Summary
Every Sunday evening, Lenny and her family go to a nearby house to listen to classical Indian music. The musicians sit on white sheets. Lenny and Cousin are particularly obsessed with the singer Israr Ahmed. He is a “nondescript, unassuming, middle-aged clerk” but is “transformed into a dervish” when he begins performing. He opens his mouth wide, roars, and throws his arms about like a mystic. Adi, Cousin, and Lenny try to copy him.
There are many processions out in the street. Different political or religious groups go marching by singing or shouting slogans. Whether they are Hindu or Muslim, Adi and Lenny run out to join them until the groups inevitably disperse.
Instead of the park, Ayah takes Lenny and Adi to the wrestler’s restaurant where they meet with their friends. On this day Ice-candy-man, Masseur, Sher Singh, the butcher, the Government House gardner, and others are there. The wrestler is picking on his twelve-year-old apprentice. As always, the friends begin discussing politics. There is a debate about whether or not the Punjab will be divided and if Lahore will become a part of Pakistan. There is a Muslim majority in the area, which suggests that it being part of Pakistan is more likely. But the gardener says that Lahore will remain part of India because of all the Hindu money there. The group argues about whether population or money is more important in settling this issue. The butcher suggests that the Hindus could be threatened or scared out. Lenny gets anxious and tries to block out the conversation.
Yet the adults continue talking. Sher Singh, the zoo attendant, asks what will happen to Sikhs like him. He reminds the group that Sikhs own more land than Hindus and Muslims combined. Others dispute this fact. Masseur says that the only way that Sikhs can hold onto their land is to make a deal with the Muslim League. Otherwise, the Punjab will be divided. The Sikhs are only about four million anyway. The butcher says that the British still see the Sikhs as a nuisance. The group discusses the rumors of Sikhs trying to drive Muslims out of East Punjab. The wrestler warns them that history might repeat itself. When the Mogul empire that ruled India came to an end a century before, the Sikhs massacred Muslims. He says that they have a tradition of violence. Masseur disagrees and says that the Sikhs value harmony between Muslims and Hindus. The group all agrees that they will stand by each other. The Government House gardener says that the British will not let a massacre like that happen again, but Ice-candy-man argues that the English cannot be trusted. They then talk about Viceroy Mountbatten, Nehru, Jinnah, and what each leader wants.
Again, Lenny wants to block out the conversation. She realizes that the group has 13 members and knows that this is an “uneasy number.” The next day she asks Mother why thirteen is unlucky and gets no answer. She asks other members of her family until she finally talks to Mrs. Pen, who tells her that Christ had twelve apostles and they sat together at the Last Supper. One of the apostles, Judas, betrayed Jesus. The chapter then ends with a strange dream Lenny has of children being crucified by soldiers in a factory. The dream is mixed with the sound of a siren outside and voices chanting slogans in a procession.
Analysis
In describing the house where Lenny and her family go to listen to classical Indian music, she says “the periphery of my world extends.” This refers back to the opening chapter when she describes her small part of Lahore by saying “My world is compressed.” After all the heavy sections about politics, the scene of Lenny and Adi mimicking their favorite singer with his trance-like performance offers a moment of comic relief.
It is becoming clear that the British will leave India. Alongside this shift, Ayah and Lenny no longer sit in the park under the queen’s statue but to go the wrestler’s restaurant. The conversations worry her. As the adults talk, she closes her eyes. She worries that when she opens them “they will open on a suddenly changed world.” The main issue debated is what will happen to the Punjab. They compare the high population of Muslims with the importance of Hindu money. The butcher makes what appears to be a threat against the Hindus, saying that “It won’t be hard to put the fear of God up the rich Hindus dhoties—money or no money.” At the same time, the group talks about the warrior-like Sikhs and the plans they have for the Punjab. The wrestler says “The Sikhs are the fighting arm of the Hindus and they’re prepared to use it.” The group affirms their commitment to remaining friends and protecting each other, but it is clear that they have disagreements about what will happen and which religious group or leader is in the right.
