Indian Literature

Kali is depicted as a fallen goddess with her corruption taking the form of desire both

sexual and material. She is explained as pure through innocence and this purity is destroyed as

she acquires the human qualities of lust and greed. In this she shares the woes of humanity, she

tries to fulfill her materialistic desires and becomes preoccupied by her recently realized

mortality. This teaches the reader of the futility of seeking material fulfillment to alleviate the

intrinsic despair in the face of mortality and the importance of embracing death.

Vishnu is depicted as a deeply flawed and in many ways, pathetic individual, while still

maintaining the sympathy of the reader. He is passive through nearly all of the story, with his

actions being seen only through some of the flashbacks and even in these events he is not a

source of driving action, instead, he is reactive to other characters. I believe Suri wrote Vishnu in

this manner because he intended to use Vishnu to represent either Hinduism or perhaps religion

in general. Rather than either a god or a man, Vishnu is depicted as both at various times

throughout the book as well as highlighting the connections between deities, mortals, and

society. He is shown as good intentioned but not without his flaws and yet without intending to,

Vishnu has managed to polarize various groups of people and cause constant conflicts.

I believe that the childhood of Vishnu may have impacted who he was as an adult, with

his strained paternal relationship and strong maternal relationship being recreated in his quest for

appreciation from other females as well as his father’s substance abuse attributing to his own.

However, I also believe the more important aspect of his youth is how society viewed him. As a

lower-class individual, he was marginalized and any work he was given was seen as charity.

Money is a constant issue for him, and happiness is always outside of his price range, with even

the affection of the woman he loves being something he must pay for.
 Caring for Vishnu is viewed as a form of required tithing that is observed but not enjoyed

by those preforming them. Each group of residents use their contributions to try to shame the

others into undertaking any of the inconvenient sacrifices because they do not wish to. In

addition to the occasional financial tithes the residents observe the rituals of donating chapatis

and tea, forming a sort of offering to the divine as well as the bread and beverage used in the

communion seen in many religions.

The residents will not deny him outright or turn their backs on him for the sake of

appearances and his upkeep is used in arguments to prove the superiority of each individual

without actually caring for what they are doing for him. This mirrors the façade of many self-

identified religious individuals who use their piety or giving to a religion as a means of

establishing a moral high ground rather than an expression of their genuine faith. The care of

Vishnu is used to sway arguments when the initial cause, be it water, ghee, or dating children, is

not going in one’s favor, much as how many individuals will use a perceived lack of faith as a

means of discrediting the valid arguments they cannot win in legitimate ways.

This false faith of convenience is seen in the end when the families try to use their false

piety to impress the inspector and prove the quality of their character while lying through their

teeth. It is not a coincidence that this fake faith is used to veil the injustice visited on those of a

different faith. The Pathaks and Asranis do not display any firm devotion to either their faith or

to Vishnu but claim to when it serves their purposes. These characters are incredibly human in

their depiction, and that is what they are meant to be, normal people, dealing with common

issues in common ways.

The Jalals also serve as a depiction of normal individuals of two minority ideologies,

Mrs. Jalal being a devote Muslim in a non-Muslim community and Mr. Jalal being a skeptic,
nonreligious individual, at least in the beginning. These two individuals highlight how minority

groups are stereotyped and distrusted by other faiths even if the people doing the stereotyping are

not particularly devote in their faith. A great depiction of this is when the Cigarettewalla is

angered by his use of the Bhagavad Gita even though he is completely unfamiliar with his own

scripture, simply because he is not a Hindu.

Mr. Jalal depicts a clear warning about the dangers of radicalized and irrational faith in an

incredibly clever and non-judgmental way. Mr. Jalal is viewed as a Muslim by others but is

clearly shown as a non-believer before becoming radicalized into a pseudo-Hindu faith. This

depiction highlights that anyone, of any race, creed, or religion, can take faith and spirituality too

far. Suri also shows how Mr. Jalal is not on a spiritual quest but a quest for spirituality, he is not

seeking answers to life’s great questions but instead is seeking an answer to why people choose

faith over reason. In his attempt to experience faith clinically he becomes radicalized and

endangers both himself and his wife through his blind fervor and odd proselytizing. In the end,

Mr. Jalal finds faith and self-importance, not enlightenment, he has forsaken all logic and reason

in favor of blind faith and the grandeur of being a prophet, to the extent that he views his former

logical reasoning as an enemy to his new perspective and position.

These aspects form an important message for the reader and a sharp criticism of religion

and society. The characters clearly reflect the petty and trivial aspects of modern living

contrasted against the class inequality and religious intolerance which permeate their society.

Suri also shows two extreme variants of faith in society, the fair-weather, holier than thou

followers as well as those who refuse to use logic or reason. Through these extreme differences

Suri tries to draw attention to the similarities and show that whatever differences exist we are all

human.
 I believe Vinod Taneja may have found some form of enlightenment; he goes through

several changes in his life story which are each depicted in his flashbacks. His marriage,

Sheetal’s death, his volunteering, and his interaction with the guru all show how he changes

through his life and at each nexus he comes away wiser and better than he was before, even if the

change is gradual and difficult for him. He grows to understand and accept his emotions and be

at peace with himself. Vinod differs from the heroes of antiquity because he is also decidedly

human. He is not the best or bravest, he does not quest to conquer all the women who by divine

edict lust after him. He is believable and relatable rather than godlike.

I believe Vinod may be the only hero in the story because he is the only one who really

changes for the better. Mr. Asrani allows the attention to go to his head and incites a mob while

everyone else around him, like the Cigarettewalla and Paanwalla, allow themselves to give in to

senseless violence over thinly veiling racism. Mrs. Asrani and the Pathaks choose not to change

or become better people. They remain petty and self-serving throughout the entirety of the story.

Kavita and Salim remain immature and self-interested children with little empathy or regard for

those around them while maintaining delusions of immaculate love or glamorous futures.

Likewise, Vishnu is not quite a hero. Vishnu does manage to change, not only from living

to deceased, but from mortal to possible god, but in the end, he is shown as a mortal, being

returned to Earth, proving he was not the final reincarnation of Vishnu and thus not a god. He is

passive in his actions and does not drive either the overall narrative or his own life story forward.

While Vishnu is a constant entity in the lives of those around him his actions are not what define

him or drive the story. Instead he is utilized as a device for others to drive their own narratives

and agendas.