Clear Light of Day Character Analysis

Tara

Tara is the third Das sibling, and the novel revolves around the memories and family conflicts that arise when she travels back to India to stay with Bim and Baba in the family house in… read analysis of Tara

Bim

Bimla, or Bim, is the second Das sibling—and arguably the main protagonist, as the novel’s action revolves around her fraught relationships with Raja, Tara, and Baba. Brilliant and stubborn, Bim excels in… read analysis of Bim

Baba

Baba is the youngest Das sibling, who faces a lifelong developmental disability. He never learns to speak more than the occasional word and cannot make complex decisions, although he understands most of what is going… read analysis of Baba

Raja

Raja is the eldest Das sibling, and while he does not appear in the present-day sections of the novel, his daughter Moyna’s wedding is the occasion for Tara’s visit to India. Additionally, his… read analysis of Raja

Aunt Mira

Aunt Mira (or Mira-masi) is the distant relation of the Das siblings’ mother who raises them—and particularly the younger siblings, Tara and Baba. As a girl, she is married off to a… read analysis of Aunt Mira

Bakul

Tara’s husband Bakul is a diplomat who serves as the Indian Ambassador to the United States in the present-day sections of the novel. Arrogant, worldly, and eloquent, he craves power and attention but cares… read analysis of Bakul

The Das Mother

Like their father, the Das siblings’ haughty, preoccupied mother spends most of her time playing cards with her country club friends. She only does the bare minimum to manage her serious diabetes, and she… read analysis of The Das Mother

The Das Father

The Das siblings’ father is a well-to-do Delhi businessman who runs a small but successful insurance company. Cold and distant, he spends most of his time playing bridge and taking care of his diabetic wife… read analysis of The Das Father

Hyder Ali

Hyder Ali is the wealthy, politically-connected patriarch of an important Muslim family who lives across the road from the Das family and rents them their house—until he escapes to Hyderabad in the Partition. He… read analysis of Hyder Ali

Dr. Biswas

Dr. Biswas is the physician who cares for Raja during his pneumonia and Aunt Mira during her fatal decline into alcoholism. Awkward and bookish, he takes an interest in Bim and asks her out on… read analysis of Dr. Biswas

Misra Brothers (Brij, Manu, and Mulk)

Brij, Manu, and Mulk Misra are the Das family’s next-door neighbors (along with their sisters Jaya and Sarla). As children, they are close with Raja, and as adults, they are good-for-nothing businessmen whose projects… read analysis of Misra Brothers (Brij, Manu, and Mulk)

Bhakta

Bhakta is a Hindu servant who works for Hyder Ali. He takes refuge in Hyder Ali’s house after the Partition because he fears that fellow Hindus will turn against him, then briefly moves to… read analysis of Bhakta

Minor Characters

Badshah

Badshah (whose name means “king” in Persian and Urdu) is Bim’s poorly-behaved 12-year-old dog.

Cat

Aunt Mira’s nurturing character draws a cat to move into the house when the Das siblings are children; in the present-day sections of the novels, Bim cares for a different cat, who may be a descendant of the original and who serves to underline Bim’s similarities with Aunt Mira.

Mr. Sharma

Mr. Sharma is a partner in the Das father’s insurance company. He coordinates all business with the siblings after their father’s death.

Mrs. Biswas

Mrs. Biswas is Dr. Biswas’s critical, pretentious mother.

Misra Sisters (Jaya and Sarla)

Jaya and Sarla Misra (and their brothers) are the Das family’s next-door neighbors and Tara’s closest friends during her childhood (although Bim considers them superficial and frivolous). They grow up to have unhappy marriages and become dance teachers.

Misra Uncle

The Misra sisters’ and brothers’ elderly father tells Bim about his business ventures in Burma and his disappointment with his sons when the Das siblings visit his house in Part I.

Hamid

Hamid is Raja’s Muslim childhood friend.

Janaki

Janaki is a servant who works in the Das household.

The Ayah

The ayah (nanny) helps raise the Das siblings.

Benazir

Benazir is Hyder Ali Sahib’s daughter, Raja’s wife, the bride-to-be Moyna’s mother, and the original owner of Baba’s gramophone (which he takes from her house after she leaves Delhi forever during the Partition).

The Cow

The cow that the Das siblings’ mother agrees to purchase at Aunt Mira’s behest falls into the well and dies.

Moyna

Moyna is Raja and Benazir’s daughter, whose wedding in Hyderabad provides the occasion for Tara, Bakul, and their daughters’ visit to India.

Mala and Maya

Mala and Maya are Tara and Bakul’s teenage daughters, who arrive to Delhi at the end of the novel.