Indian Ink Character Analysis

Flora Crewe

Flora Crewe, the central figure in Indian Ink, is an English poet who’s controversial in London for daring to write frankly about love and sex from a female perspective. However, decades after her death… read analysis of Flora Crewe

Nirad Das

Nirad Das is the portrait painter from Jummapur whose relationship with Flora Crewe forms the core of Indian Ink’s plot. In 1930, when he meets Flora, he is a 34-year-old widower. He is thoughtful… read analysis of Nirad Das

Anish Das

Anish Das, Nirad Das’s son, is a painter who lives in England with his English wife. In the 1980s, after seeing his father’s portrait of Flora on the cover of Eldon Pike’s The… read analysis of Anish Das

Eleanor (“Nell”) Swan

Eleanor Swan is Flora Crewe’s sister. She primarily appears in the scenes set in the 1980s as an elderly widow whom Eldon Pike and Anish Das visit to discuss Flora’s art and life. She reads… read analysis of Eleanor (“Nell”) Swan

David Durance

Captain David Durance is a colonial official who works with the Resident in Jummapur, as well as one of Flora Crewe’s three suitors (along with Nirad Das and the Rajah). A convinced and… read analysis of David Durance

Eldon Pike

Eldon Pike is a scholar and literary critic who studies Flora Crewe’s poetry. He interviews Eleanor Swan and compiles Flora’s letters to her for his book The Collected Letters of Flora Crewe, and… read analysis of Eldon Pike

The Rajah (1930)

The Rajah (king) is Jummapur’s leader during Flora Crewe’s visit to India in 1930. As with many local Indian kings during the colonial period, the British let him stay in power and give him… read analysis of The Rajah (1930)

Coomaraswami

Coomaraswami is the head of the Jummapur Theosophical Society. (He is from southern India, even though Jummapur is in the north.) He kindly greets Flora Crewe upon her arrival in Jummapur, sets her up… read analysis of Coomaraswami

Krishna and Radha

In Hindu mythology, the heroic god Krishna falls in love with a married milkmaid named Radha, who becomes a goddess. Their romance is a classic example of pure love in Hindu culture and a favorite… read analysis of Krishna and Radha

The Rajah (1980s)

In the 1980s, the previous Rajah of Jummapur’s grandson technically holds the same title but has no formal powers. However, he is a member of the Lok Sabha, the lower house of India’s Parliament, but… read analysis of The Rajah (1980s)

Subadar Ram Sunil Singh

In 1930, Subadar Ram Sunil Singh is a young boy who operates Flora Crewe’s punkah (fan). In the 1980s, he is a poor old man and World War II veteran who works at the… read analysis of Subadar Ram Sunil Singh

Minor Characters

Joshua Chamberlain

Joshua Chamberlain is the fictional English activist and Theosophist who organizes Flora Crewe’s trip to India. He once spoke out against the British Empire in Jummapur, and Flora’s sister Eleanor is his assistant and mistress.

Dilip

Dilip is the Indian scholar who shows Eldon Pike around Jummapur. Even though he celebrates the Indian independence movement, his love for everything English and subservient role in relation to the bumbling Pike suggest that colonial power dynamics still hold true decades later.

Modigliani

Amadeo Modigliani was a renowned Italian painter known for his nude portraits. In Indian Ink, Flora Crewe comments that he painted her shortly before his death of tuberculosis in 1920. The play insinuates that he may have infected Flora while painting her.

Nazrul

Nazrul is the servant who maintains Flora Crewe’s bungalow. Despite his important job, he barely comes onstage or speaks throughout the play. His character exemplifies how the British exploited Indian people and ignored their humanity during the colonial era.

The Resident

In 1930, the Resident is the British Empire’s head agent in Jummapur, the Rajah’s advisor, and David Durance’s boss.

J.C. Squire

J.C. Squire was a prominent English poet who was famous for picking fights with other writers. Flora Crewe claims to have poured her drink on him in a pub after he said that women shouldn’t write poetry.

Indian Ink Characters