Beggar Master - A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry

‘A Fine Balance’, written by Rohinton Mistry. The novel is set during the period of Emergency in India, which was flanked between the years of 1974 to 1979. The assignment is principally focused on the life of a key character – Beggarmaster.

At first, we are introduced to Beggarmaster at the work camp when he arrives to collect his most loyal beggar, Shankar. Beggarmaster offers Shankar’s two friends, Ishvar and Om, who are present at the work camp, their freedom at a relatively high price, which is conditioned to be paid off in periodic installments.

Beggarmaster gradually develops a pleasing relationship with the two tailors, Ishvar and Om, as he visits them on a regular basis at their work place (Dina’s house) to collect his money. Beggarmaster is often proved to be a very influential and helpful man as he is able to get Dina and the tailors out of trouble with their landlord on several occasions.

A few weeks after Beggarmaster had rescued Shankar, Ishvar and Om from the work camp, one of his beggar women, Rosey, old and about to die, told him that she was his mother as well as Shankar’s. This made Beggarmas

No one really cared for him other than the two tailors, Ishvar and Om. They are nice people. Its sad they were not available for Shankar’s funeral, he would have liked his two best friends around just before leaving. Yes, Dina and Manek came, but I know they did not come for Shankar. They came for me, for my protection, for my support, they are aware of the troubles they would face without me even though it may be at a certain cost. I know the way people feel about me, I am aware that I am not appreciated by society but try and understand, I have no cruel intentions. I have been brought up in this manner; I have been trained to succeed in life by helping others live, in a different way. I help and protect the lowest sections of society. If only people would think and try to understand what all these beggars would do without me.

Everything has just happened so fast. All of a sudden one evening I found out I had a mother, who was alive for all these years, whom I could have done so much for, had I only been offered the chance. At the same time I found out, my most loyal beggar, Shankar, is my blood brother and what has happened to him now…he’s dead.

I regret not having told him the truth; he may just have been delighted to find out that h

Some topics in this essay:
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