Describe symbolism in Indian Ink by Tom Stoppard

In Act I, Part III, the conversation between Mrs. Swan and Anish about tea things and cake functions on a couple of important symbolic levels. The tea things represent the way that in spite of their mutual antagonism, the English and the Indians both came away from their historical relationship changed by the other. This cultural alteration is paralleled on the personal level by the way Mrs. Swan and Anish change each other's perspectives in this scene and throughout the play. More importantly, it's also paralleled by the way Flora and Das are both changed by their relationship with each other in ways that are revealed at the play's conclusion. Meanwhile, the special cake is also a symbol of that change, representing the way that in both relationships the participants come to see each other as unique individuals. The comparison of Anish's painting to the cake represents the way that Anish has lost a degree of his specialness, of his identity as an Indian, which digging into his father's history helps him to recover.