Fasting, Feasting

Chapter 4 relates two key events: 1) the relationship between Uma and the family’s senior servant, Ayah and 2), the periodic visits of, Mira-masi, a devout Hindu and distant relative of Mama’s. In the opening scene, Uma has her hair brushed by Ayah, who has served the family since Uma was three. Ayah, who helped raise her, calls her “Baby,” even though she is a grown woman; she complains ceaselessly about her daughter, Lakshmi, dismissing her as a ne’er-do-well and melodramatically laments her selfless sacrifice and suffering for an ungrateful daughter. When Uma responds by reminding Ayah that she is well-fed, dressed and taken care of in their household, Ayah points to her faded and torn sari, playing the martyr and manipulating Uma into giving her some of her own clothes.

The second scene of the chapter describes Mira-masi’s visits to the home. Mira-masi is the second or third wife of a distant relative who passed away. Now a widow, Mira-masi travels the country visiting her relatives. While Mama normally loves visits and the respite of family gossip they provide, she seems to resent Mira-masi’s visits for their inconvenience. Not only is Mira-masi devoutly religious, a piety that Mama finds distasteful, but she is also a strict vegetarian, refusing to eat the meat dishes that are often served at the family table.