Indian Ink

by

Tom Stoppard

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on Indian Ink makes teaching easy.
A punkah is a traditional Indian pulley-operated fan, usually made of fabric, bamboo, or palm leaves suspended vertically from the ceiling. An operator (or punkah-wallah) has to flap the punkah back and forth by pulling on a rope, so during the colonial era, punkahs were generally a luxury for the rich and the English.
Get the entire Indian Ink LitChart as a printable PDF.
Indian Ink PDF

Punkah Term Timeline in Indian Ink

The timeline below shows where the term Punkah appears in Indian Ink. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Act 1
The Effects of Colonialism Theme Icon
History and Memory Theme Icon
...the electric kitchen appliances, and that she needs to hire a boy to operate her punkah. She calls the house a “duck bungalow,” but Swan clarifies to Pike that it’s really... (full context)
The Effects of Colonialism Theme Icon
History and Memory Theme Icon
Sex and Love Theme Icon
...dhobi (washerwoman) and warns Flora not to drink the water Nazrul gives her. Meanwhile, the punkah starts circulating cool air around the bungalow—Das explains that he found a boy to operate... (full context)
The Effects of Colonialism Theme Icon
Sex and Love Theme Icon
...Krishna and Radha were punished for their affair. She also tells him to give the punkah boy (Subadar Ram Sunil Singh) a rupee; he gives the boy an anna instead (1/16... (full context)
Act 2
The Effects of Colonialism Theme Icon
History and Memory Theme Icon
...Singh. Now, he works in the cloakroom, but as a young boy, he operated Flora’s punkah. Dilip and Pike go inside for dinner. (full context)