Words evoke strong emotions and when they create a sad story, it deeply touches our heart. I realised the relationship between words and tears probably for the first time when I read Eric Segal’s Love Story. But that was as a teenager, I guess many teens will agree that the tragic tale broke their young hearts. Of course, life moves on, we mature with time, yet there are moments when we cannot restrict our emotions.
I realised this while I was reading Yasunari Kawabata’s novel, Beauty and Sadness. The book explores how the past, though beyond our reach, creates ripples which have a lifelong impact on our lives.
Recently Rohinton Mistry’s A Fine Balance moved me to tears. It is an honest portrayal of the class and caste system prevalent in Indian society. The two central characters belong to the low caste and try to break free from the rigid customs. But coming out of caste shackles has tragic consequences for them. Through their struggles and heartbreaks, I realised that life is not always fair. Even if the law books erase a social evil, sometimes the problem continues to exist. I realised how painful it can be for an individual being discriminated against just because he was born in a particular caste. This is our very own apartheid and we should fight against it.
As told to Shagufta Kalim