Summary

Destiny: Nirmal asked Kusum why they were going to Garjontola and she told him that, before she was born, her father was fishing and was washed up on the island during a storm. He climbed a tree and used his gamchha to tie himself to its trunk. When the storm had passed he heard the roar of a tiger but, also, the voice of Bon Bibi, telling him she would keep him safe and, “Don’t be afraid; believe in me” (233-234). Kusum’s father was saved and he later returned to the island to build a shrine to Bon Bibi. When Nirmal saw dolphins in the river, as he had never seen them before, Kusum told him they were Bon Bibi’s messengers.

The Megha: The next morning Piya and Kanai view the boat, the...