Summary

Chapter 23 begins with Anjali thinking everything is not fine. She misses her mother - who has been transferred from a holding cell to prison for the past three days. She tries to spin some cotton on the rickety charkha, but it slams into the wall, hurting her hand. She starts crying and her father comforts her, promising he will get Ma out of prison. Anjali sighs, the damaged charkha spinning aimlessly. Her father gets out a piece of paper, a picture Anjali had drawn of a woman on a horse, sword held high. Baba reminds her she drew this for Ma with the crayons Irfaan gave her for Diwali. Anjali says it is a story about a queen - Rani of Jhansi - who led a battle against the British, remembering she used to think it was her mother. Her father suggests a...