The Bandit Queens

From the very beginning of the book, it is clear that the pinnacle of a woman’s experience is to produce and raise children. The women who do have children—Saloni, Farah, Preity, and Priya—often employ a refrain about the “joys of motherhood” (5). This motif surfaces in the novel multiple times, out of the mouths of multiple characters, usually as this exact phrase. Symbolically, the phrase functions in several ways: First, it serves to emphasize the primary role of motherhood in Indian society. As mothers, women provide heirs for their husbands—ideally, male children who will carry on the husband’s family name. Secondly, it also reminds the reader that Geeta is different; she stands apart from the other women due to her lack of children. This fact renders her suspect and even dangerous, for her childlessness makes the churel rumors easier for the villagers to believe. A single, childless woman has a freedom of movement that disturbs the status quo. Finally, there is an underlying anxiety that is implicitly admitted in the frequent need to affirm that motherhood is a “joy,” to announce aloud one’s commitment to the whole enterprise.

In fact, in one of the funniest scenes of the novel, the women abdicate their heretofore stubbornly sacred position on the “joys of motherhood.” The women are being held at gunpoint, fearful for their lives, when Ramesh makes a jab at Saloni for her weight gain. Heedless of the situation, Saloni launches into an invective about the challenges of giving birth: “You don’t know! Everything changes after a baby, okay? You don’t even recognize your own body” (307). She goes on to admit that, when she sneezes, she often urinates a little in her pants. Farah joins in with her own admission that “I also pooped on [my second-born child] during birth” (307). Ramesh and Bada-Bhai are both horrified and silenced by the women’s graphic admissions. The women go on to lament the whole exercise of child-rearing, saying, “Hardly anything goes back to normal [after having children]. It’s all saggy boobs and sneeze-peeing and ungrateful children” (308). When the astonished Bada-Bhai reminds them of the “joys of motherhood,” both Saloni’s and Farah’s responses are an underwhelming “Meh” (308). The “joys of motherhood” are often anything but joyful, and the women here—in the process of outwitting the men and taking control of their own destinies—choose to define themselves in more than one dimension.

Geeta regularly listens to a nature program as she works on making her wedding jewelry to sell. One afternoon, she hears a particularly intriguing segment on the bonobo. The program states, “But unlike apes, which were the other closest relative to humans, female bonobos, though not kin, forged alliances to obtain food and ward off male harassers” (112). The bonobo becomes Geeta’s inspiration for how she and her fraught band of female friends might unite in ways to benefit themselves rather than their wayward husbands. The motif runs throughout the conversations between the three main characters, Geeta, Saloni, and Farah.

When Saloni begins the process of repairing her friendship with Geeta, she admits, “I’m human. I have regrets. So I’ll help you. Like your bonobo or whatever” (157). Saloni makes this comparison so that Geeta will recognize the selflessness of her intentions. Later, when the plans to dispatch Darshan go awry, Preity and Priya immediately agree to help take the fall for his death. They put their fingerprints all over the statue that Geeta has used to murder Darshan in self-defense. Geeta, still in shock, says only, “Bonobos” (188). Saloni tries to explain, but Geeta is expressing her understanding that the twins are now part of the female fold.

Later, the term is bandied about in order to distinguish between Saloni’s loyalty and Farah’s duplicity. When Farah threatens to expose Geeta’s role in the killing of Samir if Geeta does not hand over more money, Geeta explains why Farah is “no bonobo” when she says, “They’re primates whose females band together against male aggression. They’re allies, unlike you” (209). Saloni also accuses Farah of not being Geeta’s true friend when Farah refuses to help with Ramesh, stating, “You’re not a bonobo” (271). The bonobo therefore represents the high standard to which Geeta holds her friends, with their unified front. In the end, when Farah finally comes around to the side of the women, they ask her what changed her mind. “I was trying to be a bonobo” (305), she says—trying to be loyal. Thus, these bandit queens are ultimately all bonobos at heart.

The tortured dog that Geeta rescues from Bada-Bhai’s house and eventually names Bandit is a catalyst to kindle her maternal feelings. While Geeta may not have much affection for actual children, she immediately embraces the prospect of becoming the dog’s caregiver. Even as she and Karem walk through the market, Geeta holds the dog like a child in need of comfort, heedless of the odd looks she receives. Geeta, too, takes comfort in the dog, for “Bandit’s body, warm and pulsing, proved a panacea for Farah’s lackadaisical cruelty” (87). When Farah threatens Geeta with prison and insults the quality of her craftsmanship, Bandit provides Geeta with unconditional affection.

Their bond is strong because they are both survivors. Bandit is a symbolic representation of both the Bandit Queen—the fact that the dog is actually a female only cements this association—and Geeta herself. As she admonishes Karem, “Oi! Show some respect. This dog is a hero. He’s a survivor of abuse” (92). When Karem points out that Geeta, too, is a survivor, she is wary but touched. The connection between canine and woman grows stronger as the novel develops. When Geeta is traumatized by Darshan’s assault, Bandit can only echo her anguish; as the novel states, “Bandit was awake, keening his concern. [. . .] Her distress was his; he roamed for a way to help her, as restless and impotent as she was” (207). Bandit proves herself worthy in the end, as she tackles Ramesh at the most opportune moment, sinking her teeth “into Ramesh’s ankle with a relish usually reserved for leftovers” (309). Bandit, once she is finally recognized as female, becomes another member of, or at least a mascot for, Geeta’s band of bonobos.