India, Present-day

The entirety of The Bandit Queens is set in a small village in present day India. While the caste system was outlawed in India in 1948, in the remote village, caste continues to dictate the social order. Characters like Khushi are considered untouchable, and not permitted to enter most social sphere. She makes money by removing dead bodies because upper caste members consider the job beneath them. Throughout the narrative, Shroff explores the intersection of the caste system and sexism with India in order to explore the lives of women whose experiences are limited by inequitable social structure.

Geeta's House

Geeta lives in a modest house on the outskirts of the village. She uses her home as her studio for making marriage necklaces, a business that supports her. In the same manner that Geeta physically restructures her domestic life and work after Ramesh disappears, she redefines her identity...