‘True. Some collectors are pretty keen on his work.’

‘Shankrya had art in his fingers. He didn’t value it. Paint can’t do what words can, he used to say. Everything he did was to awaken people. What does this painting say? Anything of use to society?’

‘Not of use in the way you mean. But you’ve been staring at it. Why?’

‘Because it’s there!’ Bachchu Kaka lets out a loud laugh. ‘My dear woman, I was also a lawyer like your father. Don’t try and catch me out. But you are right. The painting is forcing me to look at it. I can’t say why.’

Anima looks curiously at Bachchu Kaka. His shining bald head is ringed by fine white hair, lit up now like a halo under the rays of the slanting sun.

‘Kaka, you look like a Christian saint. So you’re going to tell me in simple words what’s going on with Ai.’

‘No, I’m not. I’ll tell you why. Because I’ve begun to think you two don’t value your heritage as much as you should. You come once a month, that too in the evening, and are off again next morning. I think you should spend more time there if you want to see what’s happening. If you don’t do that, it means you’re happy letting things take their course. I don’t need to worry about it then. We did what we could in our time. Now you must take over.’

Anima feels suddenly alone. It’s as if somebody has whisked the roof off her head and the sky above is empty. There’s deep disappointment, even a touch of bitterness, in Bachchu Kaka’s voice. She has displeased him. The thought hurts Anima.

‘Kaka, you tell me what we should do. Ai was Anna’s wife, yes. But you know they were as far apart in ideas as in age. But the fact is, Anna has left his entire property—the house, the orchard, everything—to her. If we question her even mildly, she says she has the right to do what she wants with it. We must grant her that right, mustn’t we? How can we interfere? As far as she’s concerned, I’m irresponsible because I married Siddhartha, a shippie from a lower caste, when there were any number of well-educated Brahmin boys I could have married. So my opinions don’t count. Even Ashesh had shown his irresponsibility by getting involved with “that Mussalman girl”. But he’s better than me because he gave her up when Ai opposed the match.’

‘Ashesh never gave that as the reason. He simply got cold feet.’