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Intro
In an unnamed Indian city in the late 20th century, Mr. Mitra and his wife, Mrs. Mitra, are driving to a shraddh, or Hindu mourning ceremony, when they get into an argument about whether to bring flowers. At first, Mrs. Mitra seems annoyed by her husband’s indecision, but eventually she tells him to “do what you’d do in a normal case,” suggesting that there’s something strange about this particular event. Mr. Mitra orders their driver, Abdul, to stop at a market and buys some tuberoses.
As they continue driving, Mr. Mitra reflects that he knows very little about Anjali, his wife’s relative who has died, except for her marriage to a wealthy and successful man named Gautam several years ago. Abdul gets lost several times on the way to the ceremony, and they have to stop and ask directions from multiple onlookers. Mr. Mitra is anxious to get to the ceremony quickly so that they can get home in time for lunch. Because of the circumstances of Anjali’s death, he doesn’t think there will be any food at the shraddh.
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Eventually, the Mitras arrive at the cramped apartment building where Anjali’s parents live. They go upstairs in the elevator and find the apartment crowded with people. Anjali’s father, Mr. Talukdar, welcomes them in and gestures to his wife, Nilima, who is sitting on a mattress near the wall. Mr. Mitra recalls that Mr. Talukdar once had an important manufacturing job, but he doesn’t know what else to say to him. Indeed, everyone at the gathering seems ill at ease, since they can’t acknowledge the circumstances of Anjali’s death.
Mr. Mitra feels hungry, and is relieved when a servant offers him some snacks and a soda. Then he runs into a professional acquaintance from his social club, Mr. Sarbadhikari. The two men talk about their children and the future of civil engineering as a profession. When Mr. Sarbadhikari excuses himself to go to the bathroom, Mr. Mitra quietly goes onto the balcony and watches a young woman hang laundry. This is the balcony from which Anjali jumped to her death. After leaving her husband, she moved in with her parents, who disapproved of her for ending the marriage.
Mr. Mitra returns inside and catches his wife’s eye to indicate he wants to leave. He visits the bathroom, which is decorated with a bunch of fussy accessories, and feels vaguely dissatisfied, “as if the last half hour had lacked definition.” Once he and Mrs. Mitra are back in the car, he remarks that he’s extremely hungry.
