CHAPTER - II

TALES FROM FIROZSHA BAAG: A DOCUMENT OF

Man’s social life is the inexhaustible source of literature and art and is

incomparably richer and livelier in content. No wonder that people have a craving for

both the aspects - life and literature/art - the lived and reproduced and revealed.

Revolutionary literature and art thus create a variety of characters out of real life and

help the masses to propel history forward. Most of the Indo-Canadian writers keep

going back to India for their writing material. Coming closer to their homeland is the

literal meaning of diaspora. But Makarand Paranjape feels that Rohinton Mistry is

different from other Indo-Canadian writers as “his two novels Such a Long Journey

and A Fine Balance are elegiac, not nostalgic in tone. They do not celebrate the

homeland but mourn its relentless and innumerable atrocities and tragedies (Paranjape

167).

Rohinton Mistry is successful in embracing the home and the Parsi

community. Mistry presents real life situations in his stories and reveals the innermost

psychology of his characters to reveal the social reality and cultural construct of the

society. Majority of his characters, particularly the major ones are Parsis, who belong

to lower middle class and middle class, and reside in Parsi apartments in Bombay. He

describes in his stories the incidents of everyday life and through these common

incidents he searches the cultural roots of this tiny religious community in the post

independent India. He represents the position of Parsi individuals in Bombay on the

basis of his childhood memories. His description is not restricted to culture and

traditions of the Parsis but also encompasses the economic, political and social
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changes. Though, all the major characters in his stories are Parsis, yet above all they

are human beings and possess universalized human values. Tales from Firozsha

Baag rejects this opinion that:

International Indian English writers live close to their market, in the

comforts of the suburbia of advanced capital but draw their raw

material from the inexhaustible imaginative resources of that messy

and disorderly subcontinent that is India (Paranjape 167-168).

In 1983, Mistry wrote his first short-story ‘One Sunday’, which won Hart

House prize for that year. Mavis Gallant remarked, ‘There is only one writer in this

contest, but he’s a real writer’. His second story ‘Auspicious Occasion’ won the Hart

House prize, the following year. “He has a natural sense of construction and language.

Even when he speaks he speaks in elegant sentences too” (Wilson 2), Says Alberto

Manguel, his friend, the author and critic. He is less equanimous about photographers,

particularly when they ask him to strike poses that offend his sense of dignity. “He

has no ambition to be part of any scene, but it would be wrong to describe him as a

recluse” (Wilson 2), says Ellen Seligman, editorial director of fiction at McClelland &

Stewart. Mistry loves good conversation at a small dinner rather than chitchat at a big

party, and he is an extremely gracious host with a dry, impish sense of humour. You

should hear him sing Scottish songs from Brigadoon – it is lovely. Mistry was always

grateful for the prizes, which he won, as the money makes life easier. To him to be

able to write, to get published, to get reviewed, and to have people read his books is a

heavenly experiences “He’s enormously disciplined” (Wilson 3), says Ellen

Seligman. A different opinion about Mistry’s personality confirms that he understands

life as a whole. The state of fame or state of oblivion does not matter to him. This is
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the reason that he seems to be the most authentic voice of Indian diaspora abroad. To

Mistry:

One of the beliefs is that good and evil exist in the universe in a

constant struggle for supremacy, and the Wise Lord created human

beings with the hope that we will choose the correct path and become

soldiers for good. But the choice is ours whether to vanquish evil or let

rule (Wilson 4).

The lines echo Eliot’s views:

The world turns and the world changes

But one thing does not change.

In all of my years, one thing does not change.

However you disguise it, this thing does not change:

The perpetual struggle of Good and Evil.

(T.S. Eliot The Rock)

The Parsis are considered an elite class in the social texture of India but the

pangs of being a minority community emerge repeatedly in the conversations and

speeches of his characters. The stories also suggest the voices of resentment against

the burden of worthless customs and rituals. ‘Squatter’ ‘Lend me Your Light’ and

‘Swimming Lessons’ explore the immigrant experiences of Indian Parsis in their

dreamlands where they are recognized as an Asian in spite of their Parsi identity and

the rest of the stories creep on time and space. The characters of these stories feel

alienated because voluntary exile hurts more than forced exile:

a mode of experience in which a person experiences himself as an

alien. He has become, one might say, estranged from himself. He does
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not experience himself as the centre of his world, as the creator of his

own acts. . . . The alienated person is out of touch with himself as he is

out of touch with any other person. He, like the others, experienced

things as these are experienced; with the senses and with common

sense, but at the same time without getting related to oneself and the

world outside productively (Fromm 111).

In Tales from Firozsha Baag, Mistry reveals the heartfelt experiences of his

characters through which he projects the inner and outer strife of characters that how

the community torn between the old ways of living and the new trends. There are

many characters in these stories that reject the set norms of age old culture and

traditions of Zoroastrianism. They exhibit their learning towards growing materialism

and modernity along with various other themes. These stories show how Parsi cultural

heritages or their love for culture and social traditions is shifting its paradigm from

culture centered people to lovers of modernity:

Understanding is not to be thought of so much as an action of one’s

subjectivity, but as the placing of one-self within a process of tradition,

in which past and present (self and other) are constantly fused

(Gadamer 258).

Mistry is aware about the facts that their identity is moving towards extinction

and the diminishing population is an alarming signal towards the survival of their

identity and ethnicity. There are seventy thousand Parsis in India, according to 2001

census. Madhavankutty Pillai quotes the Parsi demographer Kersi Limathwala about

the declining population of the community: “Though there are no definite figures

available at present, a rough estimate is that in a year there are one thousand deaths

and five hundred births” (Dodiya 16). Rohinton Mistry in one of his interviews said:
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There are only 1,20,000 Parsees in the world. So it is not a threat or a

delusion that they are on the verge of disappearance. What is 60,000 in

a city [Bombay] of 12 million? And it is when anything disappears

from this world, any a pity species, man, animal or insect (Bhrucha 43)

Mistry shows his concerns about the position of Parsis in the context to their

glorious past, their position in India and now in western context. He has a committed

agenda to elaborate the Parsi culture, traditions, customs and rituals through his

works. In an interview with Lambert Angela says:

I’m not a practicing Parsi but the ceremonies are quite beautiful. As a

child I observed [them] carefully in the same way as I did my

homework, but it had no profound meaning for me Zoroastrianism is

opposition of good and evil. For the triumph of good, we have to make

a choice (Lambert 7).

Some of the major characters make pungent comments upon the priests who are

generally considered the spokesmen of religious knowledge. Tales from Firozsha

Baag is a kind of mirror which reflects the changing attitude, habits and thinking of

the Parsis residing in India and abroad. It also reveals that superstitions and disbelief

towards their own religion which have crept in the Zoroastrianism. Mistry denies, but

autobiographical elements in his stories cannot be overlooked. It is clearly noticeable

that his characters grow up and the character that plays important role in one story

reappears in supporting role in another story.

The story ‘Auspicious Occasion’ was written after ‘One Sunday’ which is his

debut story. The title ‘Auspicious Occasion’ refers to Behram roje, the Parsi New

Year. It also indicates cultural fragrance and piousness. The story is the representation

of Parsi culture and tradition and the decaying of its essence. It represents the identity
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construction among Parsi, ethnic fixity, Zoroastrian religious customs and rituals,

their sartorial tastes, and food habits. Like other communities in India, arranged

marriages are very common in Parsis resulting some times even in a mismatched

marriage. That emphasizes the docility of a Parsi girl and dominance of Parsi male.

The bliss of marriage is shown through this couple in a Parsi family where having the

difference in their opinion and age both lead a happy life. It shows the strength of

Indian family structure as well as the strength of Parsi family institution. It is also a

worthy example of culture conditioning of Parsi but now the circumstances have

changed with the passage of time as it has become the community that has the highest

divorce rate in Indian society. It also makes a sarcastic remark on the incident when a

girl who is only sixteen is married to a successful thirty six years old Bombay lawyer.

It explores the status of women in Parsi society through the female character Mehroo

who belongs to an orthodox Parsi family where she observes:

All important days on the Parsi calendar, had the appropriate prayers

and ceremonies performed at the fire-temple, and even set aside a room

with an iron-frame bed and an iron stool for the women during their

unclean time of the month (3-4).

Mistry makes pertinent observations about an orthodox Parsi family where in the

name of purity the women have to keep themselves apart from the family. But

Rustomji allows Mehroo to follow all the orthodox customs of her parent’s family

except staying in a separate room during unclean days. The story at one level shows

the difference between orthodox Parsi family and a modern educated Parsi family.

But being an educated Parsi does not mean to be indifferent to Parsi culture and

tradition. Rustomji who pretends to be apathetic to old age Parsi culture and rituals

also enjoys all the important customs, rituals and prayers at Fire Temple. “He loved
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going to the fire-temple dressed up in his sparkling white dugli, starched white

trousers, the carefully brushed Pheytoe...” (4).

Whenever the Parsi males and females go to fire temple they wear white

dresses which symbolize purity. When Mehroo leaves for fire-temple, she is described

as “radiant in her white sari, worn the Parsi way across the white shoulder and over

the forehead….When she returned from the fire temple her sari would become the

storage of the fragrance of sandalwood absorbed from the smoke of sacred fire” (12).

On her way to fire-temple Mehroo took the H route bus. The various stops mentioned

in the story reveal Mistry’s love for his native land. Whenever Mehroo thought of

fire-temple she becomes nostalgic. She remembered how, as a child:

She would wait for her mother to return from the fire-temple so she

could bury her face in her lap and breathe in the sandalwood smell. Her

father’s dugli gave off the same perfume, but her mother’s white sari

was better, it felt so soft. Then there was the ritual of Chasni: all the

brothers and sisters wearing their prayer caps would eagerly sit around

the dining-table to partake of the fruit and sweet blessed during the

day’s prayers ceremonies (12).

When a Pan chewer releases a huge quantity of sticky vicious dark red stuff on

Rustomji’s dugli people make fun of him. They taunt and tease him and he reacts with

anger. “Arre you … ghatis, what are you laughing for? Have you no shame? Saala

Chootia spat paan on my dugli and you think that is a fun?” (17). The people reply in

tit for tat way and when the mob becomes furious all his anger vanishes away. He

calls native people ‘ghatis’ but when they supersede him then he takes narrow escape.

The scene makes a comment on the status of Parsis in the Indian society. They are

called ‘bawaji’. The reaction of the people reflects humiliation and suffering of being
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marginalized. His dress is his Parsi identity and its spoiling becomes the cause of his

marginalization even within his own marginalized community. It is important to note

that the actual cause of his sufferings on the occasion is not so much his Parsi identity

but the rude behaviour of his own people. When Mehroo returns home, she compares

his paan stained dugli with murdered Dastur Dhunjisha’s dugli.

Mehroo herself sweeps and mops because she would decorate the entrance of

her flat with coloured chalk, hang up the tohrun and spread the fragrance of loban in

her flat. But the maid does not come in time and she does not wish to change the order

because she thinks it an ill omen to skip or change the order of these prescribed things

to observe such festivals as Behram roje. She cooks dhandar-paatyo and saliboti

special Parsi cuisine for the special occasion. For Mehroo Behram roje is a special

day as:

on Behram roje her mother had given birth to her at the Awabai Petit

Parsi Lying-In Hospital; it was also the day her navjote had been

performed at the age of seven, when she was confirmed a Zoroastrian

by the family priest, Dustoor Dhunjisha; and finally, Rustomji had

married her on Behram roje fourteen years ago, with feasting and

celebration continuing into wee hours of the morning (4).

For Mehroo it is desirable to celebrate Behram roje in this conventional way. But

Rustomji has a different opinion because he thinks that all these customs are dead and

meaningless. Even the children do not like the traditional Parsi foods. Mehroo, a firm

believer of Parsism, has been visiting the fire temple from her school days. She used

to offer a sandalwood stick and deposit it in the silver tray in the inner sanctuary of

fire temple. Dastur Dhunjisha would treat her as his own daughter and always greet

her with a hug and she also enjoyed the motherly touch. But on the other side
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Rustomji blames him as a hypocrite who loves to touch and feel women and drive

more pleasure in hugging and squeezing the younger and fleshier women. As if it is

not enough, he also alleges him for exchanging lewd remarks between lines of prayer.

Mistry seems to be engaged in an act of externalization and adjustment in the society:

The artist [says Freud] is originally a man who turns from reality

because he cannot come to terms with the demand for the renunciation

of instinctual satisfaction as it is first, made and who then in phantasy-

life allows full play to his erotic and ambitious wishes. But he finds a

way to return from this world of phantasy back to reality; with his

special gifts, he moulds his phantasies into a new kind of reality, and

men concede them as a justification as valuable reflections of actual

life. Thus by a certain path he actually becomes the hero, king, creator,

favourite he desired to be, without the circuitous path of creating real

alteration in the outer world (Wellek 82).

It seems once again that Rustomji does not believe in his religion from the core of his

heart and he observes the customs and rituals for the sake of formality. All these

episodes support the view that religious devotion is decaying among the Parsis.

Although, he prays to God yet he nurses the cheap and obscene desire to have a

glimpse of the the breast nipples of Gajra, their maid servant. He asserts, “Dada

Ormuzd, just once let me see them, only once” (10). The story reflects the inner

struggle of the minority community in the Hindu dominated society whether to accept

or reject the old system.

The sense of wee consciousness and brotherhood is highlighted at many

stances in the story. When Mehroo requests to Baag trustees, “Bawa, you are a Parsi

too, you know how very important Behram roje is’ and he said he understands, he
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will have the WC repaired today” (11). The diminishing population may be the cause

behind wee consciousness among Parsis. These are the reflections of ethnic enclosure

in this small community. They have a specific attachment toward their hegemonic

group. The reaction of Rustomji on Dastur Dhunjisa’s murder, “What is happening in

the world I don’t know? Parsi killing Parsi … chasniwalla and dustoor…” (20). But

the traits of human behaviour supersede this wee consciousness. The murder itself is a

heinous crime and as Mehroo listened “….stabbed in the back….” (15), reveals the

lack of mutual faith and symbolizes cheating and double cross even in a community

which is considered true and honest. The place like fire temple has been changed into

murder place and auspicious occasion of Behram roje has turned into mourning day as

Dustoor Kotwal announced “All prayers and ceremonies scheduled for today have

been cancelled, except the prayers for the dead” (14).

The author also focusses on the changing attitude and mentality of the Parsis.

The proverb “Parsi, thy name is charity” has lost its meaning now because the

protagonist of the story Rustomji has decided long ago, “…. that this was no country

for sorrow or compassion or pity – these were worthless and, at best, inappropriate”

(8). Mistry presents the realistic picture of changing attitude and psychology of people

not only outwardly but at the inner level also. It becomes the true representation of

day to day life in a particular city like Bombay in general and the true picture of

decaying Parsi values. The story’s focus is on the various disasters that take place on

Behram roje. The miserable state of Firozsha building, the stinking lavatory, and

leaking ceiling, peeling paint and falling plasters are the indicators of the time present

scheme where the chief male protagonist Rustomji :

picked up The Times of India and settled in his easy chair, waiting for

the bath water to boil. Something would have to be done about the
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peeling paint and plaster; in some places the erosion was so bad, red

brick lay exposed (7).

The story moves back

these flats had been erected in an incredibly short time and with very

little money. Cheap materials had been used, and sand carted from

nearby Chaupatty beach had been mixed in abundance with

substandard cement (7).

And again:

Now during the monsoon season beads of moisture trickled down the

walls, like sweat down a coolie’s back, which considerably hastened

the crumbling of paint and plaster(7).

The falling plaster symbolizes the decaying of the Parsi community. They are

gradually losing their identity. As they have spread and scattered all over the world

and are unable to follow their tradition, ritual and customs. The lack of unity is seen

when tenants replastered and painted their flat excluding Rustomji. He refuses to pay

his share for painting the exterior part of A Block: “The building had acquired an

appalling patina of yellow and grey griminess” (6). The colour “yellow” and “grey”

indicate death and decay. Thus the building becomes a symbol. With the help of

Nariman Hansotia the building regained its identity, associated with the rebirth of

Parsi identity.

“One Sunday” is the first story written by Mistry that was not intended to

write as a part of the anthology Tales from Firozsaa Baag. He wrote this story for

Canadian Hart House literary contest and won the first prize. Mistry highlights the
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social and financial conditions of Parsis in India at the same time foregrounds the

theme of alienation and unbelongingness through his characters who are the

inhabitants of Firozsha Baag. He presents the mundane life of Parsis who are

generally assumed elite by people. All the Parsis do not have any elite status in the

society. The writer very realistically depicts the life of Parsis in the metropolitan city

like Bombay which is the centre of Parsi activities in the world. The story unearths

much information about the shrinking marginalized community but at the same time it

also focuses that there are some people who are more marginalized and subaltern in

comparison to them. The incidents described in the story reveal the attitude of

adolescent Parsis as well grown up people in the rat race of life. The characterization

is used as a powerful tool to expose the typical human psychology.

The story makes a commentary on middle class Parsi families and their way of

living. It highlights the economic and social conditions of these people at one hand

and the human behaviour on the other to portray life in its real terms. The author

observes and depicts the absurdities and problems of daily life with marked realism.

He deals with the problem of immigration artistically, that how the children migrate to

get affluents leaving their elders behind to be on their own. It is a revelation of food

habits and social mannerism of Indian Parsis along with their likes and dislikes. “One

Sunday” projects their behaviour with other castes, classes and categories of people. It

exposes the psychology of various characters with their inner as well as outer

qualities. Francis is a Christian as the name suggests but the sole employment of

Francis is to provide services to the inhabitants of Firozsha Baag. It is aptly suggested

that professions are not based on religion and Christians are more alienated in Indian

society.
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The author peeps into the psychology of adolescent characters such as Dolly,

Vera, Pesi, Percy Boyce, Kersi Boyce, and Jahangir, the Bulsara Bookworm. The

story describes class discrimination not only in grown ups but children also in a very

pathetic manner, “Facncis … Disappointed when Kersi did not notice him.” When

Kersi and Percy Boyce go in Tar Gully behind Francis to catch him; some of the local

residents pass hurting comment upon them, “Parsi bawa ji! Cricket at night? Parsi

bawaji! What will you hit boundary or sixer?” (35). In this way, the series of incidents

rip off the layers of human behaviour and reveal the painful reality of discrimination

against the Parsi community. Francis symbolizes the position of the underdog of

society, who has to struggle, as:

Struggle [which] is an essential counter part of political and economic

struggle. Since cultural hegemony continues to play a invaluable role

in the production of subjects who are compliant toward the economic

and political domination of internal as well as external colonialism,

and since it legitimates the acceptance of one mode of life and the

exclusion-or extermination-of others, the function of cultural criticism

and struggle is to contest continually the binary oppositions on which

such legitimation is founded (Mohmmed 6).

The game of cricket has been associated with Parsi identity in India which symbolizes

their elite status and gentlemanship. Kersi’s father teaches him how to play cricket

and it become Kersi’s passion very soon. Here the ‘bat’ becomes powerful symbol of

empirical game and eliteness. It becomes the hallmark of Parsism in modern time and

close association to Company Raj. Thus, cricket, dresses, and foods are the signs and

symbols of cultural construct.

The aroma of Parsi food pupeta-noo-goose and dhandar-paatyo appeals to the

senses. The Boyce family eats beef and collects its weekly stock at one time.

Tehmina’s fondness for “Chilled Lemonade” and “Scotch and Soda” reveals their

taste and food habits. Refrigerator is used here as an apt symbol of community living

and mutual co-operation among Parsis that fulfills the requirement of residents of

Firozsha Baag. Najamai the sole owner of the refrigerator in the Baag indicates the

economic condition of the Parsis. The author reveals ‘the give and take’ attitude of

people in modern times through the behaviour of his characters. Mistry unearths the

depth of human psychology to point out that necessity is an effective cause of social

harmony.

The autobiographical touch is given to the story, where Kersi resemble Mistry

and Percy resembles Mistry’s younger brother, Cyrus. Kersi along with his father and

Firozsha baag friends play cricket at the Marine Drive maidaan on Sunday mornings.

It is Rustomji, who does not allow boys to play in the compound. With the passage of

time Percy loses interest in cricket and it is replaced by aeroplanes, model kits and

Biggles books, Kersi used his bat for killing rats. It is because of Jehangir, The

Bulsara Bookworm, Pesi paadmaroo is sent to boarding school. The characters of

Jehangir and Pesi are elaborated in the coming tales, as the tales are inter-connected.

Eroticism is the intrinsic part of the narrative:

Najamai’s daughters had gone abroad, they took with them the

youthful sensuality that once filled the flat, and which could drive

Kersi giddy with excitement on a day like this, with no one home, and

all before him the prospect of exploring Vera and Dolly’s bedroom,

examining their undies that invariably lay scattered around, running his

hands through lacy frilly things, rubbing himself with these and, on
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one occasion, barely rescuing them a sticky end. Now, exploration

would yield nothing but Najamai’s huge underclothes (29).

Another erotic narration occurs, when Francis steals eighty rupees from Najamai’s flat

and makes a narrow escape toward the Tar Gully. Kersi and Percy with their bat are in

search of the culprit. They come across ghatis, who are waiting for the final Matka

draw to decide their destinies. The ghatis are mentioned in ‘Auspicious Occasion’.

After seeing the cow in the Tar Gully Kersi’s erotic image swayed in front of him and

he recollects how one morning:

When the daughter was milking the cow and a young man was

standing behind her seated figure. He was bending over the girl,

squeezing her breasts with both hands. . . .He thought of Najamai’s

daughters, the rat in the bedroom, Vera’s near-nude body, his

dispossessed fantasy (36).

Often the tumult arises out of a sexuality and eroticism only acknowledged by the

male characters. The repressed sexual feelings in the minds of old male protagonist

Rustomji, as well as adolescent Kersi are exploited freely, hence presents a bias in

which women are neglected or deny their sexuality and only seems serving sexual and

procreative needs of man though in fantasies.

“The Ghost of Firozsha Baag” is a multi-dimensional story, as it is a

commentary on Parsi culture and social traditions made by a non-Parsi narrator,

Jacqueline, the ayah. The narrator of the story, Jaakaylee as her name is

mispronounced in the story narrates each and every incident in detail about the Parsi

family in which she has been working as ayah for more than fifty years. She is a

Catholic Christian who is wholeheartedly devoted to her religion and makes

observations about Parsi Zoroastrianism with objectivity and psychological

detachment. She tells about the life of Parsis inside as well as outside the Parsi home.

The story puts off one layer after another of human psychology and behaviour in the

words of an illiterate ayah as a narrator who speaks in a straight forward manner

about the different issues. The treatment of supernatural elements and superstitions

among the Parsis is the major content of the story. Here Mistry also deals with the

theme of displacement and exile within the country for people in search of

employment. Living in exile is believed to be a great loss:

Exiles or emigrants or expatriates are haunted by some sense of loss,

some urge to reclaim, to look back, even at the risk of being mutated

into pillars of salt. But if we do look back, we must also do so in the

knowledge – which gives rise to profound uncertainties – that our

physical alienation from Indian almost inevitably means that we will

not be capable of reclaiming precisely the thing that was lost: that we

will, in short, create fictions, not actual cities or villages, but invisible

ones, imaginary homelands, Indias of the mind (Rushdie 78).

The narrator herself is a ghost seer and firm believer in the existence of ghosts from

her very childhood. She recalls each and every incident about her childhood related to

her father, Cajetan and ghosts of Goa. The narrator uses Hindi, Parsi and Konkani

words in the story which give a realistic touch to it. According to some post-colonial

critics language is power, power language. How the words change their pronunciation

when they are used by the speakers of other languages ‘easy chair’, ‘igeechur’ French

beans was ferach beech and Jacqueline became Jaaykalee. It is common in all old

Parsis and they make their own private language. However, the narrator is an illiterate

ayah even then she feels the pangs of displacement from Goa to Bombay. But she

reconcile to all this with finding a job in Bombay. Diasporic writers use their native

language in their writings. The characters speak in their mother tongue. There may be
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frequent use of words, through which one come to know wherefrom has an individual

shifted. Language is considered to be the identity of a person as Halliday defines:

Language creates reality and therefore its categories of content cannot

be defined, since we could define them only by relating them to some

pre - existing model of experience, and there is no model of experience

until the linguistic categories are there to model it (Halliday 10).

Jacqueline’s first encounter with bhoot creates sensation and fear in the

environment. But her employer and his wife do not believe in her story and called her

“Crazy” which shows that they are non believers in ghosts. The children of Firozsha

Baag also make a fun of her by saying, “SEE TODAY, at APSARA CINEMA, R.K.

ANAND’S NEW Fillum Bhoooot Bungla, starring JAAKAYLEE of BLOCK B!”

(47). Pesi the notorious son of Dr. Mody wearing a white bed sheet plays the role of a

ghost successfully to tease two modern girls of Firozsha Baag Vera and Dolly

daughters of Najamai. In this way the story creates an environment blending fun, fear

and supernatural element. The story also foregrounds that Parsis who have deep faith

in Parsi Zoroastrianism firmly believe in secularism. Due to their humane attitude, the

narrator appreciates their charity, secularism and non-conservatism. She makes a

comment, “I was saying it was very lucky for me to become ayah in Parsi house, and

never will I forget that” (46). But it does not mean that she is a blind supporter of

Parsism as at the same time she reveals the superiority complex prevalent among

Parsis:

Parsis prefer Mangloreans Catholics, they have light skin colour. For

themselves also Parsis like light skin, and when Parsi baby is born that

is the first and most important thing. If it is fair they say, O how nice

light skin just like parents. But if it is dark skin they say, arre what is

this ayah no chhokro, ayah’s child (46).

The ayah very honestly describes everything about Chartered Accountant and his

family as an insider of Parsi house but at the same time being a Catholic Christian

presents the Parsi culture and traditions with an artistic detachment and objectivity.

She comments upon their thinking, view points and opinions on various issues

frankly. Another incident which reflects their sense of superiority complex is

suggested when Parsi priest claims to have the most powerful prayers in comparison

to Hindu priest. “….Parsi priest has most powerful prayers of all” (54). The ayah

narrates the series of incidents how her Bai begins to believe in ghosts and organize a

ritual called Jashan to tackle ghosts. The illiterate ayha narrates the event of

performing Jashan and catches the greedy nature of the priest during this

development. The ritual is performed with great devotion and piousness to control the

ghosts:

Dustoorji was pleased, and he checked his Parsi calendar for a good

day. On that morning I had to wash whole balcony floor specially, then

dustoorji came, spread a white sheet, and put all prayer items on it, a

silver thing in which he made fire with sandalwood and loban, a big

silver dish, a lotta full of water, flowers and some fruit (54).

Besides the religious rituals, the narrator observes that the Parsi family is fond of goan

curry. They give preference to hand made masala in curry for its original taste. The

narrator tells the recipe of making curry and Basmati rice. Her way of describing

recipes creates sensuousness. It also shows the changing dressing sense among Parsis.

Though the conventional Parsi ladies wear saris but that has been replaced for ultra

modern girls of Firozsha Baag who have started wearing “high heel shoes” and “mini

skirt’’, the narrator makes a comment “Very esskey-messkey, so short I don’t know

how their mai-baap allowed it” (47).

The New Year’s Eve dances are very popular among the Parsis. They go to

cinema to see movie. The modern girl Dolly and Vera do not hesitate to see the night

show. The narrator, Jaaykalee makes an observation about the human behaviour when

she says, “very rich people, my bai-seth. He is a Chartered Accountant. He has a nice

motor car, just like A Block priest, and like the one Dr Mody used to drive… Bai says

they should buy it from Mrs. Mody, she wants it to go shopping”(47). It reflects the

economic condition of her employer but she further comments, “But a masala

machine they will not buy.” (47). It seems that the ayah as a narrator is selected

consciously because she appropriately fulfills the requirement of the author. The story

reflects the features of not only Parsi Zoroastrianism but imparts information about

Catholic Christians also. The characterization in the story is apt which helps in the

portrayal of real life in fictional world. When Dustoorji performs jashan in the house

of Chartered Accountant, he tells Jaaykalee to go inside because he thinks that Parsi

prayers are so powerful, only a Parsi can listen to them. Every one else can be badly

damaged inside their soul if they would listen. But when Bai the empoyer of

Jaaykalee is haunted by bhoot and she starts to think that prayers did not work

effectively that exposes the hollowness of such claims as made by the priest. So, she

decides to involve the ayah, a non-Parsi woman in a “little magic” with Soopra and

Scissors. She covers her head with a white mathoobanoo as the little magic require

two Parsis. It shows that the fear of bhoot (ghost) shatters the difference of Parsi and

non-Parsis in them and melts the borders of religion, race and class.

Mistry, undoubtedly reveals the life of Parsis, their culture and traditions,

rituals, food habit, celebrations along with their fears and mysticism. He presents the

views that human behaviour in all religions and faiths have some common features.

Our mythology and ways of worship may be different but the core of all religions
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remains unchanged still prevalent in Goa. Memory is again a powerful tool in the

hand of Mistry to reveal reminiscences of his narrator. The story highlights the

characteristics of Mistry’s writing style and carries his agenda to preserve the Parsi

culture and traditions. The narrative of diaspora is a reproduction of ‘self’. It is an act

of dispersal, a scattering, a flight and has to take root elsewhere and finally succeed to

present a composite culture. All representations and reproductions of the homeland

cannot be considered equally valid or invalid. Ethically, morally and literally

evaluations should be different and emancipated from global cultural politics. All the

diasporic writers justify their diaspora and their writing as Rushdie puts it, “Literature

is self-validating” (Rushdie 14). They construct the motherland “not as an area of

darkness, confusion, violence, but hopeless and doomed country which much be

rejected” (Paranjape 11). Consequently the narrative of cultural diaspora is trapped in

politics:

Diasporic representations of India can be harmful and misleading in at

least two related ways. First, they might end up usurping the space

which native self-representations are striving to find in the

international literary market place. Secondly, they may contribute to a

continuing “colonization” of the Indian psyche by pandering to

Western market-tastes which prefer to see India in a negative light.

Both these dangers arise not necessarily from a design on the part of

the expatriates to “sell” India, though the latter possibility cannot be

dismissed too easily. Rather, they are born out of the peculiar cultural

politics of the diaspora (Zedong 19).

“Condolence Visit” comments on the status of the followers of pre-Islamic religion.

Mistry presents every view of life in his fiction that portrays the human life in its true
63

colours. His characterization and narrative technique is apt and suggestive according

to the requirements of the story to present day to day activities of common Parsis and

reflect their real position in society. The author reveals human psychology through the

behaviour and actions of his characters. The old Parsi tradition is graphically depicted

in the story. The word condolence symbolizes the solace and peace for the family

members of demised, but it enhances the pain when people come without sympathy

and just for the sake of formality. Daulat, widow to Minocher Mirza has to repeat the

details of his illness. The traditions and rituals related to death in Parsi community are

elaborated in the present story. The term dusmoo, tenth day after the funeral which is

observed in fire temple and the ‘maosiso’ means a month after the last rite are

elaborated with their worth in the story. However, the people come to the family of

the demised person to share their grief and owe sympathy but here the story explores

the inner feelings of widow whose husband has died recently after a long illness. She

comments on condolence visits, “The worst of it would be the repetition of details for

different visitors at different hours on different days” (60) that multiplies the

sufferings of the family members.

Daulat Mirza does not show her insensitivity towards Minocher Mirza when

she defies such pseudo sympathies. She very tenderly nursed him during his illness

and when her nephew Sarosh, the Canadian immigrant brings her a portable cassette

tape recorder from Canada, she refused to accept it saying that “Poor Minoher sick in

bed, and I listen to music?”(60). But later on she repents upon her decision not to

accept that portable cassette tape recorder and that exposes the irony of human

situation. She realizes that how superficially people visit her in the name of

condolence and she has to give full detail of Minocher’s illness like a mechanical tool.

The development of story shows her attachment for her dying husband

Minocher. Here the situation is highlighted that she could not bear the visitors who
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come propelled by “custom and conventions”. Here cassette recorder symbolizes the

modern man and his insensitivity. The “R-button” shows his memory literally mean

Rewind and rememorize and “FF button” means “Fast Forward” expresses the how

people feel bored towards the sufferings of others. The button ‘P’ stands for “Pause”.

If you wish to stop the expression of someone’s sufferings then stop with button-P. So

the cassette recorder here becomes the powerful symbol of modern man who shows

his condolences only for the sake of social formality. The widow Daulat Mirza wishes

to leave Firozsha Baag to avoid these frequent condolence visits but she fears that it

would generate virulent gossip in the society. These customary visits highlight the

relative effect of pathos and sympathy for Daulat.

Najamai, another widow, resident of Firozsha Baag behaves like an authority

on the subject of widowhood and gives instructions on various issues such as death

and widowhood. Najamai objects why Daulat did not put off the lamp which should

be blown up, raises the question of the relevance or hollowness of rituals and customs.

She tells her that it is against customs but it is noteworthy that this lamp provides

comfort to Daulat. So, she supplies oil to it and keeps it burning against the Parsi

culture and tradition. The element of pathos and irony runs throughout the story that

exposes the futility of customs and rituals in the society.

Mistry uses powerful symbols and images to handle the delicate situation.

Minocher Mirza’s ‘Pugree’ becomes the powerful symbol of Parsi cultural heritage

like many other Indian cultures. The Parsis used to wear pugree on the important

occasion particularly on marriage. When Daulat decides to give it to a Parsi

youngman after the day of Dushmoo, then Najamai and Moti oppose it by saying that

it will disturb Minocher’s soul. In the changing times, the Parsi youth is leaving the

customs and traditions but the Parsi youngman tells them, “we decided to do

everything, all the ceremonies, the proper traditional way at our wedding in correct
65

Parsi dress and all” (73-74). It becomes a cause of satisfaction for them and Najamai

responds, “Look here, bawa, it’s very nice to hear you want to do it the proper Parsi

way. So many young men are doing in suits and ties… Like Dhobitalao Goan

wedding of a Catholic it was looking” (74). Daulat once again violates the social

norms of Parsi society when she gives Minocher’s pugree as a marriage gift. The

situation reflects how Parsi youth is under the influence of change. They have to face

its consequences also. Sarosh who is called Sid – being a Canadian immigrant rejects

to wear the Parsi Pugree on the occasion of his marriage. Daulat recalls her childhood

days and emphasizes her fondness for English music which is the common trait of

Parsis in India due to their long association with the colonizer. They feel that they are

very close to the English so they follow their habits and life style. Thus, the story

touches the various aspects of Parsi life, their culture and customs particularly related

to funeral and after funeral rites. Mistry highlights the hypocrisy and pretentious

nature of people through the behaviour, actions and speeches of his characters. The

story focusses upon the theme of belongingness and urge to break away.

Mistry, a keen observer of human psychology, deals with child and adolescent

psychology in his story ‘The Collectors’. He delves into the psyche of his characters

and reveals typical human nature and behaviour of the residents of Firozsha Baag. As

the title indicates, it revolves around the hobby of stamps collection but reveals the

various aspects of life. The story set in Firozsha Baag presents the view of Microcosm

of Parsi world and reflects the behaviour of residents particularly Mody and Bulsara

families. The writer foregrounds the psychology of adolescent boys in the Baag. It is

also the revelation of the hollowness of human relationships and human wishes.

The story presents the ironical view of Dr. Mody who gets respect and has the

reputation of a thorough gentleman, but has to face humiliation due to his son Pesi.

No doubt, people respect him heartily but they cannot tolerate his son to spoil their
66

children and provoke them to do wrong deeds. They complain to Dr. Mody against his

evil expedition to torment poor dumb and helpless creatures. Dr. Mody named him on

the name on “Peshotan, in the Persian epic, Shah-Nameh” (82) who was a great lover

of art, a noble general and a man of wise counsel. It also emphasizes that expectations

sometimes prove so tragic and futile as Pesi grows up to be just the contrary of what

his name suggests. Dr. Mody expects that his son:

Would play the violin, acquire the best from the cultures of East and

West, thrill to words of Tagore and Shakespeare, appreciate Mozart

and Indian ragas; and one day, at the proper moment, he would

introduce him to his dearest, activity, stamp - collecting (82).

The story reflects various colours of life with the keen observations of a story teller.

Dr. Mody who was an educated person and had the elite status in Parsi community

and outside his community also follows the practices of Parsism. He wears “White

Payajama”, “Sudra” and “a huge pair of Sapaat” at home. Mrs. Bulsara with her

mathoobanoo represents the conventional Parsi woman and believes in God to the

core of her heart. She occasionally asserts the phrases Khoedai salaamat raakhe and

Khoedai are great which reveals her deep faith in the existence of God and her

religion. Mrs. Mody does not like the association of Dr. Mody and Jehangir Bulsara

and intrigues them by stealing the important ‘dancing lady stamp’ successfully. She

thinks Dr. Mody does not pay proper attention towards his own son Pesi. But it is the

irony of the situation that ultimately she hands over all the stamp collection to

Jehangir Bulsara who does not keep these valuable stamps properly. The stamps

become the important symbol of faith during the story which ultimately turns into a

heap of wastage, “It was doubtful of anything of value remained in trunk” (103). The

episode of Eric D’Souza and Jehangir unearths the adolescent psychology. The
67

refined hobby of stamp collection provokes Jehangir to do such deeds which are not

acceptable in the society. It pushes him towards homosexuality and theft of stamps

from the Vendor outside the school. Another incident occurs when Mrs. Bulsara

observes that her son is not paying proper attention towards the stamp collection

handed over to him by Mrs. Modi “Do something Jehangoo, do some thing with

them.” (102). The boy does not show any interest in this matter again because she was

well aware about the adolescent psychology, “Jehangoo was at that difficult age…

when boys automatically did the exact reverse of what their parents said” (102).

When Dr. Mody dies, his body is brought to Bombay from Ahmedabad for a

proper Parsi funeral. When Dr. Mody first time came in the Baag he felt very happy to

think that he would live amidst of his own community as reported by Mrs. Mody after

his death. It is noteworthy that the Parsis follow their set traditions and rituals to the

great extent. The story presents another ironical view in the story. When the dead

body of Dr. Mody was brought, people talked, “Poor Dr. Mody never went a day

without a bath and talcum powder in life” (99). The irony of life does not stop here

but the story ends not on disappointment and lack of faith. Mrs. Mody hands over the

most valuable stamp collection of Dr. Mody to Jehangir keeping the faith in his

sincerity and interest but he does not keep her faith. The valuable collection of stamps

turns into waste. Actually, it is not the destruction of stamps but faith also.

“Of White Hairs and Cricket” is an interesting story, narrated by a fourteen

years old boy Kersi Boyce who is the narrator of many stories. It presents life from

the eyes of a teenager who is an insider in the Firozsha Baag. The title of the story is

very apt and suggestive and symbolizes health and joviality of life through white hairs

and cricket. The game of cricket which was introduced by the Britishers and has now

become the most popular game of the country is the favourite game of Parsis from the
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older days. The white hairs reflect maturity along with growing age so undesired that

these are called “the signposts of mortality” (107). The story presents the harsh

realities of life with the powerful symbol and images in this competitive world.

The story deals with father-son relationship, expectations of parents and the

sacrifices made by them for their children. The story revolves around the mundane

life of a Parsi family and shows a sense of belongingness. It is presented in a very

touching way how a father dreams about a successful future for his son. He desires his

son to be always tough and applauds his son on performing well, “Today my son did a

brave thing, as I would have done. A powerful shot was going to the boundary, like a

cannon ball, and he blocked it with his bare shin” (108). The bright future or dream

job thought by a father for his son as revealed in the story is to migrate to a Western

country as Mr. Boyce says, “And one day, you must go, too, to America. No future

here” (112). The assertion shows how much he was fed up with the corrupt system

resulting in unemployment, adulteration and black marketing. It isn’t easy to meet the

expenses of routine life for a lower middle class family but even then the father

assures his son, “Somehow we’ll get the money to send you. I’ll find a way” (112).

The tone of the narrative reveals the pathetic condition of narrator’s family which is

actually the representation of a number of Indian families.

The people pass their time in positive hope and day dreaming which points out

the vanity of human wishes along with their optimistic view of life. The father of the

narrator boy checked classified pages of The Times of India Sunday edition for a

suitable job and was very hopeful to find it. As he sees any advertisement, he feels

that he will be selected for the same and their hard days will finish at once but the

mother considers this a dream of a ‘Shaik-Chullee’. So, the life is presented as the

blending of happiness and sorrows, hope and despair, and positive and negative
69

thoughts. The author touches many other points and analyses the characters like

Mamaiji who is a superstitious lady and objects on white hairs removing session

because she thinks it is unfortunate to perform, she says, “Sunday dawns and he

makes the child do that duleendar thing again. It will only bring bad luck”(109). She

further warns, “plucking out hair as if it was a slaughtered chicken. An ill-omened

thing” (109). But the father rejects her conviction saying that if it is so ill-omened

then how he may able to get good advertisement in Sunday classified. The

conversation once again strikes the different opinions and generation gap. Mamaiji

has her own mind set and ideas but Mr. Boyce considers all these opinions irrational.

In this way, it becomes a constant struggle of tradition versus modernity and

superstitions versus rationality. The game of cricket has a historical importance and

symbolical significance in the story. The passion for cricket among Parsis is the

symbol of their elitism and close ties with the Britishers. It reveals the cricket fixation

among Parsis which has become very common now-a-days in India. The Parsi

Gymkhana Club once defeated the cricket team of Bombay Gymkhana Club that is

considered the landmark in the history of Indian cricket. In this way, like in other

fields they are pioneers in the game of cricket in India.

The Parsi households make ‘Kusti’ at home having a grace of its own. The

Parsi Calendar which contains no picture in it except “English and Parsi names of

months and roje in Gujarati besides each date” (109) shows the cultural ties of the

British, Gujaratis, and the Parsis. In this way, the story touches the various aspects of

the Parsi household and familyhood. Mistry depicts very artistically how careful are

the Parsis about their children and eager to teach them the art of business and social

behaviour.

The writer explores some of the important Parsi customs and rituals directly

and indirectly such as “Sacred Bhikha Behram Well” which symbolizes the value of
70

purity in Parsi public life. The narrator observes the orange glow of stove reminds

him of “the glow in the fire temple afargaan”. It suggests how much the Parsi children

are influenced by Parsi rituals and customs. The narrator makes a pertinent comment

upon the way of Parsi worship, “there wasn’t a blazing fire because hardly any

sandalwood offerings had been left in the silver thaali; most people came only at the

holy days’’ (113). The people do not visit fire temples daily now. It reveals that the

people have no time to go to fire temples. But even now the person who follows the

Parsi traits gets respect in the society. Dr. Mody and Dr. Sidhwa are appreciated as

‘steadfast Parsis’ who are seen often at fire temples. Thus, the story gives an overview

of struggling middle class society in a Parsi apartment. The narrator thinks about his

friend’s family and then about his own mother, father and mamaiji and how much his

elders struggle to earn a livelihood and run a family in this world of cut throat

competition.

“The Paying Guest” highlights the problem of housing in the metro city like

Bombay along with some other key issues such as theme of alienation, belongingness

and growing insensitivity in the society. All the major characters in the story are

Parsis; so, it provides a peep into the Parsi world to understand the outlook and

attitude of Parsis in their own community. The story revolves around the paying guest

and the problem related to the eviction of paying guests, law of tenancy and sub-

tenancy. It also exposes the lengthy process of litigation and hypocritical nature of

people. It examines human behaviour in relation to society.

When Khorshedbai started to throw onion skin, coconut shells and egg shells

then Ardesar tries to persuade her not to behave in this way and says, “O Khotty my

life, what have you done, that thing you threw. We will have to answer one day to the

one up there. This must stop before…” (125-126). But Khorshedbai was adamant and
71

not ready to understand the situation of that innocent couple, and continues her

mission to torture Boman and Kashmira; then Ardesar helplessly only prays to God to

forgive her: “Dado Ormuzd, forgive her” (125). The described situation not only

reveals the inner most psychology of the characters but also presents the relation of

landlord and tenants.

The story also reveals the prejudiced opinion of people like Boman who

neither like working women nor believe in equal status of woman in their family. The

hints of gender discrimination may be commonly observed in Firozsha Baag that is

the bitter and unhealthy trend nor for Parsis only but all. Boman who is a commerce

graduate does not like that his wife, Kashmira should take up a job. He asserts, “no

wife of his would go out to work while there was breath in his lungs” (127). It is not

the opinion of Boman alone but represents the whole orthodox class of Indian society

and it is important to note that only due to this discrimination Kashmira could not join

the social service league even when she was interested in doing so. Thus, as a

daughter and wife, she was expected to follow the set principles such as “charity

begins at home, or; self help is the best help” (133) which were totally futile to her. In

this way, kashmira represents the whole class of such women who have caliber and

temper to do something creative for the welfare of the society but it remains unused or

goes futile because of the prejudices and biased approach of masculine counterparts in

the community. They are expected to perform odd jobs in their kitchen and

household.

The snail pace process of litigation and typical tenancy and sub tenancy law is

also exposed in the story. When Boman gets knowledge about the act of tenancy and

sub-tenancy he feels frustrated and repents on his decision to choose the option of

litigation for evacuation of his house. He asserts, “There are laws to protect the
72

poor….and laws to protect the rich. But middle-class people like us get the bamboo,

all the way” (133). Here, Mistry depicts the position of middle class families in the

Indian social set up. He also explores the self-centered and selfish nature of human

behaviour when Boman needs evidence in his favour to evict his tenant. But it

emerges as a shock that no body comes forward to support him. His most faithful

Chartered Accountant defies him hypocritically, “there is one principle in my life,

Boman dikra… Which I never transgress: three monkeys principle…” (137). This

reflects the deconstructive approach of Gandhian philosophy and exposes how the

well off people who do not want to involve in others sufferings. He claims that he is

determined not to see evil, not to speak evil and not to listen evil. Rustomji who was

his brother-in-law also gruffly dismissed Boman saying, “Sorry, but enough time I

spend in court rooms, as it is” (138). The lady Najamai who keenly shows her interest

in everyone’s matter also shows her helplessness saying, “I, a widow, living all

alone…You will find to have someone else”(138). In the same way, rest of the people

also make excuses and escape from the situation. Mrs. Modi is leading a “clustered

life” and passes all her time in prayers. But it is interesting that someone in the Baag,

who can speak in the court in his favour, is the Muslim who lives in the next flat. But

the hegemonic feelings arouse in his heart that “he would not stoop to that, to ask him

to testify against a fellow Parsi” (138). This attitude of human behviour once again

reinforces the idea of ethnic enclosure in Parsis.

Thus, the ethnic sensibility of this minority community is caught up and it is

maintained even in such a crucial situation as expressed in the story. Mistry reconciles

this selfish and hypocritical nature of Parsis in the end of the story when Khorshedbai

encaged the newborn child of Boman and Kashmira in her Pestonji’s cage. The

narrator observes: “…two kinds of Parsis in the Baag: the ones who had been
73

shameless enough to ignore the call for help and the ones who had responded” (141).

Khorshedbai’s attachment for her parrot (Pestonji) who comes in her dreams and she

follows the advice, with her own interpretations. The deserting attitude of her son,

who migrated to Canada and who misbehaved with his parents when they went to live

with him, may be responsible for her rude behaviour. It once again depicts the picture

of society with the theme of alienation and belongingness. Ardesar’s emotional

attachment with pigeons hints at his affectionate and caring nature which gives him

solace and re-emphasizes and reconciles the unbelongingness. The question of

fixation is explained when their own issues reject the parent and they shift their

affection towards pets and birds. Khorshedbai tortures her owner too much and even

then she is a firm believer in God when Ardesar was ready to quit the flat;

Khorshedbai forbade him and said, “Prayerful people like us have nothing to fear”

(133). She uses the only and one record Sukhi Sooraj, the fervent tribute to sunrise

and lit sticks of agarbatti as a tool to make them troublesome. The problem of

housing in Bombay, attitude of trustees and lengthy process of litigation is also

highlighted in the story. It exposes the psychology of paying guests as well as owners

in a balanced way. Thus it becomes the representation of Parsis and their routine life

in Bombay in its true colour.

The story “Exercisers” begins with the confused state of mind of Mrs. and Mr.

Bulsara about their son Jehangir and they seek the help of their family guru to

convince Jehangir that his girlfriend is not a suitable match for him. It reflects another

noticeable aspect of Parsi’s way of life i.e., Parsis have started to transgress their

boundaries of religion and the influences of dominant religion have started

influencing the Parsi way of life. The story breaks the myths that all the Parsis are

elite and prosperous and also highlights that they believe in Parsi Zoroastrianism and
74

go to fire temples only for their prayers. The story gives a lot of information about the

Parsi culture and social traditions and also reveals the gradual decay of their moral,

social and ethical values. Mistry focusses the relation of parents and children in the

story. When Jehangir returns home his mother examines him with skilfull questions

and observes his face and dress. He feels awkward about the suspicious attitude of his

mother. However, he might have ignored this kind of examination and observation but

he responds, “You won’t see anything. Behroze never puts on make up, when we got

kissie-koatie (217). Jehangir who appears a decent, docile and shy natured boy in the

early stories; now reacts in a rude way which cannot be accepted by the parents easily.

It was a new kind of experience for them. Mrs. Bulsara clutched her throat with both

hands and said, “When a son speaks so shamelessly to his mother it is the end” (217).

It is a well known fact that inter-faith marriages are prohibited in Parsism but the

story unveils the situation that Parsi parents feel too insecure to accept even a Parsi

girl of their son’s choice. It was not in the case of boy only; the girl’s parents were

also very fussy about their relationship. When they think that break-up between boy

and girl has taken place only then they leave her alone at home as Behroze tells,

“…my parents think we’ve broken up, and they didn’t need to stick around to guard

my virginity” (220). The instance reflects the fixity of Parsi parents about their

children. The author reveals the inmost feelings of his characters and reflects the

transformation in the personality of Jehangir Bulsara.

Mistry depicts the local train system in Bombay and exposes the hardships and

absurdities of life. Everywhere paan-stained benches show the lack of manners in the

common people and at the same time, it symbolizes the corrupt political system of the

country also. Besides the filthy environment, he focusses upon power and water

shortage everywhere and the rising price of kerosene, and thus foregrounds the picture

of life in a metro city Bombay. Jehangir, the protagonist of the story feels the urge to
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join the group of exercisers having a desire to be powerful young man. In some early

stories he has the image of a bookworm and a docile boy. Due to an inferiority

complex in his mind that he has “a skinny-armed, stoop-shouldered weakling” (219),

he feels reluctant to join the group of exercisers. He is not a bold and straight forward

boy and perhaps this is the reason that he finds himself in a trap which is due to his

relation with his parents and his beloved Behroze. He was not able to break the thread

of this trap not because he is physically weak but because of his indecisive nature.

The story presents the realistic picture of a Parsi family where the parents are over

conscious about their children and have a kind of fixation but their children do not

like this security cover.

Mistry explores the continuous struggle between traditions and modernity,

particularly under the influence of western exposure. Parsis who have been trying to

keep their cultural heritages infact even since their expulsion from Iran. But in the

modern times, it is pathetic and a matter of great concerns how they are transgressing

their limits by shifting their loyalty to dominating Hindu religion. It raises a question

on their identity and cultural construct. However, Mrs. Bulsara ties mathoobanoo and

shows herself a true Parsi but her deepest devotion is centered on Bhagwan Baba, a

Hindu religious man. She tries her best to convince Jehangir to visit Bhagwan Baba

and tells him, “Your entire life’s happiness is at stake …. When Bhagwan Baba

speaks your eyes will open, all will become clear” (197). Mrs. Bulsara is not thankful

to Dada Ormuzd but a Hindu religious man and regards him as the benefactor of her

family. She says, ‘‘after father lost job, who do you think helped, his friends, our

relations, who? Bhagwan Baba and we have enough to eat and wear, thanks to

him”(197). In this way, it also exposes the hollowness of friends and relatives. Mistry

emphasizes the non-cooperation at hegemonic and ethnic levels.

It is a common belief that all the Parsis are rich and prosperous but the present

story unearths the real picture of Parsi community in Bombay. The central character

of the story Jehangir still remembers his days of poverty and thinks about, envelopes,

labeled Rent, School fees, Ration, Kerosene, Light and water…. He also points out

that due to weak financial position of his parents he could not study in a co-

educational school - due to “exorbitant fees” which could not be paid by his parents.

He could not go to cinema because he did not have enough money and his envelop for

“Pocket Money” remained always empty. The ambivalent personality of Jehangir

sustains strife throughout the story between Behroze and the parents. The volleyball

symbolizes his life as, “volleyball in its flight over the net but not the boys who

smacked it” (220-221). His self is divided into two parts the parents and Behroze but

the end of the story reflects how he leaves his beloved for his parents but her mother

does not accept him because he was late by some minutes for the time fixed for

returning home. The hero of the story has no heroic qualities and only shows some

grumblings and resentments against the prevailing system. In this way, through

ironical stances the story reflects the conditions and struggle of life of Parsis in the

postmodern era. The relationship between Parsis and mainstream Hindu is a motif

shown in the story collection. Regarding the story ‘Auspicious Occasion’ Bharucha

says that:

Most Parsis are rather isolationist and living in ethnic ghettoes like

Firozsha Baag only exacerbate this tendency. About the only contact

most of them have had with their Hindu co-nationals, is through the

domestic servants who work in their homes ( Bharucha 75).

In an interview with Rohinton Mistry, Nancy Wigston asked, “what do you

say to the people who ask when you’re going to write about Canada”? In reply Mistry

said: ‘It’s not as I’ve made some sort of commitment that I’m never going to write
77

about Canada’. Though the question is asked after the publication of his third novel

Family Matters, but his three stories namely ‘Squatter’, ‘Lend Me Your Light’, and

Swimming Lessons, of Tales from Firozsha baag, have Canadian setting. These

stories deal with problems of immigrant experiences. All the three stories are

collectively discussed to show their connectivity they possess.

The narrative in the story ‘Squatter’ is a story within a story. The story

advances smoothly by the narrator Nariman Hansotia, the famous story teller of

Firozsha Baag, who in his 1932 Mercedez-Benz (he called it the apple of his eye)

returned in the evening from the Cawasji Framji Memorial Library, tells stories to the

boys. Nariman Hansotia narrates the story of famous cricketer Savukshaw who saved

the Indian team being defeated in England tour, and, “his real secret was practice, lots

of practice” (150). A biographical touch is given in the story as Mistry in his fifth

standard wrote a story on - ‘The autobiography of a cricket bat’. Kersi also enjoyed

playing cricket. Further narrating about Savukshaw, Nariman says After the MCC

(Marylebone Cricket Club) match “he became a Champion bicyclist, the fastest

human on two wheels” (150), and later, a “pole-vaulter” and finally became a

“hunter” absolutely fearless and skilful. Though the stories are simple in narration

they aroused the usual type of curiosity. The paragraphs describe the course of action

in close consecutive temporal detail from hour to hour and day to day. When the

storyteller narrates Savukshaw’s cooking expertise to his young listeners, he asks

suddenly: “what do you think happened next?” (151), and the suspense and curiosity

successfully arouses among the listeners and they shouts, “what, what, Nariman

Uncle?” (151). The linguistic structure of this story is simple narrative, with no trace

of suggestive, symbolic, ambiguity and complexity. Before starting the next story

about Sarosh-Sid, he asks his listeners “what did you learn about Savukshaw, from
78

last week’s story?” (152). Someone says “he was a very talented man” and Viraf says

“a very lucky man, to have so many talents”. After few moments the book-worm,

stamp-flicker of ‘The Collectors’ and lover of ‘Exercisers’-Jehangir replies: “He was

a man searching for happiness, by trying all kinds of different things” (153). The

narrator goes ahead and simply concludes the half-finished story with a note:

Exactly! And he never found it. He kept looking for new experiences,

and though he was very successful at everything he attempted, it did

not bring him happiness. Remember this; success alone does not bring

happiness. Nor does failure have to bring unhappiness. Keep it in mind

when you listen to today’s story (153).

The concluding lines of Savukshaw’s story and the opening lines of Sarosh-Sid’s

story meet and intersect at the level of plot structure. Sarosh already being introduced

in the story ‘Condolence Visit’, as a nephew of Daulat and Minocher, and three

months after the wedding, Sarosh with his wife emigrated to Canada and they

divorced a year later because “she did not like it in Canada”(68). The question why he

had never gone back to Toronto is answered in detail in this story ‘Squatter’. Nariman

wants Kersi, Viraf and Jehangir to hear the story as they are planning to go to

America and Canada. He also tells about Najamai’s daughters Vera and Dolly who

had settled there happily and a fellow named Sarosh also went abroad, to Toronto,

“but did not find happiness there”(153). Sarosh calls himself Sid in Toronto but while

narrating the story Nariman prefers calling him Sarosh as it is his ‘proper Parsi name’.

Nariman makes an effort to reclaim Sarosh’s identity which he lost in Toronto by

calling himself Sid, a western identity:

Whatever else may be the influence of the British environment on the

Indians, Pakistani and Bangladeshi immigrants and their children, their

names will not be radically altered . . . Jagjit may become Jock or

Sundri become Sandra, for ease of speech - but the essence will

remain. This is likely to happen in the whole socio-cultural makeup of

the Asian community (Hiro 132).

Living in an alien land Sarosh finds himself miserable and depressed because

he could not adjust himself upon the white plastic oval of the toilet seat. “Ten years

was the time Sarosh had set himself to achieve complete adaptation to the new

country . . . dependent on the old ways, and this unalterable fact, strengthened afresh

every morning of his in the new country, suffocated him” (154). Sarosh passed

through the problematic relationship between inter-locking cultural landscapes,

between an ethnic heritage and new life in the West and to put it slightly different,

between what Rosemary Sullivan, in an article entitled “The Multicultural Divide”,

simply calls there and here. In Sullivan’s words, “this is not a cheap polarity of

eelgrass or snow, of a vapid idealized image of a past that is the focus only of

nostalgia and a simplified alienating here. It is tougher than that. There and here are

interlocked” (Sullivan 26). Canada seems a strange land even to Canadians. As Corall

Ann Howells says:

Canadian writing has always been pervaded by an awareness of the

wilderness, those vast areas of dark forests, endless prairies or trackless

wastes of snow which are geographical facts and written into the

history of Canada’s exploration and settlement (Howells 11).

Sarosh’s incapability of using day to day amenities presents and intrusion of external

reality in the flow of the inner reality which is his problem of converting him into a

permanent Canadian. This is the central theme throughout the story. Sarosh’s

dilemma and the gradual change in his attitude towards Canada and a simultaneous
80

indication of the broadening of his understanding of things. Before leaving for Canada

Sarosh claimed : “My dear family, my dear friends, if I do not become completely

Canadian in exactly ten years from the time I had there, then I will come back. I

promise” (154-155). Some of his friends consider it a smart decision, “that whole life

would change for better” while others say, he is “making a mistake, emigration was

all wrong” (154). After his announcement they also tell him “never to fear

embarrassment; there was no shame if he decided to return to the country of his birth”

(155). His mother knew he is going to an unknown land. She is afraid if she will be

able to see him or not. She asks him to keep his hand upon the Avesta and swear that

he will keep the promise. Further she advised him to live among the family and his

friends “who love you and take care for you, than to be unhappy surrounded by

vacuum cleaners and dishwashers and big shiny motor cars” (155). Through the

stream-of-consciousness technique at this moment, the major change in Sarosh’s life

shows what a distance he had travelled to understand Canada as his mother’s advice is

going to be a reality. Sarosh is unable to acquire the Western process of squatting:

In his own apartment Sorosh squatted barefoot. Elsewhere, if he had to

go with his shoes on, he would carefully cover the seat with toilet

paper before climbing up. He learnt to do this after the first time, when

his shoes had left telltale footprints on the seat. He had to clean it with

wet paper towel. Luckily, no one had seen him (155-156).

It is due to his squatting problem he often become late for work and warned by his

supervisor. Sarosh tells that he is facing “immigration-related problem” and the

supervisor advised him to go to Indian Immigrant Aid Society. He meets Mrs Maha-

Lepate, who tells about Dr No-Ilaaz who has succeeded in solving various immigrants’

problems. “Besides, we have an information network with other third-words Immigrant

Aid Societies” (159). Dr No-Ilaaz could get rid of this problem if he implants small

device called Crappus Non Interruptus, or CNI in the bowel and it is controlled by an

external handheld transmitter similar to the ones used for automatic garage door-

openers. Dr No-Ilaaz also tells its procedure and drawbacks. Sarosh is not interested in

taking such a drastic step. His squatting failure means he found himself unable to adapt

the western culture. He could not assimilate to the new surroundings. His task of

assimilation and his inability to accomplish the desired transformation can only be seen

as a sign of failure: “If he could not be westernized in all respects, he was nothing but a

failure in this land – a failure not just in the washrooms of the nation but everywhere”

(162). Robert Park, a sociologist says that the “moral dichotomy and conflict [which] is

probably characteristic of every immigration during the period of transition, when old

habits are being discarded and new ones are not yet formed. It is inevitably a period of

inner turmoil and intense self-consciousness” (Park 893). The transformation takes

place and an individual wishes to separate from her/his roots:

A new type of personality, namely a cultural hybrid, a man living and

sharing intimately in the cultural life and traditions of the distinct

peoples; never quite willing to break . . . with his parts and his

traditions, and quite accepted, because of racial prejudice, in a society

in which he[seek] to find a place (Park 892).

Finally, Sarosh succeeded in his task during his return journey to his homeland. “He

could not help wondering if success came before or after the ten year limit had

expired”(166). It is the xenophobia and hostility made Sarosh’s adjustment more difficult

in an alien land. Being an immigrant at Toronto, Sarosh faced two questions “who am I?”

and “where is here?” Atwood remarks:

‘Who am I?’ is a question appropriate in countries where the

environment, the ‘here’ is already well-defined, so well defined in fact

that it may threaten to overwhelm the individual. In societies where

everyone and everything has its place a person may have to struggle to

separate himself from his social background, in order to keep from

being just a function of the structure. ‘Where is here?’ is a different

kind of question. It is what a man asks when he finds himself in

unknown territory, and it implies several other questions where is this

place in relation to other places? How do I find way around it?

(Atwood 17).

After returning to his native land Sarosh finds himself “desperately searching for his

old place in the pattern of life he had vacated ten years ago. . . .The old pattern was

never found by Sarosh; he searched in vain. Patterns of life are selfish and

unforgiving” (167). Sarosh narrates his failure story as an immigrant to Nariman so

that he could narrate the story for the boys of Firozsha Baag, especially those who

are planning to go abroad. Tell them, Sarosh said “that the world can be bewildering

place, and dreams and ambitions are often paths to the most pernicious of traps”

(168). It echoes Bhagwan Baba of ‘Exercisers’ when he said “life is a trap, full of

webs” (213). Sarosh tells Nariman not to call him Sid, as that “name reminds me of

all my troubles” (167). He is happy to regain his identity as Sarosh:

Tell them that in Toronto once there lived a Parsi boy as best as he

could. Set you down this; and say, besides, that for some it was good

for some it was bad, but for me life in the land of milk and honey was

just a pain in the posterior (168).

To choose this particular morning event of squatting for the story, Mistry employed

device to portray the condition of man against his environment, the fragmentation and

dissolution of a multicultural Canada. The truth with a touch of humour is filtered

through an art form, this masking reality is not to hide but symbolize the ‘Otherness’

in the foreign land. The basic truths in the life of an immigrant that rounded him too

harsh to be assimilated, to be confronted face to face. One’s incapability to ignore

these circumstances. Ultimately, Sarosh- the Indian has to forget Sid-the Canadian.

The story ‘Lend Me Your Light’ begins with an epigraph from Rabindranath

Tagore’s Gitanjali:

. . .your light are all lit-then where do you go with your lamp?

My house is all dark and lonesome, lend me your light.

The story is nicely narrated and moves back and forth in time and space. It is a

story of displacement and rootlessness. The words of Tagore could be analyzed in the

context of the sense of guilt which most of the diasporic writers suffer. The plot of the

story revolves around three characters Jamshed, Percy and Kersi. The first person

narrative of the story suggests that the narrator is providing the first hand information

about his Indian and Canadian experiences from his childhood days till his

immigration. The story graphically describes his mental make up before and after

immigration.

The narration moving forward and backward as the Kersi of ‘One Sunday’

running behind rat with his cricket bat, and in the story ‘Of White Hairs and

Cricket’ indulge in picking hairs from his father’s head every Sunday finally finds

himself in Canada in ‘Lend Me Your Light’, and visits Bombay infrequently. He,

the narrator of the, story finds himself caught between two worlds, one which he

left (Bombay) and the second which he adopted (Canada). The narration of Mistry
84

is unique, as one can trust both the tale and the teller, the way he narrates his

descriptions and incidents. As Salman Rushdie affirms, “the first and only rule of

the story teller is to hold his audience: if you hold them, they will get up and walk

away. So everything that the storyteller does is designed to keep the people

listening most intensely” (Mallak 125). He tries to adjust in Jamshedian space but

not accustomed to it. In fact, his life in Canada is a conflict with the primary space

because of the imperative change in system. He lives in Toronto with all the

confusion and contradictions of a sensitive immigrant and finds that he can never

be a part of Jamshedian space.

The author explores the duality of the minds of the immigrants who plan to

shift themselves to their dreamlands with high hopes but cannot forget their cultural

roots and childhood experiences of their native land. Majority of the Parsi characters

take immigration positively as an opportunity and blessings for bright future but not

all the Parsis react identically. Nariman Hansotia, Sarosh’s mother, and Percy Boyce

are some exceptions who do not give much importance to immigration. When Kersi

got confirmation of his immigration, all congratulate him as he has achieved a great

success in life. Najamai, Tehmina, Rustomji and the parents of Kersi feel proud.

Najamai wishes him a bright future as reported by Kersi, “put the garland round my

neck, made a large bright red teelo on my forehead and hugged me several times”

(180). These are the occasions which reflect the importance of immigration in the

minds of Parsi residents of Firozshaa Baag. But on this occasion Nariman instructs

and warns him, “Well, lead a good life, do nothing to bring shame to you or the Parsi

community” (179). Jamshed the representative of pro immigration category is a very

sophisticated child from his childhood and a good friend to Percy. He belongs to an

elite class and has low opinion about India. He talks in very embarrassing and

disparaging terms about India:

Absolutely no future in this stupid place….Bloody corruption

everywhere. And you can’t buy any of the things you want, don’t even

get to see a decent English movie. First chance I get, I’m going abroad,

preferably the U.S. (178).

Jamshed re-emphasized his point on the occasion when Kersi’s parents share Kersi’s

plan to shift to Canada. He at once responds, “but for the sake of his own future”

(178), he also criticizes the efforts made by Percy for the poor farmers in distant

village by his charitable agency. He has pessimistic opinion about Percy’s efforts as

he expressed in his letter to Kersi, “…. All his efforts to help the farmers will be in

vain. Nothing ever improves just too much corruption. It’s all part of the ghati

mentality” (181). Percy has his own thinking and priorities and he does not bother

about his criticism.

Jamshed condemned India fiercely for its lacunas such as corruption,

sordidness, black marketing but he forgets that India is his motherland. On the other

hand, Percy struggles hard to improve the condition of poor farmers but they do not

cooperate with him whole heartedly and he has to lose one of his companions in his

revolutionary movement against money lenders. He has the missionary zeal to change

the faulty system. The money lender warns him and tries to kill him but he has

indomitable courage to fulfill his ambition of social reform and he does not surrender.

These two Parsi characters represent two extreme kinds of thinking among Parsis but

between these two extreme ideologies is the third which one belongs to such people

who cannot forget their childhood memories and cultural roots but get interested to

migrate for the sake of bright future. Kersi belongs to this third category. He recalls

each and everything about his childhood and native place. He recalls everything

before he left India particularly the last night. He recalls:

I slept on my last night in Bombay a searing pain in my eyes woke me

up. It was one O’clock. I bathed my eyes and tried to get back to sleep.

Half-jokingly, I saw myself as someone out of a Greek tragedy, guilty

of the sin of hubris for seeking emigration out of the land of my birth,

and paying the price in burnt-out eyes: I, Tiresias, blind and throbbing

between two lives, the one in Bombay and the one to come in

Toronto… (179-180).

The position of Kersi’s heart and mind is depicted through his thoughts when

he compares his life with “Tiresias” hero of Greek tragedy. The mental strife is

clearly shown in his expression but the temptation for the ‘land of milk and honey’ is

unsurmountable. He gives each and every detail of his departure, as he observes

through his dark-glasses. When he gets a letter from Jamshed from New York in

which he reported his latest Bombay visit, he writes, “Bombay is horrible. Seems

dirtier than ever, and the whole trip just made me sick” (181). David William says,

“the childhood home is not so easily forgone, it would seem, it looms large within and

without text…” (Williams 61). All temptations for Indian food, movie and other

goods show the attachment of immigrants for the country of origin. The narrator feels

happy with Indian milieu in Canada. Kersi wishes to make it clear that the country of

his origin is not a source of suffering as the materialists curse but it is there - each and

every moment in his mind - the memory of his childhood. The protagonist feels a

special kind of attachment for India and Indian things. Percy as a child scolds

‘ghaton’ his mother proudly comments, “He has a temper just like Grandpa’s” (177)

which reflects their sense of superiority. Jamshed’s statements about the other native

people of Bombay re-emphasize their arrogance towards so called ‘ghatis’ as he

believes that these people are not expected in the USA and Canada, “….Who would

want these bloody ghatis to come charging into their fine land” (178). In this way, the

Parsis think that they are refined human beings in comparison to other Indians. They
87

have a sense of racial discrimination but it does not mean that they do not love India.

They think that they have a westernized background but at the same time they take a

strong pride in their mother land.

‘Swimming Lessons’ is the last story in the anthology. It reflects the deep

impact of immigration and nostalgia on the psyche of the protagonist. The reaction of

Kersi’s parents shows the ‘self-reflexive’ element in the story. The incident related to

‘swimming classes’ shows the class and racial discrimination at the international

level. Mistry widens the arc of his diasporic experience as a Parsi in Canada. He

focusses upon the situation of Parsis in Canada where they are considered as a part of

the Asian race. The confusion of being the most westernized community disappears in

the swimming classes. It deals with the question of identity in the ‘mosaic’ of

multiculture of a small community of India - the Parsis. It is notable that

discrimination against Kersi in Canada is not as a member of small community or

member of Parsi Diaspora but of the large Asian presence. Along with the diasporic

consciousness, it also highlights the cultural attachment and longing for tradition in an

alien land where he himself feels a complete stranger. The writer reveals the position

of Parsis in relation to international catagorization of human being in the high school

swimming pool where water is used as a powerful symbol of life. Water has its

significance universally whether it is Chaupatty beach in India or high-school

swimming pool in Canada. The narrator Kersi mentions. “Water imagery in my life is

recurring. Chaupatty beach, now the high-school swimming pool. The universal

symbol of life and regeneration did nothing but frustrate me” (234). The elixir of life

becomes the tool of racial hatred and discrimination for him when three young boys

make a pungent comment. One of them nods simply and the second says, “Paki Paki,

smell like curry” and the third says, “...pretty soon all the water’s going to taste of

curry” (238). The situation of Kersi may be compared with Uma Parameswaran’s

mythical interpretation as she uses an apt metaphor for immigrants, Trishanku, a king
88

that floats between heaven and earth, but is accepted by none. She makes a comment

upon the position of immigrant:

In the immigrant context, one might say that minorities, especially,

have to fight for both the erasure of a negative identity pre-given by

the power group and the forging of a positive identity .In the process,

they are often transformed into an uneasy hybrid condition of non-

belonging in both homelands (Parmeswaran 35).

The narrator reveals that he fearlessly enjoyed the splashing at Chauppatty but in

Canada’s high-school swimming pool the water terrifies him. That reveals his

discomfort in the context of the swimming pool. He further adds the sea has a very

important place in their lives. “We used the sea, too, to deposit the left overs from

Parsi religious ceremonies….Which could not be dumped with the regular garbage

but had to be entrusted to the care of Avan Yazad, the guardian of the sea” (235). The

sea is presented as the symbol of faith. How does the sea become polluted then? Here

pollution is physical as well as moral and it shows the decaying moral and ethical

values. It also emphasizes how deeply cultural and traditional values are rooted in the

mind of Parsis.

The story is the presentation of mundane life of common Parsis of Firozsha

Baag. It reveals their position in relation to other international communities. Though,

they regard themselves, the most westernized community of India but when the

protagonist Kersi goes to Canada which is considered the famous centre of

Multiculturalism and land of honey and milk, he has to face racial hatred. Although,

the narrator moves to Canada voluntarily, yet he feels himself a stranger in that

culture. He recalls even the minutest thing about his childhood and India. He

symbolizes water as the symbol of life which provides life force to humanity as:

Water means regeneration only if it is pure and cleansing. Chaupatty

was filthy, the pool was not. Failure to swim through filth must mean
89

something other than failure of rebirth-failure of symbolic death? Does

that equal success of symbolic life? Death of a symbolic failure? Death

of a symbol? What is the equation? (240).

During his second visit, the postman delivered a parcel. His parents are happy

to hear that their son has become a writer. “He has written a book of stories, all these

years in school and college he kept his talent hidden, making us think he was just like

one of the boys in the Baag, shouting and playing the fool in the compound”(241).

After reading the first five stories mother is sad, she said:

He must be so unhappy there, all his stories are about Bombay, he

remembers every little thing about his childhood, he is thinking about

it all the time even though he is ten thousand miles away, my poor son,

I think he misses his home and us everything he left behind, because if

he likes it over these why would he not write stories about that, there

must be so many new ideas that his new life could give him (243).

After reading Kersi’s stories his father shows his disagreement:

But there should also have been something positive about Parsis, there

was so much to be proud of: the great Tatas and their contribution to

the steel industry. . .what would people reading these stories think,

those who did not know about Parsis-that the whole community was

full of cranky, bigoted people; and in reality it was the richest, most

advanced and philanthropic community in India, he did not need to tell

his own son that Parsi had a reputation for being generous and family-

oriented (245).

Father explains mother about the artistic distance due to which their son is a

writer. The last story they liked the most, as it is focussed on Canada. The last story is
90

liked by mother as it is “about Grandpa, where he wonders if Grandpa’s spirit is

really watching him and blessing him” (250). Father said they are proud of him

waiting for his next book. “Leave a little space for me at the end; I want to write a

few lines when I put the address on the envelope” (250).

The shifting change from Chaupatty to Canadian pool, the old man who died

made him think of his Grandpa, the Portuguese woman remind him of Najamai, are

the indication of instability in the life of immigrants. Mistry, especially, in this story

uses the device of repetition effectively. The memory of the glorious past is an

assurance of the assimilation of Parsi community in India. The alienation and

displacement is over. The concluding lines of the collection puts faith of parents in

their children at individual level but the collective consciousness of Parsis and their

efforts for construction of identity in India as well as Canada is commendable. The

stories such as ‘Lend Me Your Light’, ‘Squatter’ and ‘Swimming Lessons’ show

struggle of life and the writer implied it in the use of images and illusions only.

The Parsis have strong patriotic feeling and ethnic bonds in their blood and

behaviour. They have rich cultural and historical roots which are being preserved by

them in one way or the other. In the twenty first century, they are confused about their

ancient culture and traditions which clashes with modernity. The story reflects the

experiences of the Parsi immigrant with penetrative vision and detailed powerful

imagery and symbol to reveals the inner most feeling of temptation, attraction and

charms of Western developed country which prove shallow and transitory on a close

examination. In this story, Mistry also shows the position of Parsis in the international

context. He also touches the sensitive human issues such as diasporic consciousness,

family values, ethical values and importance of culture and traditions and their decay

in his stories. Mistry having the agenda to preserve the Parsi culture and tradition

plays the role of whistle blower against the defects which are creeping in the Parsi

culture and tradition.

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[All the references in the parenthesis are from this edition only]