The Shadow Lines

The unnamed Narrator talks about his uncle Tridib and Tridib’s mother, Mayadebi. When Tridib was eight years old, they left Calcutta to go to England in 1939. The Narrator is also eight years old when the book begins, and spends the opening pages imagining that eight-year-old Tridib must have looked just like him. The Narrator’s grandmother, Tha’mma, did not approve of Tridib. She said he was always wasting time and living off of other’s money and charity. During Tridib’s frequent bouts of digestive trouble, he would often arrive at their house, expecting Tha’mma to cure him with her homemade omelets. Tridib lived with his own grandmother, who was the only member of his family in Calcutta. The Narrator reveals that Tridib was pursuing a PhD in Archaeology. Even though Tha’mma is herself a schoolteacher, she finds Tridib so irresponsible that she cannot even approve of his academic work. She hates the thought of such a reckless person being accredited by a university. She says that Tridib spends all his time in the tea houses of Gole Park, their neighborhood. He wastes his time gossiping.

The Narrator remembers how personable and well-liked Tridib was.