state of their beloved city are similar. The militant face of Shiv Sena is genuinely

unacceptable to both of them but their concern for city’s pathetic affairs is very emotional

and “Besides their abhorrence for the Shiv Sena and its narrow parochial ways, they shared a

lament for the city they felt was slowly dying, being destroyed by goonda raj and mafia dons,

as the newspapers put it, ‘in an unholy nexus of politicians, criminals, and police.” (FM 151)

Vikram Kapur came to Bombay in the year 1947, the year of partition in his mother’s

arm, hardly six month old. The story of partition for everyone who crossed the border and

came to India or vice a versa is the same. The partition ment – loss of property, hardship,

blood, rape, violent cases of killing. Partition stories are endless. Still people go on narrating

the stories repeatedly and like Jews who had a terrible time during the period of Hitler’s
 138

ethnic cleansing in Poland, Germany and other neighbouring states. In fact, it is not the

people who speak about these stories, instead the pain and agony make them to speak, in the

words of Sigmund Freud ‘Beyond the Pleasure Principle.’ ‘It is well into his life as a

practicing psychoanalyst that Freud wished to come to a firmer theoretical grounding of the

clinical observation that people do not necessarily want to get rid of their suffering or their

symptoms. Against therapeutic efforts of all kinds, people time and again repeat, even cannot

but repeat, what makes them suffer. This is what Freud means by Wiederholungszwang, the

compulsion to repeat, situated, so he says, beyond the pleasure principle. To make it still

clear it is the collective consciousness of the sufferers being expressed in that way. (Vijver

The Mark…)

Yezad has no clue in fact what it means to be a sufferer of the partition except that, he

happens to listen innumerable stories and he wonders, simply fails to realise suffering of

losing any one or every one, he even hardly can think of becoming a great friendship turning

into bloody animosity in the form of collective consciousness.

“But Yezad’s silent criticism was always followed by remorse. He knew they had to

keep telling their story, just like Jews had to theirs about the Holocaust, writing and

remembering and having nightmares about the concentration camps and gas chambers and

ovens, about the evil committed by ordinary people, by friends and neighbours, the evil that,

decades later, was still incomprehensible. What choice was there, except to speak about it,

again and again, and yet again?” (FM 151)

Bombay has been known as Mecca of Indian cricket and historically at one point of time

the players of Indian cricket team playing either domestic or overseas matches belonged

mostly to Bombay.
 139

Young boys of the building really make hell of noise while they play cricket. The tenants

of ground floor get real treat of the youth. They are crazy about cricket as it is expected

however this game of cricket gets overshadows at least for some time when a sprinter from

India Milkha Singh just misses the Olympic medal in four hundred metre track event. It

would have been a big news because an Olympic medal in track and field event yet alluring

our country. Milkha Singh’s name became a household name overnight and this had

generated tremendous amount of excitement and thrill in the boys. He was nicknamed as

Flying Sikh due to excellent performance in this event elsewhere in the world.

“And the boys who live in the building were the kings of the compound, driving the

ground-floor tenants to despair with their games and noise. Usually it was cricket, which

reached frenzy when England or Australia where visiting for a test series. But in 1960, during

the Rome Olympics, they had abandoned cricket for a while and all of them pretended to be

Milkha Singh running the four hundred metres.” (FM 226)

Flower has great significance in this part of our sub continents and one of the greatest

gifts of nature to the mankind. The colours of its petals are magnificent and highly attractive

shades that inspire mankind to be positive and the shades of life must imbibe the colours of

flowers.

In our National freedom struggle literature especially the poetry played an immense role

inspired many youth to come forward and participate in freedom movement as call of nation.

Among many of the poems penned during the freedom movement one which impacted the

most is a poem by great Hindi poet Makhanlal Chaturvedi who wrote under the name ‘Soul

of an Indian’, composed a poem Pushpa ki Abhilasha (Wish of a Flower) “which concluded

with the desire of flower to be thrown on the path on which nationalists will walk to offer
 140

their heads at the altar of freedom. This poem of Chaturvedi inspired many young minds to

throw themselves into the struggle for freedom.” (Balmiki 85)

Women have natural inclination for them. There are various kinds of flower yet some

with fragrance and bright colours are preferable depending on the occasion, mood and time.

These features of flowers have economic aspect as well. Flowers’ market is a huge economy

considering their demands and uses. Like any other business, this commodity also has sellers

and buyers of every place and time. The flowers are being sold invariably outside the Hindu

temples, Dargahs and so on. The political parties of course have huge demand whenever there

is minister is around. At the same time small scale sellers in the forms of street children make

their living by selling flower venis in attractive combinations to the female customers in

different location besides temple – sea beaches in the evenings, market places etc. Nariman

and Lucy one evening find an empty bench facing sea their favourite spot. Observing them to

be potential customer a little girl approaches and pleads to buy one:

“They found a bench in a sheltered spot. Know the smell of rain was in the early-evening

air. The vendors of coconut water, sugarcane, peanuts had all disappeared. Only a little girl

selling flowers was still there, scurrying up as soon as she spied them. ‘Chamayli, sahab?

Chamayli for mem sahab?’ she pleaded in a high-pitched voice.” (FM 264)

Yezad at the end turns out to be a man of religion, keeps busy himself mostly in prayers,

reading holy books. He preserves a cabinet in his room exclusively devoted to the purpose of

his taste and devotion. He does not like anyone interferes with his personal cabinet. He hardly

has any social contacts now that keeps him totally busy in himself. “Here setup on a cabinet,

are framed pictures of Zarathustra and the Udvada fire-temple along with a silver model of

the Asho Farohvar, photographs of the ancient remnants of the Persian Empire, the ruins at
 141

Persepolis, palaces, fire altars, and royal tombs of the Achaemenian and Sassanian

dynasties.” (FM 461)

The novel presents a cultural history of Parsis. Anyone who does not understand the

cultural history of Parsis, will be deficient in appreciating the finer sensibilities of the novelist

expressed in this novel. A brief description of the cultural terminology dexterously used in

the novel is being explained as below:

“The term Zarathustra has being used many times in the novel was an important religious

figure in ancient Persia (present-day Iran and surrounding areas), whose teachings became

the foundation of a religious movement named Zoroastrianism, a tradition that would largely

dominate Persia until the mid-7th century CE, when Islam gained ascendancy in the region

after the fall of the Sasanian Empire, the last pre-Islamic Persian empire. Zoroaster is the

name by which this prophet is known in the west (Greek Zoroastres), which is an adaptation

of Zarathustra, the original name found in the Persian scriptures.” (Jousha Zarathustra)

“Likewise Udvada, ‘regarded exceedingly sacred by the Parsi and Zoroastrian

community, Udvada is a coastal town near the city of Surat in the district of Valsad. It is

renowned for the Zoroastrian Atash Bahram fire temple. Udvava literally stands for `grazing

ground of camels`, which was actually the town`s condition, prior to becoming a fishing

village. The Udvada Beach and the Iranshah or the Atash Bahram fire temple is the chief

attractions. Udvada is famous for Parsi food. You can try some great Parsi food in any local

restaurant. You can especially treat yourself on Fried Boi (Mullet Fish), vin-daloo fish curry,

sali margi or ghosht, Rava Sheera, Dhanshak, Macaroons and nan khatai.” (Gujarat Tourism)
 142

“Faravahar or Asho Farohar is yet another important term that demands clarification to

get into this:”

i. The figure inside is that of an old man, representing wisdom of age.

ii. There are two wings in two sides of the picture, which have three main feathers.

These main feathers indicate three symbols of “good thoughts, good words, and good

deeds,” which are at the same time the motive of flight and advancement.

iii. The lower part of the Faravahar consists of three parts, representing “bad reflection,

bad words and bad deeds” which causes misery and misfortune for human beings.

iv. There are two loops at the two sides of the Faravahar, which represent “positive

forces and negative forces. The former is directed toward the face and the latter is

located at the back. This also indicates that we have to “proceed toward the good and

turn away from bad.”

v. “The ring in the centre symbolizes the eternity of universe or the eternal nature of the

soul.” As a circle, it has no beginning and no end.

vi. One of the hands points upwards, indicating that there is only one direction to choose

in life and that is forward. The other hand holds a ring and some interpreters consider

that as the ring of covenant and used in wedding ceremonies representing loyalty and

faithfulness which is the basis of Zartosht’s philosophy. This means when a true

Iranian gives a promise, it is like a ring and it cannot be broken. Since, the ring of

covenant which located in the centre of the Faravahar’s trunk is the symbol of the

immortality of the spirit, it can be inferred that more human beings try to promote

their own Faravahar, more their spirit will be elevated in the other world after they

pass away. For that reason, ancient Iranians would never mourn at the death of their
 143

beloved ones, because they would believe that their spirit will be elevated to a higher

level in the other world. “On the basis of one’s Faravahar, everybody is responsible

for his/her own deed.” (The significance of the Faravahar or Asho Faroha)

Rohinton Mistry acknowledges, more than once, in his speeches and interviews that he

left Bombay for better academic environment and freedom to sustain his creativity. However,

a judicious study of his novels show that he was not comfortable with the politics that was

being played by Shiv Sena. He expresses his resentment through his characters like Vikram

Kapur (FM) Dinshawji (SALJ) who dislike and oppose militant activities against outsiders.

He is highly critical about the nexus between the politician and police which reflects in all his

novels. Betrayal-Syndrome is the reality that looms over the collective consciousness of Parsi

community of Bombay. The community always remembers their contribution to develop

small fishing villages into metropolis, can never be underestimated. The owner of Bombay

Sports Goods Emporium, Vikram Kapur is a Bombayphile, no less than Yezad, who comes

to Bombay in his mother’s arms as an infant during partition, refuses to buckle down under

the threats of unauthorised Shiv Sainik Tax collectors, who visits the shop in the absence of

Mr. Kapur.

“Balaji began shouting. I said how can I do a name change without the owner’s

permission, a name is very significant, success or failure depends on it. Gopinath whispered

in Balaji’s ear and he said we understand your problem, we can issue a special exemption.

Requires down payment of thirty thousand rupees, plus five thousand every month for as long

as you want to keep Bombay.” (FM 327)

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