Mayadevi
Old widow, whimsical and foreboding. Everyone is scared of her, she finds anyone questioning her insulting. Determined and fiercely independent. Very religious and deeply suspicious of every thing foreign. She is proud and likes to make everyone uncomfortable.
Amit
Mayadevi’s eldest son. He went to England to study when he was eighteen and hasn't come back to India as he is scared of flying.
Martha
Amit's cheerful big-boned English wife. She has a friendly attitude and is hated for being English by Mayadevi
Neelima
Stubborn daughter of a wealthy landlord, who hates studying and plots to get married to avoid getting education
Meera
17 year old girl escorting her aunts going to a funeral. She is embarrassed of her aunts
Boromasi
Meera's eldest aunt. She is strict and foreboding and enjoys the leadership of the women. She likes to rebuke people for entertainment
Strange woman
Doctor's widow. She has knowledge about a number of diseases and thus strikes a friendship with other woman over the ailments.
Mini/Parbati
She is the only daughter of a very rich landlord and is married off when she is seven years old. She has a very dark skin and is constantly chided for her dark complexion.
Uma/Prabha
Another widowed daughter-in-law of the house where Mini is married. She is forced to wear white and cut her hair. She tries to make Mini happy when she learns of her despair in the new house.
Arjun
Child husband of Mini. He is fearful of his father and becomes a natural companion for Mini due to his young age.
Rathin Chandra Banerjee
A strict and foreboding man, he keeps his family under strict control.
Ma
R.C.’s mother. She is a widow and misses performing religious ceremonies and eating food from outside as her son doesn’t believes in expenditure on these items.
Protima
R.C.’s wife. She is not allowed to even venture outside. She is never spoken to by her husband and feels acute sorrow for being in a lonely marriage.
Ruma
R.C.’s daughter. Having raised in a household where she is not allowed to talk, talking to another child of her age comes as a surprise to us.
Anima
Beautiful and determined, she agrees to marry Ananda without even knowing anything about him, simply due to love. She is prejudiced against the English. She later gets interested in Indian Freedom struggle and starts contributing in it in her own way.
Ananda
Anima’s husband. He is the son of a very popular and prestigious priest of a temple, who has been spurned by his family for studying English. He finds a job in the Secretariat and is proud of his knowledge of English.
Roopbala
A tall daughter of a rich landlord married to a shorter man and is thus subjected to his resentment. She believes to have killed him mistakenly and decides to earn her penance by travelling as a widow to holy places.
Gajanan
Roopbala’s short husband. Popular for his angry tantrums, he hates his wife for being taller than him.
Bela
The eldest of the trio of dancing women from the harem of Raja of Janipur.
Gita
A very submissive middle-aged woman. She is highly educated and has learnt many vocations but is not allowed to pursue what she wants.
Rani-ma
A queen to a princely state, she is fat and whimsical.
