Essay Questions

Appearances can be deceptive. Show how this is brought out in Vikram Chandra’s Love and Longing in Bombay.

In the novel, Subramaniam learns not to judge people after learning from experience just how deceptive one’s appearance can be. For instance, even though the veteran in “Dharma” appears to be quite bold and meticulous who has a knack for working in accordance with duty, the truth is that he is haunted in some way by the fact that he was not responsible enough to protect and save his brother. His appearance on the outside is rather deceptive.

Show how love is brought out as having a transformative effect in Vikram Chandra’s Love and Longing in Bombay.

The novel explicitly brings out the power that love has in terms of changing people for the better. For instance, Roxanne and Sanjeev get married after falling in love with each other regardless of the existing feud between their families. The two love birds do a great job of working towards reconciling their families. In this way, the transformative power of love is brought out in the novel.