24 February

Visiting the Nawab’s palace (p. 15- 18)

Inder Lal takes the narrator to Khatm to show her the Nawab’s palace. The English woman wonders about Inder Lal’s wife Ritu and her life, because everything she can do is sitting in two rooms all day long.

On their way to Khatm, the narrator describes the vehicles in India: the busses are very old and not roadworthy. She features her impression of the landscapes as well: When one town is left behind, then there’s nothing but flat land, heat and dust.

Just arrived in Khatm, the young woman catches sight of the dense, run-down and dirty streets. She is interested in the Nawab’s family but Inder Lal doesn’t know  much about it: The Nawab himself died in 1953; his nephew Karim inherited the palace but lives in London now.

Thereupon the watchman shows them the palace, which was once very pretty and magnificent. Now the furnishing is sold and the rooms are empty. The woman wants to know more about the Nawab’s private mosque, but in Inder Lal’s opinion it’s not interesting; he keeps on talking about his life and trouble at work (a lot of jealousy and intrigue against him).

Afterwards they visit a little Hindu shrine, where the young woman gets some Indian candy which she doesn’t like though. On their way home she throws it away when nobody is watching.