Tuesday, April 24, 2007

a fine balance

One of the things that i appreciate about being a human being is the ability to tide over unfavorable conditions. We try to push dark, unhappy moments into the depth of our mind. While we glean happy, cheerful memories form amongst the lot. Afterall, these instances make us worth the life that we've been granted by providence.

A Fine Balance

-Rohington Mistry
Published by faber and faber, penguin

I read this book. Again. Probably for the fifth time. I'm not sure. A motivator in many ways, i was pulled into the folds of the book, this time too.

What struck or disheartened me the most is the manner in which the author ended the plot. Maneck returned home, after a long stint in Dubai. To attend his father's funeral. The father whom he had loved a lot. A mother waited for him.

He returns to see the country in flames. Sikhs were butchered. An aftermath of the assasination of Indira Gandhi.

He is dissapointed, that his parents sent him far-away to Dubai, though they never really wished to do so. He is upset that the aunty with whom he had stayed as a paying-guest, now had to to live off her brother's money. For the fact that the two tailors who had made his stay as a paying-guest beautiful, were reduced to begging. For his friend, Avinash, who was brutally murdered, in return for being a member of the Student-union at college.

Defeated, Maneck throws himself in front of a train. What about his mother who waited for that son who had promised to resign from the job at Dubai, and go back to her. She waited for her son to come back to the hills.

Are we so weak, that we fail to face sorrow? Don't we stand above all other beasts for this particular feature. That which makes us shrugg off melancholy. Inviting a fresh beginning, anticipating laughter filled days in our future. Waiting for warmth to envelope us again?

I still think, that our strength lies in we gaining knowledge from bygone, grim, memories. Enhancing our capacity to overcome similar ones with vigour, and finish this race with fulfillment.

8 comments:

Anand N. Balaji said...

I like your last paragraph.

mouna said...

thanks anand! :)

Srik said...

Hmmmmmm, what a sad story.

I will make a point here : Suicide needs courage...
"You know how much energy is needed to make a decission to leave the loved ones?", is what my friend said to me once, I had strategically defeated all her points about ending one's life himself. She kept quiet, and an year later, she died, she brought death on herself. Reason, unknown!!

Was she weak? Definitely not. She was a confident lady, confident of winning the whole world. Girl with energy, I must say. But why did she resort to such a 'coward' thing? She was not coward, I end up emotionally weak every time I look back at that incident. "Had she not done it...." "Had I called her that moment...." such emotions rule my mind every time I think of her and a guilt crucifies me.

I believe, they gain that 'energy' required to take such harsh decissions, with some negative terms. I call it 'Negative energy' after this incidence. Your last sentence summarises my emotions too. But...Her words still etched in my ears... "Wish I Had talked to her a day before the fatal thing..." :'( :'(

Anand N. Balaji said...

Yup buddy. It's no mean task to end one's life. If people think it's so easy to kill themselves, then why don't they try it themselves??? Lolllzzzz...

Taking your life requires a lot of guts and courage, just as living one does!

Manu said...

Mans weakest point is his inability to accept tomorrow, he is so engrossed in plans for his daily endeavour that he is not ready to accept something different that life might put him into.
But solution to overcome this situation is aptly covered in ur last para.....

mouna said...

srik,
i'm realy sorry. but consider this: u would have helped her if u could, alve? and u would have done a great job. cheer up!

anand,
thinking and performing is different, don't u think so?

manu,
afraid of tomorrow.. yes, that's so true.

Anonymous said...

I like the first para. it is very positive .it is the ideal way of life.
I have faint memories of having read somewhere that suicidal tendencies are genetical linked

mouna said...

neela,
everything brings us back to genes!! :D
i too have read abt it...