Mangal Pande is Samad’s alleged great-grandfather, an Indian sepoy (an Indian soldier serving under British direction) who shot the first bullet of the Indian Mutiny of 1857, though it is unclear whether this action was heroic or motivated by foolishness (or drunkenness). Pande unsuccessfully attempted to commit suicide to protest the British army’s use of bullets smeared with pig fat (a sacrilegious act to Hindus), and he never became the martyr he intended to be. Samad defends his ancestor’s legacy throughout the novel and is inspired by his example, but other characters—notably Archie (who, ironically, fails to commit suicide at the beginning of the novel)—criticize him as a misguided fool and a coward. Pande was also a real-life historical figure.