Government?

 

…..In light of recent issues with our government and the ridiculous scandals that have been overwhelming the media, I was drawn to and recognized more distinctly the degree to which every country’s government dominates the lives of each individual in society, especially the characters in A Fine Balance. The source of almost all conflicts, sorrows and losses for the tailors, Dina and Maneck come at the hand of the Indian government. As I mentioned previously, this story is set during what I presume was the middle of the last century, when India declared a state of Internal Emergency. Beggar were swept off the streets by order of the Beautification Laws, huts were destroyed leaving millions homeless, and the homeless were then seen as beggars, so they were rounded up and forced to work in intensive labour camps for no pay. The worst part of government destruction and insanity came in the form of sterilization enforcements, where in order to promote the reduction of India’s population, people were first tricked into the medical inferitlization process with hefty cash bribes, and when that failed to be successful enough, teams of unqualified doctors would round up an unfortunate group of individuals from a marketplace for example, and against their will shame them for the rest of their existence so they were unable to have children. The corruption that went on, and was promoted and enforced under a crooked Prime Minister, shocked me to an indescribable degree. The lives of Ishvar and Om, still a young man, were mutilated carelessly; all the while authorities praised the government for the prosperity that they were bestowing upon the country.  The tragedies that were presented openly in this story evoked sorrow comparable to the magnitude of the Holocaust, yet I can almost guarantee that very few people worldwide are aware of the sufferings that went on. The people living within Dina’s flat at this time in India were kept within the sanctions of safety and subdued happiness only by maintaining a fine balance. Beggarmaster played an increasingly important role in maintaining the balance of their lives as political tensions heightened. As was part of his agreement to collect a memorandum from the tailors, he made his visitations regularly, and on one fateful night when the henchmen of the property hungry landlord threateningly destroyed their flat, he made it his duty to protect them. This is for the reason that the government, and in due course the police and other keeper of the “peace” can be paid side with whomever offers the largest bribe. I discovered that at a closer glance the government had greater symbolic representation- they are the chaotic catalyst for change, the fate with the power of movement, able to scatter lives at will. It would seem that only by unfortunate twists of fate are these characters brought to their knees for mercy, however it is actually by the skillful and intelligent hand of life itself. Just as the people of this story must learn to be wary of an irrational government so too must they strengthen themselves for life’s challenges, hence completing the governments symbolic purpose as we become aware of the parallels. As the characters learned, so did I alongside them, that life’s hardships only strengthen us, even at our weakest moments. The government ruined the lives of these characters, but it never had the power to control how they responded to life’s disparities……..