Summary

Slowly Gauri describes the events of the day that Udayan was killed. In the week before Durga Pujo – the month of Ashvin, Gauri and her mother-in-law had gone shopping, picking up gifts for the holidays and odds and ends for the house. The driver of the rickshaw refuses to take them all the way home, so grabbing their parcels, they walk the remaining distance. Gauri is the first to see the Central Reserve Police van parked on the bank of the first pond. They see the key dangling in the lock and Gauri sees her father-in-law coming downstairs carefully. An officer points his weapon at them, and instructs them to leave the house.

They are herded towards the lowland and the officer in charge announces they are seeking Udayan Mitra. Through a megaphone, the neighbors are warned that harboring him is breaking...