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Unnamed Narrator
In “Khagam,” Imli Baba is the holy man who lives near the forest rest house where the unnamed narrator and Dhurjati Babu stay in Bharatpur. He keeps a king cobra, Balkishen, as a pet and is said to summon him each evening to feed him goat’s milk. When Dhurjati kills Balkishen for no reason, Imli Baba warns him that the snake is “deathless” and will return, seemingly placing a curse on the skeptic. After Dhurjati transforms into the new Balkishen, Imli Baba tells the narrator that Dhurjati has “brought back” his beloved snake.
Imli Baba Quotes in Indigo
The Indigo quotes below are all either spoken by Imli Baba or refer to Imli Baba. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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13. Khagam Quotes
‘You may have heard about it, but have you seen it with your own eyes?’
I had to admit that I hadn’t.
‘You never will,’ said Dhurjati Babu. ‘This is the land of tall stories. You’ll hear of strange happenings all the time, but never see one yourself.’
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Explanation and Analysis:
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Imli Baba Character Timeline in Indigo
The timeline below shows where the character Imli Baba appears in Indigo. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
13. Khagam
...house with another visitor, Dhurjati Babu, and the caretaker asks if they plan to visit Imli Baba . The unnamed narrator has little interest in meeting the holy man, but he’s intrigued...
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...worsened his high blood pressure, he reluctantly agrees to accompany the unnamed narrator to visit Imli Baba . At the hut, they ask to see the king cobra, but the Baba explains...
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...stones at it and kills it before the unnamed narrator has a chance to act. Imli Baba suddenly appears behind them, fixing Dhurjati with a cold, hateful stare. Pointing his finger toward...
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...He tries to make sense of what he’s witnessed but feels sure it connects to Imli Baba and Balkishen. Could Dhurjati be turning into a snake himself? The thought reminds him that,...
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After searching everywhere for Dhurjati, the unnamed narrator heads back to Imli Baba ’s. He asks the holy man if he’s seen his former companion, and the Baba...
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