The Bandit Queens

Geeta confesses that she was unable to buy the rat poison; they will have to improvise. When she mentions that she was with Karem all day, Farah insinuates that he is quite the womanizer. Geeta tries to ignore this comment and returns to their plans. She decides that they will visit the local school, where they can find used mosquito coils, which are poisonous if ingested.

Farah does not want to pick up the coils, claiming that they hurt her hands. This might affect her tailoring business. When Geeta reminds her that she also uses her hands for work, Farah insults her by saying, “You put beads on a string. Monkeys can do that” (84). In contrast, Farah considers her work to be art. She tries to soothe Geeta as they leave the school, but Geeta will have none of it. She reminds Farah that they are not actually friends; Geeta is only helping her out of self-interest.

Geeta names the dog Bandit. When he refuses the supper she provides, she decides to go to Karem for advice. Actually, she is upset for disappointing Farah and for provoking a fight between them, and she does not want to be alone as usual. Karem assures her that the dog just had too many biscuits at the market. As they talk, Karem’s son, Raees, comes in, eager to pet the dog. Geeta realizes that this is the boy whom she defended from the bullying girl. He is inquisitive and charming and asks Geeta if she fed her missing husband to the dog. She takes the question in stride, and Karem notes that the boy obviously likes her.

Raees goes back to bed, and the two adults move outside. After some light banter, wherein Karem compliments Geeta’s appearance, he lightly touches her cheek. The touch rips through her like a lightning bolt; she is rarely touched, a basic human need. She steps in and kisses him in return as her sexual desire rears its long-dormant head. Still, she stops him to say that whatever happens between them must remain a secret. While he, as a man, is allowed room for sexual indiscretions, she, as a woman (especially as a churel), is not. She intimates what Farah has said to her, that Karem often satisfies his desires with other women. He is clearly insulted and asks her to leave. She is stunned and embarrassed. She runs home and wallows in self-pity, chiding herself that her loneliness and isolation are all her fault, and that nobody could possibly love her—except Bandit, who curls up in her lap to comfort her.

Geeta knows that she must get back to her business, but she decides to give Bandit a bath. This gives her the opportunity to check on Farah’s house, where she discovers that mourners are already leaving the premises, dressed in traditional white. Geeta is shocked at the guilt that she feels. Farah, however, drops by in the evening, giddy with the success of her act. Farah announces that she will have the body burned—which is not in accordance with typical Muslim ritual—so it cannot be autopsied. While Geeta reels with guilt, Farah basks in the fact that Samir will no longer steal her money. A police officer arrives at the women’s weekly loan meeting, terrifying Geeta. At the end of the meeting, he detains both her and Farah.

After a couple of cursory questions, the officer releases Geeta, who is relieved but overwhelmed. She notices some children removing a dead dog from the street. Bandit runs over to the kids, eager to sniff at the carcass and to be petted by the boys. A woman yells at the children not to touch the dog, and Geeta realizes that the woman and her children are Doms: members of the lowest caste, responsible for handling dead bodies. The woman does not want her children to pollute Geeta’s dog by touching it, as caste rules dictate. However, Geeta assures her that the children may pet Bandit. While caste rules define much of Indian society, Geeta herself finds the strictures to be dehumanizing. The woman’s name is Khushi, and they strike up a conversation. As they reach Geeta’s house, Khushi grins and claims that her own house is much larger. They part on friendly terms.

Geeta goes back to work, listening to a nature program about bonobos. Farah arrives and assures Geeta that the police are ignorant of their deed. Geeta, however, is not entirely convinced and panics about the possibility that they might go to jail. Farah interprets this as a threat and threatens Geeta in return to ensure her continued silence. Geeta finds Farah’s change in demeanor to be shocking. Farah invokes the Bandit Queen, implying that Geeta could not possibly embrace such ruthlessness—though Farah assures Geeta that she herself can. She impresses upon Geeta that the two are friends, bound together by Samir’s murder.

At the following week’s loan meeting, Farah is able to pay her share. In celebration, she has brought samosas for everyone, with a special helping for Geeta. Farah shares with the group that Samir was a drinker and an abusive husband—facts that everyone already knows. This exasperates Geeta, but Farah encourages her to eat. As Geeta bites into one of the treats, she notices a bit of mosquito coil embedded in the filling. Later that evening, she checks all the samosas and discovers that all of them contain bits of mosquito coil. She decides to teach Bandit to attack, a skill at which he is not particularly gifted.

Earlier that day, she visited Karem, hoping to rekindle their friendship. However, he was still angry at her insinuations and behaved coldly toward her. She now realizes that she has cost him a great deal of his livelihood by precipitating the end of his business partnership with Bada-Bhai. She thinks of giving Karem her savings in order to appease the universe. After the disastrous loan meeting and more looming threats, Geeta feels scared and alone.