Chapter 1 Summary

Nataraj, the owner of a small printing press, spends his days conversing with the individuals who lounge in the front room of his store, a poet and Sen, a journalist. The poet is translating Krishna's life into monosyllabic verse. Sen talks incessantly about the mistakes of the president, Nehru. Nataraj's only employee is an old and loyal typesetter named Sastri. One morning, like all mornings, Nataraj bathes and washes his clothes in the river. On his return trip from the river, Nataraj encounters several individuals with whom he is acquainted, including a cousin, who dislikes him, and a septuagenarian.

Nataraj is disliked by his extended family because of an incident that occurred after the passing of his grandmother. His extended family, which amounts to fifteen people, had at one time lived under the same roof. After his grandmother's death, the family had a...