MY RESEARCH PAPER
ROHINTON MISTRY'S A FINE BALANCE
MY RESEARCH QUESTION ??
HOW ROHINTON MISTRY EXPLICATES THE ARTICULATION OF SUBALTERN ISSUES THROUGH THE NOVEL “ A FINE BALANCE ” ?
METHODOLOGY : NARRATIVE METHODOLOGY
ABSTRACT
In the current research status , the term ‘ subaltern ' gains so much relevance as it is used in Psychology , Sociology , History , Anthropology and Literature. The term is drawn from the Late Latin ‘subaltern us'. In Latin ‘sub’ means ‘under’ and ‘alter’ means other. Themes such as oppression, marginalization, Gender discrimination, subjugation of lower and working classes, disregarded women, neglected sections of society. Deprived classes etc are reflected in Subaltern Literature. The ancestral researches of subaltern refers to three marvellous thinkers : Antonio Gramsci, Ranjit Guha and Gayatri Chakravorthy Spivak.
Rohinton Mistry , one of the prominent novelist , who belongs to the group of post-colonial diasporic writers of second generation.
‘A Fine Balance' , second novel by Mistry deliniates the circumstances of India between 1975 and 1984 during the turbulence of the Emergency Period , a phase of expanded government power and clampdowns on civil liberties. This novel , which was set in Bombay concerns four characters from varied backgrounds : Dina Dalal, Ishvar Darji , his nephew Omprakash Darji and the young student Maneck Kohlah who come together to create a new bond.
The view of poor folks is that the worst condition of caste system will change after getting independence from the British. But independence doesn’t changed this situation and it became a shattered dreams of poor folks.
In fact , Rohinton Mistry's A Fine Balance attempts to portray a powerful vision on the State of Emergency between 1975 and 1977 as well as gruesome and adverse effect it had on the common man.
KEYWORDS : Subaltern , Subaltern Literature Marginalization, Gender discrimination, subjugation of lower and working classes, Disregarded women, Diasporic , Emergency period.
OBJECTIVE OF MY RESEARCH :
The Objective of my research is to analyse the situation of India during Bangladesh War and Emergency period. The Bangladesh War of Independence , in other terms, Bangladesh Liberation War refers to an armed conflict between Pakistan ( early times : West Pakistan ) and Bangladesh ( early times : West Pakistan ) that lasted for hardly nine months in 1971. Eventhough the war brought Bangladesh's independence from Pakistan, people has suffered a lot during these war-times.
The adverse effect of Emergency was experienced by Ishvar and Om , the two characters in the novel who became victims to almost all the aspects of Emergency and were reduced to beggary.
During Emergency period , in the name of beautification people were left, motionless and unsetttled . The slogan ' Nation is on the move ' is ironically represented. It deceased prosperity and advancement and people faced identity crisis and destruction. Mistry clearly assimilates that Globalization impinges Himalayan foothills which guides to ecological and economical imbalance. The shelter of poors destroyed due to the ‘Slum Evacuation Programme’, they carried all their belongings in a trunk, descending under its weight, going all over the city in search of a place to live in. They realize that even to sleep on a footpath which too is not permanent. . The tailors had to abandon their work for a number of days , because of the situation which are beyond their control. This reveals the government’s indifference towards the feelings and welfare of poor people.
Rohinton Mistry through his novel was well successful in illustrating the fact that “ War always brings death and destruction. We have to maintain a fine balance between hope and despair and in the end it's all a question of balance “
THEORETICAL BASE :
The theory that I am going to apply is “ SOCIAL REALISM : IN DICKENSEAN TRADITION “ . Social Realism is a term in which that describes the daily life of workers or inferiors. The term derived from Russian-inspired beliefs about the function of literature in revolutionary socialist society. Social Realism can be defined as a style of art , fiction , plays and movies.
The socio – realists in their works primarily focuses on common people , interms to reveal the tensions between an oppressive - supremacy force and it’s victims. Realism in literature , is a theory or practice of fidelity to nature or to real life and accurate representation without idealization of daily lives. Likewise, in this novel Mistry follows the realism set by 19th century novelist Charles Dickens. Rather than a prominent narrator, he was also a word stylist which is termed as “ Dicken's Style “ . His satirical writing style is special which adds beauty to his work. His works tells the story of needy people , bringing the issue of poverty and highlighting the social inequality of his country that gains reader’s attention.
REFERENCES :
Kapadia, Novy. ‘The Politics of Survival and Domination in ‘A Fine Balance’. The Fiction Of Rohinton Mistry, ed. Jaydeepsingh Dodiya. New Delhi, Prestige Books, 2001 Guha, Ranjit. Ed. Subaltern Studies, Vol, VII, Oxford, 1982 Schneller, Beverly. “‘Visible and Visitable’: The Role of History in Gita Mehta’s Raj and Rohinton Mistry’s A Fine Balance.” JNT: Journal of Narrative Theory 31.2 (2001): 233-54.