Duality and Hybridity are two of the various themes touched upon by Rohinton Mistry in Tales from Firozsha Baag.

In ‘Lend me Your Light’ too, there is the concept of ‘being in two worlds’, though it is less metaphorical than ‘Condolence Visit’. Herein, duality is more closely related to dual identity. We are shown two extremes of cultural identity. On one hand, there is Jamshed, a larger than life character who leads a very luxurious life, and on the other hand, there is Percy, a flat character who has a very inspirational image, fighting for rights of village people in India. Also, they share different cultural identities. Jamshed is very Canadian-Indian and always complains about the poor state of his country of origin. In stark contrast to him is Percy, who is a very patriotic Indian and spends his time in villages waging battle against corruption. Although these are two very diverse characters, the one character that is strangled between them is the protagonist, Kersi. The characters of Jamshed and Percy are merely set up as foils for Kersi. Kersi has an unstable mind, and seems quite lost at times. He doesn’t understand whether or not he loves India. “I, Tiresias, blind and throbbing between two lives, the one in Bombay and the one to come in Toronto…” (Page 180). This may be interpreted as a metaphor for Kersi being Tiresias, the blind one, who can’t see and things are all grey like the clouds. This is an attempt to shed light in an area where there is darkness. As the story proceeds, we see that he has succeeded in his endeavor and that things have become clearer and more precise. Similar to characterization in ‘Condolence Visit’, in this story too, Kersi’s character brings about hybridity in duality. He acts as the link between the two characters, not necessarily joining them, but rather sharing parts of their identity. He is also Canadian-Indian like Jamshed, but doesn’t actually agree with all his views towards his home country. But then, he also can’t relate himself completely to Percy too, as the Canadian culture has been integrated in him. Thus, he is a mixture of the two, bringing about hybridity in duality.

Another important technique used by Mistry is the use of symbolism and imagery to portray hybridity in duality.

The central image in ‘Condolence Visit’ is that of the oil lamp. It is a physical object in the present that calls upon her memories of the past. According to Parsi belief, the past engages with the present for a period of four days when the lamp is lit i.e. the two worlds merge, which in itself is a sign of hybridity in duality. After the period of four days, the lamp is supposed to be put off and the past (soul) departs to the ‘Next World’. It appears Daulat, subconsciously, wanted the soul of Minocher to stay within and not leave for the ‘Next World’. She apparently found comfort in the oil lamp, with the thought of Minocher being around at the back of her mind. “But the little oil lamp became a source of comfort in a house grown quiet and empty for the lack of one silent feeble man, one shadow” (Page 63). The shadows kept reminding her of the past, and she found solace in it. The ‘pugree’ is another major symbol which Daulat associates with Minocher. At the end of the story, when she gives it away to the young man, we can see a transformed Daulat. It seemed like she was in a battle of minds before the act. So, the final act of giving away the pugree (and later on of putting off the lamp) signifies her decision to put aside her past and start living in the present. Thus, both these symbols link the past and present, and bring about a change in the protagonist. While the lamp itself brings the two worlds together for the period of four days, the pugree raises questions in Daulat’s mind, which finally results in her decision to accept reality. Thus, both symbols create hybridity in duality.

Imagery in ‘Lend me Your Light’ also plays a vital role in portraying the dual identities of the characters. Jamshed and Percy are shown to be best friends at the start of the story. Very hyphenated images of Jamshed are given, which very well makes up the reader’s mind about him. “His food arrived precisely at one o’clock in the chauffeur-driven, air-conditioned family car, and was eaten in the leather-upholstered luxury of the back seat, amid this collection of hyphenated lavishness” (Page 174). On one level, hyphenation operates in the literal sense, and on the other level, it augments the character’s identity. We come to acknowledge Jamshed’s luxurious lifestyle, what with images such as ‘model-airplane kits’, ‘original soundtrack of My Fair Lady’ and so on. In stark contrast to Jamshed is Percy, with the primary image of Navjeet’s death summing up all perceptions of Percy’s character. “After a while he looked up and said, “They killed Navjeet.” No one spoke for the next few minutes.” (Page 191). The strength and resolution within Percy is evident and the lifestyle he leads is very much in contrast to Jamshed’s. Thus, the duality in the characters is explored through Mistry’s use of imagery. It is an irony that these two characters were best friends in their childhood years, which in itself brings about hybridity, as in bringing together two diverse characters and bonding them through friendship. It is another matter they drifted apart in their adulthood…

“Rohinton Mistry was born in Bombay in 1952 and has lived in Canada since 1975”. This line in itself sums up his intention of exploring such themes as duality and hybridity. It seems that Mistry has integrated the Canadian culture in him; but his writing of this book and such themes clearly indicates that deep within him, he wants to come back to his mother country. Though we can’t place this as a fact, we can see why he would like to explore such issues. The book might be a means for him to merge with his true identity, to vent out his feelings to the world. Thus, Mistry explores these issues as it may relate to his own life to a certain extent, though not as explicitly as portrayed in the stories.

Overall, both stories ‘Condolence Visit’ and ‘Lend me Your Light’, very extensively explore the theme of duality and hybridity, or rather, hybridity in duality. Mistry does so by the use of characters, symbolism and imagery. He relates them to ‘being between two worlds’ and thus brings about a whole cycle. Mistry – somewhat cunningly - handles this theme in a unique way, linking hybridity and duality when they are, essentially, two separate themes entirely.