Naxalities’ Attacks
Lahiri recounts, “By then (1970) the Naxalities were operating underground. Members surfaced only to carry out dramatic attacks. They ransacked schools and colleges across the city. In the middle of the night they burned records and defaced portraits, raising red flags. They plastered Calcutta with images of Mao…The killings were sadistic, gruesome, intended to shock… They took control of certain neighbourhoods, calling them Red Zones." The Naxalities' strategies are aggressive and coercive, and their aspiration is to coerce the masses to support their ideologies. Here, the 'Red Zones' are emblematic of communism which the Naxalities endorse. Destruction occurs due to the violence which the Naxalities sponsor.
Evenings
Lahiri narrates, “Each evening, at opposite sides of a metal study table, they sat with their textbooks, copy books, pencils and erasers, a chess game that would be in progress at the same time….It was quiet enough at night to hear the jackals howling in the Tolly club. At times they were still awake when the crows began quarrelling in near unison, signalling the start of another day.” Subbash and Udayan spend their evenings studying and playing chess. They balance studies with the chess. The sounds of jackals and crows complement their nights impressively.
Subhash versus Udayan
Lahiri explains, “Since childhood Subhash had been cautious. His mother never had to run after him. He kept her company, watching as she cooked at the coal stove…His favourite moments were when he was alone, or felt alone…While Subbash stayed in clear view, Udayan was disappearing: even in their two-room house.” Although the two brothers are similar in terms of their physical looks, their personas are divergent. Subhash is an obedient introvert. Comparatively, Udayan is an outgoing and lively boy who delights playing games. Accordingly, their physical similarities are not replicated in their dispositions.
