Summary

In “The Child’s Return,” Raicharan began working as a servant for Anukul when he was 12. Even after Raicharan completed college and “entered the judicial system,” he continued working for Anukul (25). However, after Anukul married, Raicharan “found that he had two masters” (25).

When Anukul’s wife had a son, Raicharan became the child’s caretaker. He delighted in the baby, particularly when he learned to crawl and speak. He played tirelessly with him, even pretending to be his horse. Raicharan pulled him around in a cart Anukul had given him.

After “the rainy season” ended, Raicharan took the baby out in the cart (26). When the baby saw a large flowering tree on a mud-flat, he demanded Raicharan fetch one of the flowers. Disinterested in wading “through the mud,” Raicharan tried distracting him with “an imaginary bird” (27). The baby was undeterred, insisting Raicharan...