Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isnt

Human mind makes for a fascinating study. It can stir up the wildest
fantasies. In these fantasies, you could be flying one moment like the
birds and in another instant; you could be running like the cheetah. Our
mind draws fantastic pictures and allows our imagination to colour them.
Our imagination is truly unrestrained. Or is it?
Fantasy is bound by possibility. Every good fiction writer will vouch for this
fact. You cannot love a fiction novel if the storyline it presents is
implausible. Everyone loves the denouement of such tales where the final
resolution seems so straightforward and yet, so intricate. Being confined
by the boundaries set by probabaility is a quintessential trait of good
fiction.
On the other hand, truth is sometimes harder to grasp. This can be looked
at from different perspectives. Three hundred years ago, people wouldnt
even have imagined a contaption like the computer. They would have
stared wide-eyed if you were to tell them that in another few centuries, we
would have a device like cellphone which would allow them to
communicate over great distances. Go back another couple of centuries
and the Church would crucify you for believing that the Earth revolved
around the Sun and wasnt, in fact, the centre of the universe. These are
things which could never have been dreamed. And yet, as science
progressed and mankind came into its own, the cosmos submitted to
mans will.
The second perspective tests the depths of human depravity. Who would
have imagined the perversion that led a few men to do such unthinkable

Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isnt

acts to Nirbhaya in Delhi last year? The truth in this instance is far more
shocking than anything that could be envisaged and exhibits the fact that
human mind is also capable of planning unheard of atrocities.
The last perspective is rather uplifting. It looks at the strength of human
character and its ability to tide over unfathomable odds. The case of Mr.
Arvind Kejriwal and his Aam Admi Party is germane here. Having been
brought up in a society where corruption and double-speak is the norm
rather than the exception; I loked at the person and his formation with
cynicism. Fast-forward a few months and you have the distinct possibilty
of AAP forming the government in Delhi. Politicians who laughed at them
are scurrying for cover these days. This was an instance where something
incredble happened and that too, in such a short time.
Thus, fiction tries to stick to the tried and tested but the truth takes
unheard of forms and may not conform to popular notions and traditions.
It is sometimes bizarre and, as facts confirm, is often stranger than fiction.
User: anjeshv4