Three writers look at Parsi life through author Rohinton Mistry’s nuanced lens

The writer who has killed his darlingsI had not visited a Parsi Baug before I read Tales from Firozsha Baag But when I walked into Cusrow Baug in Colaba mdash to meet Gieve Patel poet I think mdash I was struck by a sense of deja vu I knew this because I had lived it because I had read it I have read all of Mistryrsquos books and remember the shock of surprise on finding someone readable relatable and enjoyable His writing style has a cleanness and clarityTherersquos no fat in his writing no selfindulgence or clever postmodernist posturing It is literary writing of the highest order because it is simple and simplicity comes at a huge cost Mistry has killed his darlings After reading Tales from Firozsha Baag I knew I would keep going back to it again and again Then came the ambition and craft of A Fine Balance the creator steps out of the nuances of a Parsi society and inspects caste class and occupation acting on people during the Emergency Family Matters made me weep because it brought old age up close I reread the title after the death of my friend Mehlli Gobhai abstractionist artist and found it as deeply affectingNow suddenly I want to read Such a Long Journey again because I especially remember the relationship between Gustad Noble and his friend About Parsi culture and Indianness I can recall a strange moment from one of his novels where a young man was asked to show his bicep It was then compared to a mango The comparison was so startling that it has stayed with me Therersquos also the mention of an ldquoemptystomach smellrdquo that Dina Dalal mdash one of the main characters in A Fine Balance mdash identifies when two men present themselves as tailors Also her very Indian segregation of teacups caught my eyeJerry PintoPopularising the Parsi communityI reckon one reads Mistry for authenticity for plot for characters and the tumultuous arch that is life itself I feel no writer has done as much to demystify and popularise the Parsi community in print as Mistry has The genial camaraderie the charming idiosyncrasies the unabashed social interactions a love of food literature and life mdash Mistryrsquos books have all of those aspects that make Parsis great friends to have and a singular communityMurzban F ShroffFrom someone who caresMistryrsquos writing makes for a richly textured narrative I like his cinematic flair for detail and the effortless recreation of colloquial speech Such a Long Journey is set against the Bangladesh refugee crisis it brings that middleclass Parsi experience in Mumbai to life The story involves a RAW officer destroyed by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi I finally read this highly recommended debut novel of his last September 30 years after its releaseIt was an immersive read especially in the context of the vacuum created by the series of lockdowns I found myself transported to the bookrsquos setting a rundown Bombay Parsi colony with vivid characters battling a range of social and emotional conflicts from the foreverlooming threat of poverty to the disintegration of relationships Despite the novelrsquos merits I felt it fell short from a feminist perspective Its women characters are neither wellrounded nor do they enjoy agency or an inner life of significance Mumbairsquos Parsi community small in number and fiercely protective of its traditions is somewhat of an enigma to the outsiderThe Tower of Silence at Malabar Hill Pic CourtesyWIKIMEDIA COMMONSMistry welcomes us into it He brings out the nuances of everyday life as well as the great moral struggles of the community with a loving hand and an exacting eye Far from the extravagances of the elite the book focuses on those living on the economic fringes of society Whether it is the grotty home of a Miss Havishamlike middleaged eccentric or funeral rites within the Tower of Silence the reader is allowed entry into secret spaces in the company of someone who knows and cares What struck me as special was his ability to highlight the struggles and complexities of characters that in other works of fiction would have remained ethnic caricaturesRehana Munir