The Secret Keeper of Jaipur

The story now shifts back two months to March 1969 in the beautiful northern mountain town of Shimla. A young widow named Nimmi assumes the narration. She comes from a mountain group of shepherds and is still grieving the accidental death of her husband, who fell down a gorge while rescuing a goat.

Nimmi must now care for her small daughter and newborn son alone. She left her tribe in the mountains and came to Shimla, where she sells flowers. One day, Lakshmi and Malik come to her stall to buy flowers and herbs. Lakshmi is an herbalist at the local hospital who uses plants in her folk remedies there. She recalls helping deliver Nimmi’s son when she went into premature labor just after her husband’s death. The older woman takes a particular interest in making sure Nimmi’s two children are cared for. Lakshmi’s adopted son, Malik, begins to show a special interest in Nimmi too. Over the next several months, Malik and Nimmi become romantically involved.

Lakshmi now takes over the narration. She has invited Nimmi to her home for a chat. The young widow is wary because she knows that Lakshmi has sent Malik away to Jaipur, probably to separate him from Nimmi. Lakshmi explains that she wants to provide for Malik’s future. The wealthy Samir Singh paid for him to acquire a Western education, so his prospects for success are good. Now, Lakshmi wants him to learn about the building trade in Jaipur but says that he’ll return to Shimla if the business doesn’t suit him.

Nimmi is struck by the beautiful henna tattoos on Lakshmi’s hands. The latter explains that she was a skilled henna artist and herbalist for wealthy patrons in Jaipur before she came to Shimla. She offers to give Nimmi a henna treatment, but the girl shies away. Then, Lakshmi unexpectedly offers Nimmi a job in the hospital’s herb garden. Nimmi’s knowledge of local plants has impressed Lakshmi, and she wants Nimmi’s help in expanding the garden.

Malik picks up the story shortly after his arrival in Jaipur when he visits the home of Samir Singh: “For twelve years, Samir Singh paid my tuition at the Bishop Cotton School for Boys” (50). Samir is a former patron and friend of Lakshmi’s from the days when Malik was still a street urchin whom Lakshmi hired to assist in her henna trade.

Because Samir’s wife, Parvati, spread rumors about Lakshmi, forcing her out of business, Samir decided to help Malik by paying for his expensive schooling. Now that Samir will introduce Malik to his business associates in town, the young man must go by the name Abbas Malik so that no one will recognize him as the “ragged orphan” he once was. Samir explains, “The Maharani Latika trusts Manu Agarwal to manage the facilities department. It’s a big job, and he’s been doing it now for fifteen, sixteen years? I’m of course grateful he hires my firm to design and build the larger projects” (52).

Samir’s son, Ravi, also has a long association with Lakshmi’s family. Radha, Lakshmi’s younger sister, had an affair with Ravi and gave birth to a son in Shimla when she was only 13. This boy, Niki, was secretly adopted by Manu and his wife, Kanta, who miscarried at the same time. No one in Jaipur knows the truth about the baby’s real father. Ravi is now the lead architect on the Royal Jewel Cinema project, which is nearing completion. As Malik has dinner with the Singh family, he silently recalls all the secrets he knows about them and many of the other upper-class families in Jaipur. Lakshmi once told him, “We know things about people, Malik, because we go into their homes, the place where they are most vulnerable. That does not mean that we can divulge what we’ve seen or heard” (58-59).

Back in Shimla, Nimmi recounts her first day at the Western hospital in town. She’s still wary of Lakshmi and the latter’s determination to separate Nimmi from Malik. However, Lakshmi soon wins her over and enlists her support in expanding the herb garden attached to the hospital. Seeing that Nimmi is still breastfeeding her son Chullu, Lakshmi considerately suggests that Nimmi bring her two children to the hospital each day.

The herbalist also suggests teaching the four-year-old Rekha to read. Nimmi doesn’t oppose the idea: “I’m thinking of the possibilities. Might she become a padha-likha, or even a doctrini like Mrs. Kumar? Imagine! A tribal girl writing on paper, just like Lakshmi!” (68). Lakshmi says that she’ll teach Nimmi to read and write because this will help with the herbal work. Nimmi is touched by Lakshmi’s kindness.

A few weeks later, Lakshmi muses on her relationship with Nimmi. They seem to be approaching friendship, but Nimmi still mistrusts Lakshmi’s influence over Malik. Lakshmi pauses in her work to recall the 12 years that have passed since she first arrived in Shimla. She came at the invitation of Doctor Jay Kumar, a friend of Samir’s. Her 13-year-old sister Radha was about to give birth. Radha’s son was then adopted by Lakshmi’s friends Kanta and Manu. Since that time, Radha grew up and moved to Paris, where she married a Frenchman, worked as a perfumier, and had two daughters.

Six years after her arrival in Shimla, Lakshmi grew so close to Jay that they married: “Our marriage didn’t change our working relationship. Jay continued as a physician at the Lady Bradley Hospital and remained director of the adjoining Community Clinic. I was in charge of the Healing Garden” (75). Later, Nimmi comes to Lakshmi’s house for a visit. A letter has arrived from Malik for both women. In it, he raves about the splendor of the grand movie theater being built in Jaipur.

Malik now continues the narration, talking about the tour of the construction site that he receives from Ravi Singh. Ravi is the father of the baby that Radha was forced to give up. Like his father, Samir, Ravi is a womanizer who cheats on his wife, Sheela. She’s pretty and demanding and doesn’t recall her rudeness to Malik when he was still a street urchin assisting Lakshmi in her henna business. Ravi doesn’t remember him either. Only Samir knows Malik’s real identity. Later that day, Malik is sent to work in the accounting department for a persnickety older man named Hakeem. Hakeem explains the ledger books to Malik and expects him to memorize all the coding.

That evening, Malik dines with Manu and Kanta, the adoptive parents of Radha’s baby, Nikhil. The boy is now 12 and thriving. No one else knows his true parentage. Malik thinks, “Radha told me that her baby ceased to exist the day she decided to leave him in Kanta’s care. It had been so traumatic leaving him like that; she wanted no reminders of that time of her life” (87-88).

After dinner, Kanta and Malik watch Niki playing ball with his father. Kanta confides that Samir has been coming to the boy’s cricket games and watching him play. She fears that Samir might try to take Niki away. Malik assures her that the adoption is legal no matter what his biological grandfather might think: “All at once, I realize what a burden it is for this family to keep Niki hidden, as it were. Does he realize the measures his parents have taken to keep the gossip-eaters at bay?” (89).

In Shimla, Nimmi is relaxing into her routine at the herb garden and becoming more comfortable around Lakshmi. She even allows the latter to paint henna designs on her hands and those of her children. In addition, Lakshmi is making progress in teaching Nimmi and Rekha to write their names. Nimmi imagines what she’d write to Malik in a letter if she knew how. She’d tell him everything that’s happening in Shimla and urge him to come back soon.