Summary
Conditions in Kalimpong worsen as the police and soldiers try to hunt down the GNLF boys hiding in the homes of wealthy people. Despite the near-constant violence, residents of Kalimpong also endure periods of mundanity and boredom. The judge realizes that Mutt is missing and searches the entirety of Kalimpong, begging the police and his neighbors for help. Kalimpong residents rebuke the judge for caring so much about an animal during wartime, but he is driven near-mad with anguish, guilt, and concern for his dog.
Meanwhile, Biju returns to the Calcutta airport, where Indian people from many different walks of life congregate. An Air France flight loses several passengers' luggage, but only non-Indian citizens receive compensation. Biju finally relaxes, as he is unburdened by the self-consciousness of being an immigrant in America. However, no buses or taxis will take him to Kalimpong because of the political unrest. Biju bribes a group of GNLF boys to take him and his luggage to the village. Before they reach Kalimpong, the boys rob Biju, taking all his luggage, clothing, and cash, forcing him to run to Kalimpong, chased by dogs and wearing a woman's nightgown. While escaping he reinjures his leg.
Jemu begins to suspect Mutt's disappearance is karmic retribution for his mistreatment of Nimi. He recalls an event years before when a political rival invited Nimi to a Nehru rally. Nimi, depressed and lonely, accepts, not understanding the magnitude of her decision, as her presence at an anticolonialist rally could ruin Judge Patel's reputation. The Judge, drunk and angry, beats Nimi and thereafter begins to do so regularly. To prevent himself from murdering her, Judge Patel sends Nimi back to her father, where she gives birth to their only child. Later, Nimi lives with her sister until she dies in a fire. The text heavily implies that Nimi's resentful brother-in-law murdered her.
When he cannot find Mutt, Judge Patel prays to a god he doesn't believe in and demands the cook find Mutt, threatening to kill him if he fails. Confused and hopeless, the cook goes to town and meets Gyan, who promises to find Mutt and return her to win Sai's affection. Drunk, the cook returns to Cho Oyu, where he confesses his many indiscretions and begs the judge to beat him; Judge Patel obliges.
As the day dawns, Sai notices a figure limping toward Cho Oyu. She goes inside to prepare tea, and the cook greets the figure. When he realizes it is Biju, they embrace.
Analysis
In his desperation to find Mutt, the judge intentionally uses a British accent to make the police officer enforcing the curfew leave him alone. However, this intimidation tactic does not work. In crumbling Cho Oyu, the judge lives in a different world, believing colonialism holds intrinsic power. Conversely, the people of the GNLF era disdain colonialism and find it cowardly.
Though the GNLF blames the wealthy for their oppression, the GNLF boys use their homes as hideouts. Despite shifting allegiances in Kalimpong, the wealthy still have power, and the police and soldiers will not search their homes. The GNLF use this to their advantage.
The text alludes to popular action heroes and characters, such as Rambo and Bruce Lee. By using the motif of films, particularly those popular with young men, the text illustrates how juvenile, disorganized, and inauthentic the GNLF's political activities become.
The text lists the different stereotypes of Indians arriving at the airport with Biju, such as "strait-laced businessmen," "taxi drivers," and "the Indian student bringing back a bright blonde." These descriptions and archetypes demonstrate the diversity of ways Indian immigrants engage with and express their identity or are forced into "available niches abroad."
Two men from Ohio and South Dakota criticize India after Air France loses their luggage. Their criticisms parallel Judge Patel's disillusionment with India, when he rejects his family and culture to assimilate into colonial ideas. This anecdote demonstrates the diversity of values, priorities, and preferences that the characters in Kalimpong and New York City gloss over when comparing nations and lifestyles.
When Judge Patel first beats Nimi, the text builds tension by describing him preparing his drink using sinister language. As he awaits Nimi, he pours "a cruel shimmer of scotch," grabs ice with "silver pincers in the shape of claws," and observes how "the ice cracked and smoked." The scotch also serves as a symbol of Jemu's obsession with British culture. Scotch, a "gentleman's drink," represents the kind of colonial man Jemu wants to embody. However, the drink, and colonial culture, enhances his anger and poisons his mind. Ironically, as the Judge abuses his wife more and more severely, he clings to the appearance of civility and respectability by taking extra care of his work and personal grooming.
Toward the end of the text when Judge Patel beats the cook, Sai expresses her grief in small, fragmented sentences, separated by ellipses. This sentence structure indicates how Sai's adolescent troubles, like heartbreak and loneliness, confusingly merge with her fear for Kalimpong and of the GNLF. Similarly, when the cook begs the judge to beat him, he quickly consolidates all of his guilt into a single confession and condemns himself as a "wicked man." He expresses grief over Biju and the horrors in Kalimpong. Meanwhile, the judge channels his self-hatred, rage, hurt, and guilt into his blows as he beats the cook. One of the novel's most persistent themes is that none of the characters can fully articulate their pain.
