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Dr. Jay Kumar
Parvati Singh is a prominent Rajput woman, with connections to everyone from the maharani Indira (a distant cousin) to Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. She is Samir’s husband and Ravi’s mother, and she is also Lakshmi’s most important client. Lakshmi considers Parvati “vain” and profoundly self-involved, though she also sympathizes with Parvati’s anxiety about Samir’s wandering eye. Throughout the story, Parvati grows increasingly suspicious of Lakshmi, both because of Radha’s burgeoning relationship with Ravi and because of the closeness evident between Lakshmi and Samir. When Parvati learns about Lakshmi’s tryst with Samir, she severs their business relationship and spreads rumors all around Jaipur that Lakshmi is a thief. Yet after Lakshmi decides to leave Jaipur, Parvati buys her house in a gesture of goodwill—acknowledging “that we may never again have someone” who can work “wonders” like Lakshmi does in her henna and on her terrazzo floor. Parvati’s nuanced, ever-changing relationship with Lakshmi reflects how caste and class differences make it challenging for women to find solidarity against patriarchal norms. Instead, the patriarchy pits Lakshmi and Parvati against each other, vying for the attention of the powerful men who oppress them both.
Parvati Singh Quotes in The Henna Artist
The The Henna Artist quotes below are all either spoken by Parvati Singh or refer to Parvati Singh . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 16
Quotes
Parvati! I'd served her. Pampered her. Fawned over her. I had handled Radha’s pregnancy as delicately as possible for the benefit of her family and mine. I hadn't created a scene. I hadn't demanded money. After all that, she was telling lies about me? In retaliation for my sister’s—and Ravi’s, don't forget!—folly! Her son was as much to blame—more, since he was older. But Parvati was taking it out on me.
It was so unfair! I tried to hold back my tears, but I failed. I've worked so hard, I wanted to tell Mrs. Sharma. I followed their rules. Swallowed their insults. Ignored their slights. Dodged their husbands’ wandering hands. Haven't I been punished enough?
Related Characters:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 17
Quotes
When I didn't reach for the money, she said, “Ten thousand rupees. More than we agreed on.” She smiled at me, and for the briefest of moments, I imagined she was offering me something more: apology, forgiveness, understanding, respect. I was surprised, and confused, by how much I wanted to be in her good graces again. I thought of Pitaji and of my fellow Indians, how they felt about the British after independence. Accustomed to subservience, they were more comfortable reverting to that role, however humiliating, as I seemed to be now.
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Parvati Singh Quotes in The Henna Artist
The The Henna Artist quotes below are all either spoken by Parvati Singh or refer to Parvati Singh . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 16
Quotes
Parvati! I'd served her. Pampered her. Fawned over her. I had handled Radha’s pregnancy as delicately as possible for the benefit of her family and mine. I hadn't created a scene. I hadn't demanded money. After all that, she was telling lies about me? In retaliation for my sister’s—and Ravi’s, don't forget!—folly! Her son was as much to blame—more, since he was older. But Parvati was taking it out on me.
It was so unfair! I tried to hold back my tears, but I failed. I've worked so hard, I wanted to tell Mrs. Sharma. I followed their rules. Swallowed their insults. Ignored their slights. Dodged their husbands’ wandering hands. Haven't I been punished enough?
Related Characters:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 17
Quotes
When I didn't reach for the money, she said, “Ten thousand rupees. More than we agreed on.” She smiled at me, and for the briefest of moments, I imagined she was offering me something more: apology, forgiveness, understanding, respect. I was surprised, and confused, by how much I wanted to be in her good graces again. I thought of Pitaji and of my fellow Indians, how they felt about the British after independence. Accustomed to subservience, they were more comfortable reverting to that role, however humiliating, as I seemed to be now.
