![]() ![]() ![]() Rukmani is aware that, without many practical skills, she’s more hindrance than help to her husband however, Nathan is patient and praises her lavishly for every accomplishment. Rukmani becomes close with Kali and Janaki, but Kunthi always keeps her distance. ![]() Rukmani quickly becomes acquainted with her neighbors: garrulous Kali, careworn Janaki, and the pregnant and beautiful Kunthi. Rukmani is dismayed to see that Nathan lives in a mud hut, but in order to avoid hurting her kindly husband she pretends to be pleased with her new home. When Rukmani leaves home in her husband’s cart, she’s nervous, and even vomits once during the journey however, Nathan is kind and soothes her fears. When Rukmani turns twelve, her family marries her to a tenant farmer named Nathan, a match that many think is beneath her. As she watches her sisters get married, she dreams of her own extravagant wedding, although her mother gently warns that hers will be much more modest because she’s the youngest girl, little money is left for her dowry. She is born the daughter of a village headman and the youngest of four daughters. She can see the hospital building where her older son, Selvam, works, and she is content. During the day, she sits outside with her adopted child, Puli. As an elderly woman, Rukmani often imagines that her husband, long dead, is sleeping beside her. ![]()
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