Summary

Chapter Twenty shifts to October 15th, 1956 in Jaipur. Lakshmi finds great joy in healing others in the Himalayas and also feels that Kanta and Manu are good parents. Back in Jaipur, however, she is back to where she was 17 years ago; poor and with few appointments. She is repulsed by the idea of asking Kantu and Manu for money. One day, an oil vendor knocks at her door and demands that she paint henna on his wife in exchange for her debt. However, he remains in the room and demands that she paint her face on the woman’s breasts. She refuses and the man begins to masturbate to Lakshmi and she leaves, breaking her henna pot on the way out. She runs into Lala and learns that her brother is the builder and it is his daughter...