I view the plague here as conflict, disorder and social clashes which, along with the span of time, keep on erupting in our society. The world has witnessed this never-ending process since the birth of the universe.
When I went through Indian-Canadian writer Rohinton Mistry’s novel, Such a Long Journey, which was also short-listed for the Booker Prize, I found the same uncertainty the writer eternalizes by the end of this book.
The municipality’s order to break down the wall by the Khodadad building, which is painted with the pictures of the gods and goddesses of different religions, points to the disorder, conflicts and endless struggles in the society. Mistry minutely observes the society, deals with a typical Indian family’s hopes, desires, despairs, difficulties, and explores a part of human psyche in the process.Gustad Nobel, a bank clerk in his fifties, has great hope for his son to get admitted in the IIT which turns in vain when the son Soharab leaves home quarreling. His interest is in another subject. Gustad gets pinched by the behavior of his most beloved eldest son.
His pain increases when his neighbor, Major Jimmy Bilmoria, who was so close to him, suddenly disappears from the building. After sometime, he gets one million Rupees from Jimmy through Ghulam Mohammed in Chor Bazaar. This naïve clerk can’t understand what is happening in his life. Then he surprisingly gets a message to return that money. He, with difficulty, returns the money with the help of his friend Dinshwawji. Dinshwawji, a carefree and a very cheerful man, later dies of stomach problems.
Gustad comes to know about the imprisonment of Jimmy who is accused of imitating the voice of the Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and taking six million Rupees from a bank. He gets so puzzled by all these unexpectedly growing incidents. He finds himself in a trap of great conspiracy. He eventually gets the message of Jimmy’s death in a really bad condition in prison.
The writer also beautifully explores the natural sexual desires of a little and physically and mentally defected character Tehmul who stays in the same building. Gustad has certain sympathy for him whereas others hate him. Once he finds Tehmul about to ejaculate beside the big naked doll of his daughter Roshan which was lost a few days back. Tehmul, stealing the big doll which was decorated with a bridal dress, sleeps with it. This is the natural desire of Tehmul which can’t have its natural outlet, and he starts doing such acts.
Tehmul dies when his forehead is cut open by a brick in a fight between the government and public in the case of breaking down the wall which was painted with the pictures of different deities.
There is another heartbreaking tragedy for Gustad. His son Soharab returns home, carrying a guilty face which gives little relief to his ailing heart.
Mistry ends this novel with different layers of uncertainty and possible difficulties hidden in the future. Gustad appoints a painter to get rid of the open lavatory by the Khodadad building. That artist paints beautiful pictures of divinities that the people from the surrounding areas start worshipping and offering flowers, agarbattis and money to them. Thus, an erstwhile open toilet becomes a holy shrine. The municipality breaks down the wall despite great public protest. The artist’s dream of uniting the society through a string of religious beliefs shatters into pieces. He leaves the place saying, “In the world where roadside latrines become temples and shrines, and temples and shrines become dust and ruin, does it matter …?”(pg.338) These lines sound bitter but this is the truth.
Rohinton Mistry’s Such a Long Journey is a fantastic piece of fiction to understand society, people and human psyche.
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