Jul 10, 2008 12:26 AM
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(Updated Jul 10, 2008 02:19 AM)
Although it is dawn, inside Bhima's heart it is dusk…Bhima glance involuntarily at the clock in the kitchen. A few more minutes and then Viraf Baba and Dinaz Baby will be gone. Then she and Seerabai can sip a cup of tea and talk. She knows that Seera is impatient to hear details about what transpired yesterday, and this realization makes Bhima throat tighten with emotion and gratitude. At least someone else cares about her pregnant brat of granddaughter as much as she does.
Bhima has seen all the ups and down of Seera's life and Seera has stood for Bhima's endless miseries. They share a unique bond of humanity which connects them which each other without interfering in the usual custom strictly followed in Parsi house.
The Space Between Us by Thrity Umrigar ,an Indian-American writer, is a story of Bhima a 65-year-old slum dweller, whose loyalty lies with Seera Dubash, a younger upper-middle-class Parsi woman for years now.
321 pages of the book cover the life span of these two women and the reasons which bought them close to each other. Story is back dropped in Mumbai city and is neatly balanced between the flashbacks and current scenarios of Seera Dabash and Bhima's lives. The Story also has three more characters which belong to the younger generation; Seera's married-pregnant daughter Dinaz, Son in Law Viraf and Bhima's pregnant granddaughter Maya who is just 17 year old.
Bhima
The thin women in the green sari stood on the slippery rock and gazed at the dark water around her. The warm wind loosened strands of her scanty hair. Other than the crabs, she was all alone. She looked to the sky again, searching for an answer. But the only thing she could hear was the habitual beating of her own dutiful heart…
That was Bhima, sad and unyielding, not ready to let go the guilt which has burdened her shoulders for 65 years. May it be the case of her Husband "Gopal" who couldn't recuperate after a mishap at his factory and eventually in a failure to support Bhima, stole his son and ran away; or her daughter's unwelcome death; or her granddaughter who painfully shattered her dreams and instead of completing her education and living a life out of slum, bought shame. Though none of it is her fault but she continues shouldering the misery and responsibility of others'. Her only respite from her miserable life is her work at Dabash house; because in Seera she finds a savior and a friend with whom she can share her miseries; and pay back for all the good deeds in form of her loyalty. There is a certain amount of ease and happiness in working for Seera.
Seera Dabash
"Remembering Dinaz's Pregnancy makes Seera think of Maya, she feels a wave of remorse at her earlier resolution to the chastise Bhima. Poor Bhima, She thinks. As if life has not been hard enough, now even granddaughter has to add to her woes."
Seera has developed an affinity towards Bhima right from day One. She cherishes her loyalty towards Dabash family, and the only good thing about the widow life that Seera leads is Bhima's presence and her constant help ;be it the hand extended in the meager job of chopping onions (which she hates to the core),or a crucial one like, nurturing and caring for a near comatose Seera on her husband Feroz's demise.
Seera's life hasn't been that great as well. People feel sorry for Seera's life minus her husband Feroz ,but Seera fails to comprehend their thoughts, she is happy with her current state where she lives with her daughter and son in law and awaits to play with her yet to be born grandchild. Though Seera feels sorry about Bhima for being jilted by her husband Gopal, but she envies her for not going through a physical abuse by the husband which was quite common in Seera's case, in short she covets her freedom. Though Seera was the apple of her parents' eyes, marriage brought her curse in terms of Banu (mother-in-law) and Feroz(the unpredictable husband).
Maya is a typical seventeen year old,with an illegitimate pregnancy and a cynical attitude towards life. Her Gandma and the Dabash family members appear to her as rivals, in aim of snatching her kid.
Dinaz ,Seera's daughter , on the other hand is absolutely a sweetheart,and a warm individual. She still fails to understand that though Bhima is treated like a family member, she is never given an opportunity to share the same Sofa which they use.
Viraf– Dinaz Husband is a fair, good looking happy go lucky chap loved and respected by all including Bhima.
Pathan- Is the balloonwaala from Afghan, whom Bheema memorizes with a lot of fondness. Though he never spoke to her directly, his tales and words always encouraged her in bad times
Hyder-Is yet another stranger who helps Bheema during her daughter's illness and vanishes after that.
The Book talks about various relationships like that of a Mother and daughter, Husband and wife etc. But the emphasis lies fore mostly on the relationship of "HUMANITY". Depicted through various characters of the book; Bhima and Seera, who despite being the owner and servant share a special bond; and then the two strangers in Bheema's life in form of "Hyder" and Pathan", who help her in the moments of despair and leave a mark in her life forever.
Along with it, it also disturbs your mind with few queries:
Who among the two is more miserable the powerless Bhima or privileged yet scummy Seera?
One which tops my mind is though we all suffer lot of misery and when you find no hope to live for, still why do we choose to live? Just because we have certain duty towards the relations that we gathered or some which were thrust upon us?
What do you understand by humanity? Does humanity means pity? Does humanity has a limit too? Does humanity stands the test beyond blood relation? And if it has a limit than how come we still call it humanity?
Those countless times when your face appeared out of the blue,
I chastised myself for being not so true,
Did I do my needful ??
Or I can still mull over desires of yours to fulfill….
P.S: This is my first book review, Dedicated to YOU ... see finaly I started reading !!
