Part 6 Summary

The chapter opens with music lessons from famed Muslim musician Ustad Majeed Khan. Among the students are Malati, Lata's best friend, Veena Tandon, and Mortu Chand, standing in for a student who is ill. Politics enters the class over both the Bihar Zamindari Act, championed by Veena's father' Mahesh Kapoor, and the religious conflict over the Raja's Temple of Shiva. Ustad suddenly realizes that Mortu accompanies Saeeda Bai, the notorious Muslim courtesan who serves the Raja of Marh. Maan Kapoor continues to be besotted with Saeeda Bai which takes him out of the running for girls of good family as a prospective husband. Since Saeeda Bai cannot read English, Maan determines to learn Urdu and Rasheed is elected to do the teaching which sets up a long friendship between the two young men.

Pran is awakened by a kick from Savita's baby during...