Summary

Three days later, the men begin to return home. However, the people also see “men in European clothes” (157). The women decide to go see Ratna, as “she is our chief now” (157). A drumbeat in the square announces news that “the village would be sacked again” (158). A woman named Satamma blames Moorthy for “all this misery,” but eventually agrees to go to Sami’s house where Ratna is staying. Here, they find “city boys” who had “come to [their] relief” (158). The people discuss plans for how to proceed. Some say that “Government is afraid of us” while others assert that “we shall convert them; our hearts shall convert them” (159-160). There is chaos in the cities, and despite good news for Gandhi’s movement, the women are worried about events in Kanthapura. They see cars drive through town towards the Bebbur mound, and the...