Secret Daughter

Kavita and Jasu have suddenly come into prosperity, now that—at just 16 years old—Vijay has a successful messenger business with his friend Pulin. While Kavita and Jasu expressed some disappointment that Vijay would not make use of his schooling, Vijay countered by saying that his messenger business was still a good job.

Kavita and Jasu are on their way home from the cinema when they come upon a young handicapped girl who is being taunted by a group of men: “She's down on her knees on the ground, crying, disoriented, groping about for something” (153). The girl’s sari has been torn from her body, and Jasu turns to the men and starts yelling at them to disband, while Kavita attempts to cover the girl’s nakedness with her own body. Jasu and Kavita escort the girl home, and Kavita thinks about how she is happy she was able to protect the girl, as she wishes she had been able to protect her own daughter.

It is the first night that Asha is home in California after her sophomore year at Brown University, and Somer is happy to have Asha back in the house. Over dinner, Asha reveals the news that she has won a fellowship from the Watson Foundation, a program that helps provide funding for students to study abroad for a year. Asha has received funding to do a project on children living in poverty in India. Somer is taken aback and tells Asha that she wishes Asha would have consulted with her and Kris before finalizing the plan. Upon saying that, Somer realizes that Kris looks surprisingly calm: “How can he be so calm about this? And, in that moment, it occurs to her” (160). Somer intuits that Kris helped Asha prepare her application and apply for the program.

Somer and Kris argue over whether it is a good idea to allow Asha to go to India. Somer thinks that India is too far for Asha to make the journey by herself; Kris reminds her that he has family there, and Asha will not be alone. Kris accuses Somer of not allowing Asha to know her Indian culture. In response, Somer accuses Kris of being a hypocrite—that he would never allow Asha to do this if she were not going to India, his home country. Somer worries that Asha will try looking for her birth parents. Somer begins to cry, and Kris tells her that she cannot protect Asha forever. 

Kavita and Jasu live in a brand-new apartment building now, one with a doorman and an elevator operator. Vijay takes care of the apartment expenses, as his messenger business continues to thrive. Kavita and Jasu have no idea how much their rent in the new apartment is. While Kavita is happy that Jasu can now relax, she worries exactly how it is that Vijay can afford their new lifestyle: “She still worries about Vijay spending so much time with his partner Pulin, the strange hours he keeps, the wads of cash, and various other things that enter her mind at dark times.” (164).

Just returning from the cinema, Kavita and Jasu enter their apartment to find that it has been ransacked: Glass from broken picture frames litter the floor, a table is overturned, all the cupboards are open, and some of the doors have been taken off their hinges. Kavita and Jasu are frightened, and even more so when they hear loud voices and two men in tan uniforms emerge from the hallway. The men introduce themselves as officers and ask where Vijay “keep[s] his supply” (165). Jasu responds that he does not know what the officers are referring to, that his son owns a messenger business. The officers tell Jasu to pass the message along to Vijay that they will be watching him. 

It is 2 days before Asha departs for India, and she is only just now starting to pack her bags. Kris is currently at the hospital treating a patient with a brain aneurysm, which worries Asha because it means she is in the house with Somer alone: “Asha cannot bear it anymore. The more her mother tries to cling to her, control her, the more Asha wants to pull away” (168).

There is a knock at the door of Asha’s bedroom, and Kris enters the room, offering her a couple of electricity converters, which she will need in order to use her hair dryer or her computer in India. He also gives her a stack of photos, which will help her identify the many members of her family there. Asha asks if they will come visit while she is there, and Jasu says of course. Jasu leaves the room, and Asha takes out what she refers to as her “box of secrets,” which is a small white marble box in which she keeps a few mementoes of her birth mother, including the silver bangle. Asha begins to cry as she cradles the bangle in her hand. Another knock at Asha’s bedroom door, and Somer enters the room. Asha accuses her of not knocking, angrily trying to hide her tears.

Asha begins her journey to India. When she finally arrives in Mumbai International Airport, she notes that it is “complete” mayhem and she is greeted by Nimish, one of many cousins there in India, who leads her into the parking lot where his father is waiting to take them to Asha’s grandmother’s home. On the drive there, Asha observes the cityscape of Mumbai: “At some point, the scene outside the Ambassador shifts from high rises to housing slums: dilapidated shacks, clothes hung on lines overhead, trash littered everywhere, stray animals wandering about” (178). 

It is Asha’s first morning in Mumbai, and she wakes up earlier than usual. She exits her bedroom and sees an “old woman in a crisp green sari” seated at the dining room table, drinking from a teacup (179). The woman introduces herself as Dadima, Asha’s grandmother. She invites Asha to sit and join her for a cup of chai, and Dadima tells her how excited the entire family is that she has come to India.

The next several days, Asha becomes acclimated to her new life in Mumbai: She is frequently drowsy with jetlag, she finds the muggy weather uncomfortable, and she has difficulty adjusting to the spiciness of most Indian food. On Saturday, soon after Asha’s arrival, Dadima holds a large family lunch so that Asha can meet the rest of her family: “There are at least thirty people here, and despite the fact she is meeting them for the first time, everyone treats her as if they've known her for years” (182).  

Asha heads to her first day working at The Times of India, where she meets her supervisor, Meena Davis, who is regarded as one of the best field reporters at the newspaper. Asha describes Meena as “a small woman, not much taller than five feet, but her presence electrifies the mild atmosphere” (185). Meena suggests that she and Asha go for lunch, but she needs to finish a story before they depart, so Asha spends the next few hours reading old copies of Times of India. A story about bride-burning catches her eye: “She reads in disbelief about young brides who are doused with gasoline and burned alive when their dowries are deemed insufficient” (185). Finally, Meena comes to collect Asha, and they head out of the office building for lunch.

Meena takes Asha to a place that has the “best pau-bhaji in all of Mumbai” (186). Meena tells Asha that pau-bhaji is “leftover vegetables mashed together with vegetables,” and that it was devised as quick and easy meal to prepare for local millworkers (187). Meena encourages Asha to partake in this type of experience, one that will help her get acquainted with the real Mumbai. Meena shows Asha the settlement of Dharavi, the largest slum in Mumbai. Asha is immediately stricken with the poverty and squalor of Dharavi, and Meena points out that there are “two Indias,” referring to the stark divide between the rich and the poor. 

It is Diwali, and Kavita and Jasu are preparing to go to temple to celebrate. After the incident with the police, Vijay has been distant; he does not join them. After temple, Kavita and Jasu head to their neighbor’s apartment to continue the Diwali festivities. At the gathering, the conversation turns to local gangs in the neighborhood, when one of the men asks: “Have you heard Chandi Bajan’s criminals have come together again? Hahn! He has a whole crew working for him in Mumbai, see? Selling drugs. Very big drug trade. Heroin, they say” (192). Kavita glances at Jasu during this discussion, as a “raw feeling” grows in her chest as if “a horrible truth is scratching at her from the inside to get out,” but Jasu is unphased (192). On the way home, Kavita asks Jasu directly if he thinks that Vijay is part of Chandi Bajan’s gang. Jasu does not answer directly; instead, he lowers his head and responds that they have done our best, and the rest is in God’s hands.

Vijay comes home late that night with a deep cut in his shoulder, which bleeds profusely. As Kavita helps him dress the wound, she implores him to stop spending time with his friend Pulin and those other “dangerous” boys. 

Dadima informs Asha that they will attend a big wedding for a family friend in the coming week, so Dadima asks Asha’s cousin Priya to come by that afternoon to help Asha find something appropriate to wear. Priya takes Asha to a local sari shop: “The entire perimeter of the store is lined […] with shelves holding thousands of saris in every hue and fabric imaginable, a rainbow wonderland. The shop caters exclusively to women's fashion but employs only men” (197). Asha tries on multiple saris and a lengha, “A two-piece gown comprised of an ankle-length drawstring skirt and matching top” (199). Unlike a sari—which is only fastened secured to the body by wrapping—Asha feels confident that the lengha will remain on without her having to worry, and Priya tells Asha that the lengha looks beautiful. They purchase the garment and leave the shop. They then head to Tham’s, which Priya explains to Asha is “the best beauty salon this side of Mumbai,” where Asha will have her arms waxed (200). Asha is confused by this ritual, but Priya reports it is customary for her (and most Indian women) to have everything waxed—arms, legs, face.

Afterward, Asha and Priya, along with their friend Bindu, head to lunch at a Chinese food restaurant. Priya and Bindu gossip about how extravagant the wedding will be, as the bride-to-be comes from a very wealthy family: “The bride is wearing eight carats of diamonds in her necklace alone […].” (202). Priya tells Asha how wonderful it is that she will be here for the wedding, which will surely be an event to remember. 

Since Asha left for India, tensions between Somer and Kris have come to the fore. Over dinner one evening, Kris tells Somer that they need to decide if and when they will go to India to visit Asha during her year abroad. Somer says she cannot just drop everything and go to India; Kris bristles at her reluctance to return to India, and he bemoans the fact that it has been eight years since he has been to visit his family. Somer expresses that she feels out of place in India. She says that Kris does not understand what it feels like, and if he did, he would not push her to visit. Kris reveals that he has already bought a ticket to go to India in December. He invites Somer to join him, but she refuses.

The weekend of the wedding arrives, and Asha attends the bride’s mehndi ceremony, at Dadima’s urging. Asha has never been invited to such an event before: “Priya explains the mehndi is only for women, close family and friends who gathered before the wedding to decorate the bride's hands and feet with henna” (208).

Two nights after the mehndi ceremony, the wedding takes place. Asha is impressed with the extravagance of the event, with thousands of guests and servers. She feels underdressed “compared to other women, draped in lustrous saris and dripping with jewelry” (211). At the reception, Asha meets a young man named Sanjay, whom she is immediately drawn to: “His [Sanjay’s] relaxed confidence has been contagious all evening, quelling the reporter in her. It feels as if he knows her already, and nothing she says can surprise him” (213). Before saying farewell, Sanjay gives her his phone number and suggests they meet before she heads back to the United States.

On a Friday afternoon in November, Somer’s co-worker Liza invites her to a wine bar with a group of colleagues after work. After a round of drinks, several of the colleagues leave, saying they have to get home to their families, which leaves Somer and Liza by themselves. Liza mentions that she left food out for her cat that morning, so she is in no rush to get home; Somer says she is not in a hurry to leave either. They stay for another round, and Liza tells her about her past and how she divorced about 6 years ago, but because she and her husband did not have kids, it made the separation easier. Liza asks if Somer would like to join her at her next destination for the evening, which is a Singaporean restaurant where she will meet up with her two friends, Sundari and Gail.

At the Singaporean restaurant, Somer introduces herself to Sundari and Gail, both of whom are single women in their forties. Sundari is a vegan who practices yoga regularly; Gail is a divorced single mother in a high-powered career as a real estate agent. Over dinner and drinks, they talk about one another’s lives, their past relationships, and their hopes for the future. The next day, Some wakes up grateful for having had their company, but ultimately happy to have her own family, even though she and Kris are separated right now: “She [Somer] had a good time with Liza and her friends: they were fun and helped take her mind off things for a while. Still, Somer wouldn't want to trade places with any of them” (219).

Asha, Meena, and a translator named Parag all head out to the Dharavi slums where Asha will conduct interviews with the tenants there for her article in The Times of India, which will be about “how this enormous urban slum came to be” (222).

Upon arriving in Dharavi, a crowd quickly forms around Asha and her team, as they immediately stick out as outsiders. Asha decides to start by interviewing a 12-year-old girl and her younger sister from the crowd; Parag speaks to them and learns that the girl’s name is Bina, and her younger sister is Yashoda. When Asha asks why Yashoda’s hair is so short, Bina replies that it is because she had a problem with bugs. Next, Asha interviews a “weary-looking” woman, who is standing in front of a hut (224). Asha learns that the woman is a widow with four children, and she is about to take her one child to school. Suddenly, a girl with “stumps” for legs emerges from the hut, using her arms to propel herself along. The woman puts the child on her back and begins to take her daughter to school 2 kilometers away. Finally, Asha pays 50 rupees to a woman standing in front of a shack with a baby on her hip and two young children clinging to her leg. The woman admits that she prostitutes herself for money, which only makes enough to feed her family. When Asha learns that this woman is just 20 years old—the same age as Asha—she is overcome with dizziness. On the way back from Dharavi, Meena speaks about how there are not one, but two Indias: One for the very rich, and one for the very poor. They are two completely different worlds.  

Chapter 42 from the perspective of Jasu and details the daily efforts he makes to maintain a menial job in Mumbai. It begins in the morning with Jasu waking up “exhausted before his day has even begun” (231). He runs and catches a packed train, as he has done every day for the past 14 years, which takes him to the textile factory where he is a foreman. Daily, desperate men come to Jasu asking for a job at the textile factory, but slots are limited, and Jasu must turn most of them away. On his way to work, Jasu reflects upon how Vijay seems to be destined for a life of crime, and he realizes that he may not have always known what was best for his family. Jasu also thinks back on that “horrible night” when he had to dispose of his first-born daughter (232). Though Jasu did not actually kill the child himself (he had his cousin do the deed), the night still haunts him. 

Asha awakens early so she can go on her usual morning walk with her grandmother. Asha looks forward to this morning ritual, as she listens to Dadima’s stories and learns about her family history. On this particular morning, Asha hopes to learn of her own personal history; she wants to ask Dadima about how she came to be adopted and what that period of time was like. On their walk, Asha confides that she wants to seek out her birth parents. Asha also tells Dadima that the subject is a “touchy” one with her mother. Nonetheless, Dadima supports her in this endeavor, saying that if Asha feels it is important, then she must do it. 

Sanjay takes Asha out for a date. At first, he does not reveal where they are going, saying that it is a surprise. He hints that it is one of his all-time favorite places in Mumbai.

When their cab arrives along the water’s edge, Sanjay reveals that he has taken Asha to Chowpatty Beach, which operates as beaches and playgrounds around sunset, but as soon night falls, the area becomes a carnival bustling with rides and games. Just before deciding to ride the Ferris wheel, Sanjay leans in and gives Asha a kiss. Asha is breathless at the incident; her crush on Sanjay continues to grow. At the top of the Ferris wheel, she tells Sanjay more about herself: That she was adopted and also about her intention to find her birth parents while she is there in India. Asha used to think it might be childish to want to see her birth parents, but Sanjay reassures her that, no—it is “natural” to want to know where one comes from and puts his hand over hers to indicate his support.  

Kris arrives in India, and Asha greets him at the airport. The next day, Asha suggests they go to lunch at one of her favorite places in Mumbai; Kris jokingly notes that, after just a few months, Asha is an expert on his hometown city. The restaurant Asha has chosen serves “classic South Asian street food” including “Gigantic paper-thin masala dosas” and “moist idlis served with spicy sambar for dipping” (249). Over lunch, Asha tells Kris all that she has been up to in India: That she met a boy named Sanjay, and how she uses yogurt to cut the spice levels in the food she’s been eating. She tells Kris that she wants to find her birth parents. She wants to “know who they are” and see them in person, if she can (251). Kris thinks about how he has expected this from Asha, that one day she would want to have this discussion about her birth parents. Kris reflects on how he is thankful Somer is not there with them at this moment. Asha asks Kris if he thinks Somer will be upset; Kris responds by saying that, while it may be hard for Somer, she will always love Asha, and so she will understand