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6. Patol Babu, Film Star
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Indigo, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
The Supernatural and Uncanny
Karma, Justice, and Irony
Isolation and Loneliness
Memory as Haunting
Childhood Innocence
Summary
Analysis
Aniruddha Bose works at an advertising agency and writes stories in his spare time, three of which have already been published. For the past few months, however, he hasn’t written at all, instead devoting himself to researching the production of indigo in 19th-century India. He explains that a particular incident sparked this interest, and that is the story he will now share.
Aniruddha’s niche research into 19th-century indigo production at first seems innocuous enough, but his months-long obsession—so intense that he neglects his own work—suggests that his interest runs deeper than just casual curiosity.
Themes
One day, Aniruddha comes home from work to find a letter from an old classmate inviting him to Dumka. He sets out on April 27, deciding to drive the 200 miles because he enjoys road trips. Starting late that morning, he gets a flat tire not far into his drive and replaces it with his spare, only to see a storm gathering in the distance. He presses on anyway, but another tire goes flat during the storm—and this time, he has no spare. Stranded in the road, he’s relieved when a truck driver stops to help move his car to the side and tells him he missed a turn three miles back.
The flat tires, wrong turn, and storm all seem to point to greater forces conspiring against Aniruddha, steering him ominously to this very moment—though it is not yet clear for what purpose.
Themes
After the truck driver leaves, Aniruddha begins to fret until he notices a house with its lights on in the distance. He makes for the house, and when he knocks, a man answers, asking if he plans to stay in the dak bungalow. Surprised, Aniruddha looks around and realizes an old dak bungalow is indeed on the property. The man, Sukhanram—also the bungalow’s caretaker—offers him food and explains that while the bungalow is rather barren, Aniruddha is welcome to spend the night there.
Themes
Sukhanram explains that the bungalow once belonged to a sahib, an indigo planter, and that there used to be an indigo factory nearby. Half-joking, Aniruddha asks if the place is haunted, but Sukhanram insists no such ghosts exist. That night, Aniruddha hears strange noises as he tries to sleep, the air growing heavier and unnaturally still. He also hears scratching at the door and the baying of a hound outside. When he moves to check his wristwatch for the time, he finds it is missing—along with all of his belongings. Even his bedding has changed.
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Aniruddha notices that his arm looks paler than usual and wonders if it rubbed against the wall’s whitewash at some point. But as he takes in the room, he realizes nothing looks the same as it did the night before—the furniture is different, and he’s wearing different clothes than the night before. When he calls for Sukhanram, his voice is not his own but that of an Englishman. Horrified, he finds a mirror and sees a stranger’s face staring back at him.
Themes
Suddenly, Aniruddha feels compelled to write in the open journal on the table. Though his mind is still his, his body moves on its own, scrawling words without his assistance. The entry is dated April 27, 1868, written in the voice of the Englishman whose body he now inhabits. Writing, the Englishman confesses he is dying of malaria and has been unimaginably cruel to the “natives” on the indigo farm. He admits his greed consumed him and that no one will mourn his death—no one, that is, except his greyhound, Rex, who he fears will be killed once he’s gone.
The body Aniruddha inhabits sets down the pen, his hands trembling. He takes a pistol from a drawer, steps outside to call Rex, and shoots the dog—all the while, Aniruddha is horrified. The body of the Englishman then goes back inside and turns the gun on itself. That is the last thing Aniruddha remembers before waking to Sukhanram bringing him tea. Sukhanram casually mentions that a repair shop nearby will open soon. Silently, Aniruddha wonders if anyone will ever believe that on the 100th anniversary of an English indigo planter’s death, he lived through the man’s final hours.
Themes
