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Auntie Mumtaz
Shahanna, who Lakshmi refers to as the “dark-skinned girl” before learning her name, is one of the first girls Lakshmi meets at Happiness House, quickly becoming her closest confidante and primary source of support and guidance. Unlike some of the other girls, Shahanna is warm and empathetic, offering Lakshmi practical advice on how to survive in the brothel. For Lakshmi, she represents the possibility of solidarity and sisterhood in a place designed to strip away humanity and pit the girls against one another. However, when Shahanna suddenly disappears during a police raid of Happiness House and is not seen again, the reality of Lakshmi’s circumstances becomes all the more apparent. Her disappearance emphasizes the precariousness of life in the brothel, serving as a painful reminder to Lakshmi that safety is elusive. Still, Shahanna’s influence on Lakshmi is profound, as her presence helps to keep Lakshmi’s spirit alive and her hope intact, even when the situation seems hopeless.
Shahanna/“The Dark-Skinned Girl” Quotes in Sold
The Sold quotes below are all either spoken by Shahanna/“The Dark-Skinned Girl” or refer to Shahanna/“The Dark-Skinned Girl”. 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:
).
Pages 74-116 Quotes
Two schoolgirls in crisp blue uniforms skip by on the street
below, holding hands.
“I’ve been out there,” Shahanna says. “And I can tell you that
it’s not so bad here.”
I am wary, knowing now how these city people cannot be
believed.
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Pages 117-155 Quotes
“It’s The Bold and the Beautiful,” says Shahanna. “It’s from
America. It’s our favorite show.”
Inside the TV, a little pink-skinned man is talking to a woman
with hair the color of straw. She raises her hand to slap him
across the face, but he catches her wrist in his grip and stops
her. Then, without warning, they are kissing.
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Before, when you were in the locked room, Shahanna says,
Mumtaz sent the customers to you. Now, if you want to pay
off your debt, you must do what it takes to make them
choose you.
Tell the customers that you are twelve, she says. Or Mumtaz
will beat you senseless.
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Pages 195-230 Quotes
I rise, shaky, as Anita helps me to my feet. She puts her arm
around my waist and guides me toward the mirror. Then she
gets out her makeup brushes and lip colors and paints my
face with such tenderness that I think my heart will break.
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Shahanna/“The Dark-Skinned Girl” Character Timeline in Sold
The timeline below shows where the character Shahanna/“The Dark-Skinned Girl” appears in Sold. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Pages 74-116
...speaks with the two girls—one a “frowning” girl with a crooked face and the other “dark-skinned”—who retrieved Lakshmi from her bedroom. Silently, the girls begin painting Lakshmi’s face and nails, though...
(full context)
Sold. Lakshmi tells the dark-skinned girl, Shahanna, that she was supposed to work as a maid and that this must...
(full context)
A Cup of Tea. Shahanna enters Lakshmi’s room and gives her a cup of tea. She encourages Lakshmi to comply...
(full context)
Pages 117-155
After Shahanna’s Visit. Time feels surreal to Lakshmi, who isn’t sure whether one day or many have...
(full context)
Twilight. Every evening, Mumtaz gives Lakshmi a cup of lassi, and every morning, Shahanna brings her fresh water and a silent apology. Between their visits, many others come to...
(full context)
The Danger of Protection. One day, when Shahanna brings Lakshmi a cup of tea, she discreetly passes her a condom, instructing her to...
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...to her knees in pain. Later, she watches an American soap opera on TV with Shahanna and the other Happiness House girls. The girls laugh at the show, appearing unfazed by...
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...sheets. Pictures of movie stars and gods adorn the walls, just like her previous room. Shahanna informs her that the “frowning girl,” Anita, is also from their country, but Anita won’t...
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...Lakshmi exactly what she needs to know to survive here and pay off her debt. Shahanna explains that Lakshmi must now work to attract the men, or she won’t be paid....
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...men have gone. These are the hours when pretending is hardest for the children, but Shahanna explains that it isn’t only the children who must pretend.
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...believes that she could pay off her debt to Mumtaz in about 100 days, but Shahanna brings a swift end to this fantasy. After accounting for rent, food, and a mandatory...
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Pages 156-194
Understanding Anita. Shahanna tells Lakshmi that Anita is always frowning because she once tried to escape and was...
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...to a man with a gun, much like the men Lakshmi encountered crossing the border. Shahanna explains that he’s a policeman, and Mumtaz pays him to stay quiet about her trafficking...
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...who escapes her arranged marriage and falls in love with a boy at a festival. Shahanna explains to Lakshmi that Mumtaz occasionally lets girls like Monica and Shilpa go to the...
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...notebook, meticulously tracking her debt to Mumtaz and the new words Harish has taught her. Shahanna warns that if Mumtaz discovers she can read and write, she’ll suspect Lakshmi of plotting...
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...When Lakshmi sees Shilpa purchase a bottle of liquor and quickly down half of it, Shahanna reveals that Shilpa has been drinking since she was a child. Her mother used to...
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Pages 195-230
A Secret. Lakshmi confides in Shahanna about her visit with the first American, suggesting that perhaps Anita was wrong about American...
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...in shambles and the TV shattered on the floor. But Lakshmi is more concerned about Shahanna, who she cannot find anywhere.
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...girls when she doesn’t pay them on time. When Lakshmi dares to ask Mumtaz about Shahanna, Mumtaz responds by beating her.
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Gossip. The girls continue to whisper about who took Shahanna and why, but the discussions are too much for Lakshmi, who feels responsible for Shahanna’s...
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Calculations. Two weeks after Shahanna’s departure, Lakshmi has shifted her focus to her notebook, where she records every single rupee...
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