Week 2
Julia
Julia
Nussbandhi (176)-Nussbandhi is a vasectomy. This procedure was required from Ishvar and Om if they wanted to get a Family Planning Certificate/Ration card.
http://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20111008010550AADw7GL
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090306053446AA7kRNO
Lord Hanuman (191)- When Om is questioned by Dina about why I took him so long to get to the doctor. Om replies by saying “he was carried through the sky by Lord Haunman”. Hanuman is one of the most important personalities in the Ramayana . Hanuman was the protector of Rama and helped him to destroy Ravan (Devil).
http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090325130711AABOtLm
Partition (Pg. 219)- The Partition of 1947 is referred to many times throughout the book. The partition of India was the division of British India into 2 independent states when independence was granted to British India as a whole. The partition however, brought a lot of conflicts.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partition_of_India
W. B. Yeats (Pg. 227)- W.B. Yeats is the favorite poet of Vasantrao Valmik. William Butler Yeats was an Irish poet who was very interested in politics. His verses often reflected a pessimism about the political situation in his country and the rest of Europe.
http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/117
Papaji (Pg. 231)- Papaji is the name of the character that despises Maneck and Vasantrao, believing they are rude and ill mannered. The ending“-ji” is a respectful way to say an elders name, similar to “-bai”.
http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20091029083325AARtr1w
mike.ing17
Michael ing
Summarizer
POST 1
Ishvar and Om set out to learn about the workings of their new home, their small hut and village. The first thing they learn is that water runs only in morning, so they must not be late. They also meet Rajaram, a nice fellow who leads them around the village. He shows them where the villagers go to the bathroom, squatting on the side of the railroad, and helps them set up their new life. He introduces them to villagers that love around the village, and advises them on how to survive, including getting a ration card and cooking homemade food. They learn of his story, how he was a barber and now a hair collector, and is of low class looking to survive. Om also saw a woman named Shanti to whom he was attracted.
Ishvar and Om go to get a ration card, but are unable because they don't have a real address. The officer offers them to get a vasectomy, but neither one wants to. They leave angry, and meet a facilitator on the street who offers to forge them documents to get a card, for a payment.
While going home through a gap in the fence (a shortcut), Om and Ishvar are stopped with a crowd for not having tickets. They are taken to a parking lot where they must do 50 squats and then leave. They returned home and had dinner with Rajaram, who said the police raid must be due to the Emergency. The water valve worked at night, a rare occurrence, and people rejoice. They are also able to buy new things with their new money, and Ishvar is happy. Om still is angry, however, upset with their situation. Late at night when he goes to bed, he hears Rajaram with a woman and is jealous. His only happiness lies with the monkeys.
Om rents a bicycle for a day to follow Dina, and cuts his finger so he can "go to the doctor" and has an excuse. While following he gets into an accident with a rich person, who pays off Om and the policeman. With the money he has an enjoyable day, buying candy and sugar cane and resting. He returns happy, and tells Ishvar of his exploits. they return to the village and Dina prepares the home for Maneck who should come the next day.
Maneck arrives and tries to adjust; he feels great pity for Dina. He unpacks, they eat and then he falls asleep. The next day he awakens and showers, while Dina admires his strength and handsomeness.
Zenobia visits Dina and they reminisce about their school days and old friends and talk of Aban Sodawalla, Maneck's mother.
The next section describes Maneck's life and his family. His father had a vast inheritance which was stolen by the partition, on the wrong side of the line. Therefore the couple ran a general store that began to increase in popularity, selling a soft drink called KC (Kohlah's Cola) that was a family secret. Maneck grew up in that small town in the mountains, helping out in the shop and the house. The family had a gardener Bhanu and his daughter Suraiya who Maneck liked. Maneck was sent to boarding school, visiting during holidays. His father also had only one eye and an eyepatch, the other having been hit by a broken glass bottle. Eventually modern society began to take over the peaceful mountain life, with roads everywhere and trees cut down and industries cropping up, so that their peaceful life began to disappear. Rival businesses also began to appear with new sodas and powerful companies. The Kohlah's livelihood was threatened, so Maneck was arranged to go to college instead of taking over the General Store like was prearranged. He was not happy. The separation was also hard for his parents, who would miss him dearly.
The day comes when he is to leave, and Maneck sets out on his journey to city. He travels to the train and then departs, reminded of his first time on a train in his childhood. He meets three people, a father Papaji and his daughter, and a man named Vasantrao Valmik. Vasantrao talks to Maneck throughout the journey, and Maneck learns that Vasantrao was first a lawyer, then a chief proofreader, and finally a morcha, who organizes speeches and demonstrations.
At the hostel he met Avinash, his roommate, who helped him with the bedbugs and cockroaches in his room. They struck up a friendship, playing chess and other games, and he learned that Avinash was poor, at college on a scholarship, and was also the President of the School Union and Hostel Committee Chairman. Then one day there was a riot about the veg food having meat in it, and many students were upset and were going to attack the kitchen workers. Avinash calmed them down, suggesting that they protest to the Principal. They agreed and the protest worked well, sparking a drive for the students to improve all corrupt things in their college. New committees started and the process began, while Maneck was upset that he no longer was able to meet with Avinash. Eventually, two groups called Students For Democracy and Students Against Fascism gained power and silenced anyone who criticized the Prime Minister or the Emergency. Threats and assaults became commonplace, and people began to disappear. Avinash also disappeared, but he may have gone underground. Maneck is also subjected to a horrible ragging ceremony where he is terribly humiliated. Upset, Maneck writes to his parents, asking to come home. They are secretly delighted, but halfheartedly arrange for an alternative to be good parents. To their dismay, they get a reply for housing from Mrs. Kohlah's friend Zenobia, and Maneck is sent there. The chapter ends in the present, where Dina helps him with the worms. He notices how attractive she is.
1. Have you ever had some sort of confusion with authority or the government where you want to do or get something, and everywhere you turn is another obstacle, as with Om and Ishvar getting the ration card?
2. Seeing Maneck's home full of nature be overtaken by modern society reminded me of a book (actually a comic book) that I have read. Does this situation remind you of a time where modern society spoils or suffocates a place once beautiful?
3. The conditions in Maneck's room are repugnant. Have you every been to a hotel or stayed in a house where the conditions were disgusting? If so, please share.
4. Despite the gravity of the situation, Maneck is only upset because he can't hang out with Avinash as much. Have you ever felt such jealously, where life is really unfair to you and nothing else matters?
mike.ing17
POST 2
One morning they see 22 double-decker buses parked outside, which turns out to be a an offer to go see the Prime Minister, a gathering no one is interested in. They are offered five rupees and some food, and then are forced on by policemen. The drive for a while and are let off in an enclosure with a stage, where the Prime Minister eventually arrives. They are told to clap on cue and to at least be distracted quietly. Eventually she shows in a helicopter and people make speeches about how great the government and the Emergency is, and about how blasphemous other people are being, spreading lies. Eventually it finishes with the son riding in on a hot air balloon, and they all wait in line for dwindling food supplies. The food eventually runs out, and they aren't paid in full, so Om and Ishvar return unhappy, where they are let off far from their home and they have to walk. When finally they arrive home, they find monkey-mans monkeys to be dead, eaten by his dog, Tikka. He is very upset, and they resolve to go to sleep and comfort him, going to Dina the following morning,
Om and Ishvar return the following day, and explain the issue. They also meet Maneck, and he and Om strike up a friendship. Maneck begins going out to tea with them, and Ishvar stays behind to keep Dina company. Om and Maneck are the same age, and talk about all kinds of things, old lives, girls, and Maneck even takes him out to the movies. Ishvar wants Maneck to visit their home and eat with them. Dina doesn't approve of Om and Maneck's friendship. One day, Dina left Maneck in charge when she went to Au Revoir Exports, and he and Om horses around with her trunk of sanitary pads in the back. Dina saw when she returned and was very angry, yelling at both if them. They were shameful, and Ishvar slapped Om. Maneck later apologized.
Maneck was invited to dinner and finally accepted, to the unhappiness of Dina, but when Ishvar and Om went home that night they found that bulldozers were destroying their homes systematically, by order of the renter. There was a fight controlled by the police, and the people were given time to collect their few surviving belongings. They left to find Nawaz, but he was not in his old home, taken away by the police for supposedly smuggling. He was set up. They returned to the railway station where they set up to eat and sleep. They stayed there the night, but a policeman said they couldn't sleep unless he paid them, and later poured water on them as they slept.
The next day they went to work at Dina's leaving the trunk there for the day, and returned to the field to find no Rajaram, who they agreed to meet. Instead they returned to Dina's to ask to stay for the night, but she refused due to the landlord getting upset. Maneck was angered. The tailors wandered about thorough hotels and housing and spots on the street but found nothing, or couldn't pay, finally found a spot outside a 24-hour chemist shop with a night guard, they struck up a bargain to sleep.
They continued this commute with their belongings, bedding and trunk, for a few days, but Om's arm was getting weaker carrying such a heavy weight. Eventually, Dina showed some kindness by rubbing balm into his arm and also allowing them to keep the trunk in her home. They were grateful and returned to sleep, meeting Rajaram. He became a motivator to get vasectomies, and had a bicycle. He was happy, and tried to convince them to join him. They declined, and he left. Dina spent the night reminiscing about Rustom, with Maneck feeling despair.
1. What do you think about how Om and Ishvar reacted about losing their homes? Would you have reacted differently?
2. In Dina's place, how would you have reacted? Would you have been courteous and generous to the tailors right away? Or let them fend for themselves?
3. Maneck seems to be Om's saving grace, always having fun together and becoming great friends. Have you ever met such a person who seems to be the only sane person you can relate to, immediately striking up a friendship?
achangj
Chapter 4 Page 182
"While they were mulling over the incident, cries of joy went up near the water tap. It had started gurgling! And so late in the night! People watched the spout, holding their breath. A few drops dribbled out. Then a little stream. They cheered it like a winning racehorse as it gathered strength, gushing full and strong. A miracle!"
-What is the significance to the fact that water flowing at an irregular time of day caused an uproar at the slum? Notice Mistry"s use of exclamation points, rare bits of added emphasis from the author.
Chapter 4/ Page 189
"A man in an ochre-coloured safari suit, snuggled in the back of the car, fished out his wallet. He passed the policeman some money, then beckoned his chauffeur to the window. The chauffeur put something in Om's hands."
-What do the actions of the man in the suit, the chauffeur, and the policeman speak about the policies in India?
Chapter 5/ Page 218
"We must strike back," said Maneck. "We should also advertise-give out free samples like them. If they want to use hard sell, we do the same." "Hard sell?" said Mr. Kohlah disdainfully, "What kind of language is that? Sounds absolutely undignified. Like begging. These big companies from the city can behave like barbarians if they want to. Here we are civilized people."
-What do Mr. Kohlah's perverse beliefs speak about his personality? How do they contrast with Maneck's beliefs? Why would Mr. Kohlah choose to keep things the way they are?
Chapter 5/ Page 228
"You have to maintain a fine balance between hope and despair." "In the end, it's all a question of balance."
-What is the thematic importance of this quote? Are there ironic undertones in this quote? Why would the author choose to title this novel "A Fine Balance"?
achangj
Chapter 5/ Page 239
"The news spread, about the bastard caterer who was toying with their religious sentiments, trampling on their beliefs, polluting their beings, all for the sake of fattening his miserable wallet."
-Is money the sole reason for the caterer's duplicity? What do the actions of the caterer say about the people of India as a whole, or are the caterer's actions not a representative of the masses?
Chapter 6/ Page 264
"Oh, we are twice blessed today in this meeting!" the man sang into the microphone. "The Prime Minister on stage with us, and her son in the sky above us! What more could we ask for?"
-Do the comments of the man on the stage represent those felt by the audience members? Propaganda?
Chapter 7/ Page 289
"You are the son of Farokh and Aban Kohlah. There is a difference, and you cannot pretend there isn't -their community, their background." "But Mummy and Daddy wouldn't mind," he said, trying to explain he hadn't been brought up to think this way , that his parents encouraged him to mix with everyone.
-What do Dina's opinions about the tailors say about her beliefs? Why are Maneck's opinions different from Dina's?
Chapter 8/ Page 295
"With the Emergency, everything is upside-down. Black can be made white, day turned into night. With the right influence and a little cash, sending people to jail is very easy."
-Could this statement be foreshadowing a bleak, imminent future for India?
stephie1296
Post#1
1. Why is Rajaram treating Ishvar and om so kindly? Do you think there are any ulterior motives behind his altruism?
2. Do you think that people like ishvar and om realize why the vasectomies are being carried out? How differently do you think they would feel with/without this knowledge?
3. What seems to be Dina's true relationship with Aban Kolah? How does Maneckk's mother seem to perceive Dina?
4. What are some similarities within the past lives of om and Maneck? How do you think this impacted their lives?
5. Why do you think that Maneck has to associated himself with the political movements? What does this say about his character?
6. What is the cause for Dina and Maneck's sexual attraction toward each other?could their current circumstances be having an impact
Julia
Namaskaar (Pg. 255) - This is said by Rajaram. Namaskaar is to bow with reverence or pay homage.
Twenty-Point Programme (Pg. 257) - This is the program launched by the Prime Minister in the book. The objective of the program was to eradicate poverty and to improve the quality of life of the poor and the under privileged population of the country. eradicate poverty and to improve the quality of life of the poor and the under privileged population of the country.eradicate poverty and improve the standard of living of the poor and underprivileged population of the country.
Tamasha (Pg. 257) - Rajaram calls the government meeting a “tamasha”. A Tamasha is usually a special where there is music, dancing, and entertainment. This may be Rajaram poking fun of the government’s meeting.
Vanaspati (Pg. 289) - Vanaspati is associated with poor people by Maneck. Vanaspati is a hydrogenated vegetable fat commonly used in India as a substitute for butter.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/vanaspati
Jhopdi (Pg. 298) - The government prohibited the tailors from putting up any jhopdis or they will be put in jail. A jhopdi is a hut.
http://www.bcmtouring.com/forum/photography-f17/results-sony-hx100v-t39218/
Bilkool (Pg.303) - Bilkool is another commonly used phrase throughout that book. The word Bilkool translates to “completely correct”.
http://www.proz.com/kudoz/hindi_to_english/poetry_literature/2598002-bilkool.html
stephie1296
Discussion Director-Stephanie Seo
Post #2
1. What larger meaning could the murder of the monkeys have regarding the realities of the people’s situations?
2. Why do the boys make up stories about their sexual encounters? What do these encounters represent for them?
3. What does the sanitary pad incident say about Maneck? What gave him and Om the courage to venture into Dina’s belongings?
4. Why do you think Dina disapproves of the relationship between Maneck and Om? Is she afraid of something happening?
5. How has corruption shaped their society? How would their lives be different if it were limited, or didn’t exist?
6. Why did Ishvar and Om refuse to join Rajaram in promoting vasectomies? Would you have made the bargain in exchange for better living conditions?Enter code here...Enter code here...
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