CHAPTER 70

Summary

• Philipose, the protagonist and a journalist, stays at Malabar Hotel in Cochin, researching for an article on Robert Bristow, an engineer who transformed the minor port of Cochin into a deep-water harbor.
• While dining at the hotel, Philipose reflects on the environmental consequences of Bristow’s project, such as the exposure of nearby canals and freshwater to salt water and changes in aquatic life, highlighted by a biologist’s letter.
• Philipose wonders about the intended and unintended impacts of such grand projects on ordinary people and local ecology.
• While returning to his room, he finds a catalog left behind by some tourists. It contains a picture of a large outdoor stone sculpture, which reminds him of his late wife, Elsie.
• The haunting resemblance of the sculpture to Elsie leads Philipose to speculate about her life and whether she might still be alive, living in hiding.
• Philipose feels compelled to attend an upcoming auction, mentioned in the catalog, in Madras. Although the city brings back painful memories of his past failures, he decides to face his fears and search for answers.
• On the train bound for Madras, Philipose reflects on his love for his daughter Mariamma and the family he has lost, including Elsie.
• The train meets with a severe accident and plunges into a river. Despite being injured, Philipose manages to survive by clinging to a floating object.
• In the aftermath, Philipose hears a child's cry for help and makes a desperate attempt to reach the child, reflecting on the preciousness and fragility of life. This act symbolizes his resolution to cherish and protect every life, just as he would his own child.