The Shadow Lines

The Narrator reveals that the first time he spoke with May about that visit to Calcutta was after Ila’s wedding. She married Nick. They had a wedding in London before heading to Calcutta for a traditional Hindu wedding. He goes to visit them at the Price family’s house, taking a small saltshaker as a gift for Ila. That night, Ila is as happy as he has ever seen her, but because he loves her, he behaves as if he is in mourning. He drinks a great deal of wine that night and falls asleep in a chair. May wakes him and says that, for his own safety, she wants him to come home with her to Islington. They take a cab. On the ride, the Narrator tries to kiss May, but she pushes him away and tells him that he is drunk.

When they arrive, she tells him to sleep on the only bed in the room. She will sleep on the floor. The Narrator begs to sleep with her, but she again protests that he is drunk. He grabs her, kisses her roughly, and puts his hand inside her dress. When she pushes him away, the dress tears. She screams at him to stop, then turns out the light. He falls asleep instantly. In the morning, he apologizes. May cooks breakfast for him. He tries to get her to eat, but she says that she fasts on Saturdays. It is not a religious duty for her. Rather, she says that going without from time to time enlarges her perspective. Then she says that she is going to stand on a corner today with a collection box, collecting money for what she calls her worthy causes. The Narrator asks if he can go with her.

The crowds are overwhelming when he steps out of the underground station onto the street where they will collect. He is impressed by how commanding and persuasive May is. Few people are able to escape from her without donating. He asks her if she remembers the day they met, back when he was a child and she had received the letter from Tridib. Tridib was with them when they went to the station to meet her. May had run up to him and kissed Tridib on both cheeks. May says she does not remember the story. She takes the Narrator to a coffee shop for a break. She tells him that she went to Delhi before Calcutta on that past trip, so that Tridib would not think that she had come as if he had summoned her to India. When she had seen Tridib at the station, he had not been at all as she had imagined. He was awkward and self-conscious, which put her at ease.

One day, the Narrator goes with them to see a memorial of Queen Victoria. May and the Narrator laugh about the family joke. Tridib says that the memorial is going to their ruin, the one he referred to in the letter he sent to her that contained the story about the man and woman having sex in a ruin. He gives the Narrator five rupees and tells him to leave them alone for a while. None of it would make sense to the Narrator until much later, when May told him about Tridib’s letter.

One day the three of them take a trip to Diamond Harbour. On the way, they see an injured dog in the road. It has been hit by a car. May insists that they stop. The dog is too badly injured to be saved. Tridib holds it still while May cuts its throat with a pen knife, ending its suffering. Tridib makes May promise that if he ever needs the same thing, she will do the same for him.

In the present, May breaks her fast and orders a coffee. She tells the Narrator about a day when she and Tridib went to Tridib’s old family home and made love. She says that she has never known whether she loved him, or was simply fascinated by him. After she is done talking, the Narrator apologizes again for his action the previous night. She forgives him.

The Narrator reveals that the first time he spoke with May about that visit to Calcutta was after Ila’s wedding. She married Nick. They had a wedding in London before heading to Calcutta for a traditional Hindu wedding. He goes to visit them at the Price family’s house, taking a small saltshaker as a gift for Ila. That night, Ila is as happy as he has ever seen her, but because he loves her, he behaves as if he is in mourning. He drinks a great deal of wine that night and falls asleep in a chair. May wakes him and says that, for his own safety, she wants him to come home with her to Islington. They take a cab. On the ride, the Narrator tries to kiss May, but she pushes him away and tells him that he is drunk.

When they arrive, she tells him to sleep on the only bed in the room. She will sleep on the floor. The Narrator begs to sleep with her, but she again protests that he is drunk. He grabs her, kisses her roughly, and puts his hand inside her dress. When she pushes him away, the dress tears. She screams at him to stop, then turns out the light. He falls asleep instantly. In the morning, he apologizes. May cooks breakfast for him. He tries to get her to eat, but she says that she fasts on Saturdays. It is not a religious duty for her. Rather, she says that going without from time to time enlarges her perspective. Then she says that she is going to stand on a corner today with a collection box, collecting money for what she calls her worthy causes. The Narrator asks if he can go with her.

The crowds are overwhelming when he steps out of the underground station onto the street where they will collect. He is impressed by how commanding and persuasive May is. Few people are able to escape from her without donating. He asks her if she remembers the day they met, back when he was a child and she had received the letter from Tridib. Tridib was with them when they went to the station to meet her. May had run up to him and kissed Tridib on both cheeks. May says she does not remember the story. She takes the Narrator to a coffee shop for a break. She tells him that she went to Delhi before Calcutta on that past trip, so that Tridib would not think that she had come as if he had summoned her to India. When she had seen Tridib at the station, he had not been at all as she had imagined. He was awkward and self-conscious, which put her at ease.

One day, the Narrator goes with them to see a memorial of Queen Victoria. May and the Narrator laugh about the family joke. Tridib says that the memorial is going to their ruin, the one he referred to in the letter he sent to her that contained the story about the man and woman having sex in a ruin. He gives the Narrator five rupees and tells him to leave them alone for a while. None of it would make sense to the Narrator until much later, when May told him about Tridib’s letter.

One day the three of them take a trip to Diamond Harbour. On the way, they see an injured dog in the road. It has been hit by a car. May insists that they stop. The dog is too badly injured to be saved. Tridib holds it still while May cuts its throat with a pen knife, ending its suffering. Tridib makes May promise that if he ever needs the same thing, she will do the same for him.

In the present, May breaks her fast and orders a coffee. She tells the Narrator about a day when she and Tridib went to Tridib’s old family home and made love. She says that she has never known whether she loved him, or was simply fascinated by him. After she is done talking, the Narrator apologizes again for his action the previous night. She forgives him.

Earlier that week, Kerry, an American girl, had knocked on the Narrator’s door at school. She tells him that there is a call for him downstairs. Ila is on the phone. She has been back from her honeymoon for three months and this is the first time they have spoken for at least that long. She wants to know if she can help him with anything. He says that all he wants to do is visit Mrs. Price to say good-bye, and asks for her to arrange it.

That Saturday, he meets Ila at a church and sees that she has been crying. She says that nothing is wrong and takes him to Mrs. Price’s home. Mrs. Price appears much older than the last time he saw her, and he is worried about her health. Ila takes him down to the cellar again. They sit on a bed and she takes him in her arms, crying. A door opens and Tridib enters. This is a memory of when they were children. Ila will not tell Tridib why she is crying either, so he insists that they all go upstairs to sit in the garden. The Narrator tells Tridib that she is crying because she is thinking of the story she once told him about Nick Price and Magda, their imaginary daughter. Tridib says they should go back down into the cellar.

As adults, the Narrator and Ila are in the cellar again and she is still crying. She tells him that the problem is about Nick. The day after they returned from their honeymoon, she called Nick from work to say hello. A woman with a French accent answered their phone. When she confronted Nick, he said he had been seeing the woman for more than a year, she was not the only one, and he had no plans to stop. Ila says that he knows she loves him too much to ever leave him.

January 2, 1964, is the day before Tha’mma is leaving to visit Dhaka. She receives a letter from Mayadebi. The letter says that she has not yet been able to visit their old house because she is busy. However, she has heard of a mechanic named Saifuddin who used to work in a workshop he had built in the courtyard of their old home. A driver brings him to visit Tha’mma. He says that her uncle Jethamoshai is now bedridden and has dementia. Saifuddin believes that Jethamoshai should spend his last days with family. Mayadebi’s letter ends. The next morning the family takes Tha’mma to the airport in the city of Dum Dum. As the plane leaves, the Narrator’s father says he is glad that Tha’mma and Ila are gone. He says there is going to be trouble soon, and it is good that they will not be here to see it.

Years later, Robi tells the Narrator that when Tha’mma landed, the first thing she wanted to know was where Dhaka had gone. She was confounded by the fact that the Dhaka airport looked much like the one she had just left, despite being run by people she considered refugees. She felt the same way about the city. It was no longer the Dhaka she remembered. The Narrator tries to imagine it through her eyes, and what she must have been feeling.

Mayadebi’s new home is in the city of Dhanmundi. The Narrator remembers that in the 1970s, Dhanmundi was the site of great civil unrest. But in 1964, when Tha’mma visited, Dhanmundi was nothing like the affluent suburb it would become. It is a wasteland of flooded land and boundary walls that are no longer being used to repel attackers, although they would be used again in subsequent revolutions. As they drive to Mayadebi’s house, Tha’mma keeps repeating that this cannot be Dhaka. She has realized that she is now a foreigner in her own country. Tha’mma wants to go find her uncle the next morning, but the Shaheb says that there is going to be trouble in that part of the city. Tha’mma agrees to wait one week.

The Narrator remembers being a child on the day he learned there was trouble in Calcutta. When the school bus came, there were almost no children on board. One of the children asked the Narrator why he had a water bottle. The boy said that his own mother had said that Calcutta’s water supply had been poisoned by an enemy. When the bus stopped, all the children with water bottles dumped their water out.

During his first class of the day, the Narrator heard an angry mob passing by outside, but the curtains were drawn. Suddenly the teacher said school had been canceled for the day. The children opened the blinds and saw curls of smoke in the distant city. Armed policemen helped the children onto the bus, which was soon caught in a mob that forced the driver to stop. Eventually, the driver was able to get through, but the Narrator never forgot the visceral fear of that bus ride.

It is finally time for the visit to the uncle. One week has passed. Before the visit, Robi remembers that Tha’mma is nervous. She changes clothes twice before getting in the car. As they ride, the driver points out the sights, but Tha’mma keeps asking where Dhaka is. They reach the house, and the driver asks Tridib to make sure they return quickly. The driver is worried about their safety if the trouble in the city reaches them.

The courtyard is full of motorcycles. Tha’mma cannot believe the change from the home she remembers, but she feels that it is still her old home. She gives Saifuddin a gift to give to his wife. Saifuddin says they cannot see the old uncle until Khalil arrives. Khalil is one of the Muslim refugees who now lives in the house and takes care of her uncle. Tha’mma is stunned. There had been a time when her uncle would not have been able to permit a Muslim to walk in front of him without sputtering in rage. Khalil arrives in a rickshaw. He says that he will try to help them persuade the uncle to leave, but he says that they will see that it is no use.

When they go inside the house, Mayadebi and Tha’mma hug each other and laugh. Tha’mma jokes that nothing is upside down. They notice the uncle, Jethamoshai, sitting on a bed. He does not recognize them. He tells Khalil to take them outside and show them in one at a time. He thinks they are clients of some sort. Tha’mma is upset that he does not know her. She asks him if he remembers his family and he replies that he is simply waiting for them to return. They tell him that it is not safe for him there, but he refuses to listen. Tha’mma says they must leave and that it is no use talking to him.

Saifuddin says they have to take him any way they can. He says that the last time there was trouble they had a hard time protecting the old man. Kahlil’s wife agrees with Saifuddin. Khalil finally agrees and Jethamoshai comes with them. When they reach the car, the driver says that things have been calm, but they are not safe yet. Several blocks away they encounter a mob blocking the road. The mob has lit a huge fire. Robi would later tell the Narrator that he knew how bad things had finally gotten, and he knew that trouble had found them all at last.

The Narrator reveals that it took him 15 years to connect the nightmares he had had about a bus ride to the events that befell Tridib and the others during their trip to Dhaka. In 1979, after beginning to work on his PhD, the Narrator attended a lecture about India’s 1962 war with China. After, the Narrator and his friends go to a cantina to reminisce about that period. They are each surprised by how well they remember the months of greatest conflict. But when the Narrator tells them that his most vivid memories are of the riots of 1964, they are confused. They say that there were no significant riots in 1964. Frustrated, the Narrator goes to the library with his friend Malik to prove it to him with a history book. He cannot find any trace of his riots. Then he remembers that the riot happened during a pivotal cricket match. They locate a newspaper from that day, but it mentions no trace of the riot on the front page. However, at the bottom of a later page, there is a small article entitled TWENTY-NINE KILLED IN RIOTS. But Malik points out that those riots happened in Pakistan, not Calcutta.

After Malik leaves, the Narrator remembers that newspapers run a day late. He looks at the newspaper for the day after the Pakistan riots and finds what he is looking for. The article’s title is: CURFEW IN CALCUTTA. POLICE OPEN FIRE. 10 DEAD, 15 WOUNDED. Above it is a small text box with the headline: SACRED RELIC REINSTALLED. The relic referred to was supposedly a hair of the Prophet Mohammad given to the Hazrabatl shrine in Kashmir. The hair, known as the Mu-i-Mubarak, disappeared from the shrine 263 years later. The ensuing riots—carried out by Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs—did not target people. Rather, their aim was to destroy property identified with the government and police. On January 4, without explanation, the hair was recovered and reinstalled in the shrine. There was a series of celebratory festivals, and one riot in the small Pakistan town, Khulna. The protestors in Khulna were still marching in protest of the theft of the relic.

The Narrator realizes that Tridib and the others went to Dhaka the day before the riot in Khulna. That riot spread to other towns, and soon the region was engulfed in conflict, including Dhaka.

Months after the discovery in the library, the Narrator finds an old atlas on his bookshelf. The atlas had belonged to Tridib. The Narrator takes a compass and places it on the page with the world map. He draws a circle that encompasses 1,200 miles of territory. He realizes that within any circle, there are only states and citizens. He feels that there are no people at all on a map because the map reduces the world to nationalities.

He remembers that his grandmother loved jewelry, even though she stopped wearing it after she became a widow. Eventually, she gave most of her jewelry to her daughter, but there was one piece she could not part with. It was a thin gold chain with a ruby pendant. He believes that she had never taken it off; she just hid it beneath her clothes. It was the first thing her husband had ever given her. But one day, a year and a half after the trip to Dhaka, she gave it away. When he asks her why, she screams that it was for the war fund. She says they have to kill the enemy before the enemy kills them, and she is only trying to do her part. She suddenly punches through the glass of her radio and cuts her hand. The Narrator begins to scream, and a doctor comes into the room with the Narrator’s mother and prepares to give him a shot to sedate him. His mother says that Tha’mma will be better soon, but that she has not been the same since Tridib was killed. As the doctor injects him, he realizes that this is the first time he has been aware that Tridib’s death may not have been an accident.

The Narrator’s parents had sent him away to stay with an uncle while Tridib’s body was being brought back for cremation, so he had never known anything that had happened. After the Narrator returned, his father told him that Tridib’s death had been a tragic accident. They had swerved to avoid a mob and had crashed. Because Tridib’s father is an important man in politics, they cannot say what happened publicly. He also tells him not to ask Tha’mma about what happened.

The first time he hears Robi talk about Tridib’s death is in a London restaurant with Ila. The man working there is named Rehman. After getting to know each other, he asks Robi how he knows so much about Dhaka. Robi says because his brother was killed there. When they leave, Robi tells them that he has dreams about the day Tridib was killed by the mob. He says he would give anything to be freed from the nightmares he has, and mocks the notion of freedom itself. He says that in his dream—and perhaps in reality, although he is no longer sure of his memory—Tridib was killed trying to protect May.

Days later, Ila calls him to say that she will not be able to see him off on his trip as he returns home. She also says that she and Nick are taking a holiday, and she wants the Narrator to forget the terrible things she told him about Nick. Impassive, he hangs up. Then he notices a small porcelain vase and remembers that he had bought it to give to May before she left. He meets her for dinner at her house and asks her to tell him how Tridib died. She tells him that they were attacked by a mob. She ran to the rickshaw that was carrying the old uncle and Kahlil, trying to pull the mob away from them. But Tridib ran after her, knowing they would kill her if she got too close. He threw her to the ground and took her place, running to the rickshaw and fighting the men. When it was over, his throat had been cut and the old uncle had been decapitated.

She asks him if he thinks that she killed Tridib. He does not answer. She says that she used to think she killed him, but now she believes Tridib always wanted to offer himself as a sacrifice to something greater than himself.

She asks the Narrator to stay with her that night and postpone his trip for a day. He does, and they fall asleep in each other’s arms.