Summary

The storyline moves to the past when Bhima received a telegram telling her that Pooja was ill. Sera had helped Bhima get tickets to go to Dehli. Pooja was in an overcrowded government hospital. The doctor informed Bhima that her daughter had AIDS and had gotten it from her husband, Raju. Bhima did not know what AIDS was. The doctor reacted with disgust and said that trying to educate people like her was hopeless. He told her he did not have time to explain it to her and instructed her to go say goodbye to her daughter.

Bhima stood in the hallway filled with people and felt alone. She did not know what to do in a city where she did not know anyone. She could not call Sera for help or even ask one of her neighbors. Her knees buckled. A...