Ice Candy Man

A large group of Ayah’s admirers gather with Ayah and Lenny in Queen’s Park on a beautiful April day. Among the admirers are the Ice-candy-man, selling his popsicles and then joining the circle, the Masseur, the Faletti Hotel cook, the Government House gardener, a butcher, and the zoo attendant, Sher Singh.

The men begin to discuss politics, and divisions in the group between Muslim, Hindu, and Sikh become heated. The men begin to divide up according to ethnicity and religion; what had previously been a competition for Ayah’s attention gains a dangerous edge.

Lenny worries about how the politicians will “crack India” (101), and she suddenly notices religious differences as everyone in her circle begins displaying ostentatious devotion to their religious practices.

Muccho arranges a marriage for Papoo, who is 11 years old. Lenny has turned 7.

The crowds in Queen’s Park have changed. Now, all of the religious groups sit divided; the children no longer mingle in their play. The adults separate them, and there are constant religious jokes as each group makes fun of all the others. These jokes have an edge to them. Lenny notices that the group around Ayah is the only one left in the park to contain a mixture of religions.