The spy is a strange man who frequently visits Sampath’s orchard. He’s secretly a member of the Atheist Society who’s determined to expose Sampath as a fraud. He listens to Sampath’s seemingly wise sayings and writes them down diligently in his notebook, constantly scheming against Sampath as he does so. The spy comes from an impoverished background, and he desperately wishes to overcome his past and become a famous, respected intellectual. He sees exposing Sampath as his ticket to fame, but he slowly becomes obsessed with Sampath and doubtful of his own motives as he continues his snooping. His fellow members of the Atheist Society notice this unhealthy obsession, but this only drives him further towards a growing madness. Ironically, he’s correct about Sampath not being a “real” holy man, but he’s also wrong in that Sampath seems genuinely connected to something spiritual or mysterious. The spy presumably dies at the end of the novel when he falls into Kulfi’s cooking pot, which he assumes must contain drugs intended for Sampath.
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The Spy Character Timeline in Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard
The timeline below shows where the character The Spy appears in Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 10
One of Sampath’s most regular visitors is secretly a spy from the Atheist Society and a fervent member of the Branch to Uncover Fraudulent Holy...
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Sampath grows quiet at the spy’s questioning, and the spy happily takes more notes behind a tree, muttering to himself that...
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...this way, and Miss Jyotsna begins to sing. Sampath watches and admires her as the spy wonders to himself how Sampath could have fooled everyone so completely. Remembering strange smells from...
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Chapter 11
...to the smell of her meals, which are forbidden to all except Sampath himself. The spy from the Atheist Society is especially interested in Kulfi’s cooking pot, as he continues to...
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Chapter 12
...His guests marvel at how he’s apparently tamed the formerly troublesome creatures, and even the spy is secretly unnerved by this almost magical turn of events.
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...in her finest clothes and makeup and makes her way to the bus stop. The spy had been sneaking around the outside of the orchard all morning, trying to think of...
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After tending to the wounds of both the spy and the Hungry Hop boy, Dr. Banerjee gives an explanation about human bites to the...
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Meanwhile, at a meeting of the Atheist Society in a nearby town, the spy delivers an impassioned speech to his fellow society members. He rails against Sampath and vows...
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Chapter 17
...to him, and how much longer his new way of life can last. Meanwhile, the spy continues worrying about his own state of mind as he spies on Kulfi. He’s concerned...
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Chapter 25
...this crucial ingredient. As she hurries up the hillside to search for this flower, the spy watches the scene from the shadows, knowing that this is finally his chance to investigate...
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...to tell Sampath that the monkey-catchers will be arriving soon. Brimming with nervous excitement, the spy takes advantage of this one last quiet moment to approach Kulfi’s unattended cooking pot. He...
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