Name: Future 11th grader
Date: 4/24/10
During Reading Notes
10th Grade English
Text: Q & A
Author: Vikas Swarup
Pages: 80 - 180
Characters:
Character Analysis:
Sethji- a man who comes by the juvenile
home to collect boys for Maman’s school
every once in a while.
Mustafa- one of two men who drives Salim
and Ram to Maman’s school.
Punnoose- the other man that drives Salim
and Ram to Maman’s school and tells
Maman that Salim will bring in great profits.
Maman- an Indian gangster who makes his
living off of crippled kids’ begging in the
street. He tries to get Salim and Ram
involved in the business as beggars as well.
Masterji- the Indian singing teacher who
teaches Salim to sing.
Colonel Charles Taylor- the abusive
Australian spy who bugs his house and spies
on all those who live there. He spies on the
High Commissioner and works with Jeevan
Kumar to get information but is eventually
caught.
Rebecca Taylor- the adulterous wife of
Colonel Charles Taylor
Maggie Taylor- the 17 year old attractive,
blond headed, blue eyed, daughter of the
colonel who is caught smoking.
Roy- the 15 year old son of the Colonel who
is caught kissing Shanti and taking drugs
Bhagwati- the Taylor’s 52 year old driver and
gardener who is eventually fired after stealing
their car
Shanti- the Taylor’s 18 year old maid who is
in love with Ramu but is eventually fired
(with pay) after kissing Roy
Ramu- the 25-year-old cook, who falls in
love with Maggie, steals her underwear and is
eventually fired for it.
Jai- the older married cook who ends up
robbing the Taylor’s house
Jeevan Kumar- the Indian ministry of
Maman is a greedy Indian gangster that makes his
living off of kids he cripples himself. He calls his
facilities a school and provides false hope to boys at
juvenile homes having them believe that his school
helps to expand on their dreams. However, Maman
actually does quite the opposite, sending kids into
the streets to beg for money. If they do not receive
at least 100 Rupees, they do not eat. In my opinion,
Maman is a sad man for building his empire off of
children he must make crippled. He does not fully
realize the emotional and physical damage he does
to them, for he treats them as if they are merely
business profits. His actions provide the basis for
Salim and Ram’s escape as they find out the truth
behind his intentions. This ultimately does lead
them both to a better life. Although some may
believe that Maman is just a man trying to make a
living in a place where it is very hard to, it is very
hard to sympathize with him and his actions.
Maman is driven by money and power always
wanting more children that will serve him well and
bring in pitifully earned profits. When he talks to
Punnoose about the children, he does not see
beggars in them, just profits that will make him even
richer. He tells Punnoose that he will ‘do them
tonight’ which demonstrates his lack of compassion
for them.
defense who helps Colonel Taylor spy on
other people
Rosie- the flirtatious daughter of Alfred
D’Souza who likes Ram
Alfred D’Souza- the somewhat abusive and
money hungry bar owner
Prakash Rao- the drunk Indian who owns
the button factory and who tells Ram the
story of the way he killed his brother. He
speaks of being put under Julie’s spells and
playing a hand in the death of his brother,
Arvind.
Arvind Rao- the initial head of the button
factory who is eventually killed off by Julie
and Prakash’s voodoo.
Julie- the Haitian woman who convinces
Prakash to steal money and take over his
brother’s place at the button factory by the
use of a voodoo doll
Akshay- a middle class, jealous Indian boy
who Ram meets on the train. He tells the
Robber about Ram’s 50,000 Rupees.
Meenakshi- a pretty Indian girl, Ashkay’s
sister, who Ram believes he is in love with.
Nameless Robber- the Robber that robs
Ram of his 50,000 Rupees, tries to rape
Meenakshi, and is shot by Ram.
Blawant Singh- a crazy Indian ex soldier,
who tells false stories about his experience in
the Indian-Pakistani war, is caught and hangs
himself.
Major themes, topics or patterns:
-Money will most often drive people to do
really terrible things
-War is War and is never kind.
-Survival, impulsive reactions, being cheated
and lied to, betrayal, murder
Important quotes and page numbers:
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
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“‘Okay. Send them out on the trains from
next week. We will do them tonight. After
dinner.’” (pg. 97)
“I cannot help commiserating with Mrs.
Taylor. Her husband has discovered her
little affair, but she doesn’t have an inkling
of his own dirty secret” (pg. 121).
“But I don’t return her glances because
everything has changed. I look only at the
pistol in my hand and the face of the dead
dacoit, who name I don’t know” (pg. 162).
Summary of major plot points:
This section of the book begins with Salim and Ram getting selected by Sethji at the juvenile
home. At first Sethji selects only Salim, but is convinced that Salim and Ram are two peas in a pod
and therefore must take the other if he is to take one. Salim and Ram then take a train and then are
driven to Maman’s school for disabled kids in Mumbai where both Salim and Ram are given vocal
lessons by Masterji. Salim performs exceptionally well while Ram is considered hopeless. Masterji,
however, continues teaching both of them how to sing all the while teaching them about the great
god, Krishna, which in turn, helps Ram with a W3B question. When vocal lessons are officially
over, Masterji and Punnoose consult with Maman and tell him that Salim will fetch a handsome
price with his voice, an estimated more than 300 rupees. Maman then tells them that he will ‘do
them tonight’. Ram and Salim, however, over hear this and escape, with some difficulty, out of the
“school” very close to being caught.
Next, Ram speaks to Smita about his time spent working as a bartender and “maid” at
Colonel Taylor’s, an Australian spy, house. He describes how well he was treated but how he could
not make even one transgression because if he did, Colonel Taylor would know about it. He
dubbed him, “The Man Who Knows”. Colonel Taylor, his wife and his children all treat Ram pretty
well and he is pretty much living the life, earning a very large wage for his work. Ram tells Smita that
he fell in love with Roy’s collection of National Geographic Magazine and that he used to play
Scrabble with Maggie and Roy at times. The Taylor’s get a new puppy, however, and when he
accompanies Colonel Taylor to walking the puppy, in order to scoop up the poop, he discovers that
Colonel Taylor is working with India’s very own ministry of defense, Jeeven Kumar on something
top secret. Ram also speaks about Ramu, the 25-year-old cook who is fired after falling in love with
the Colonel’s 17 year old daughter, Maggie and stealing a red bra from her draw. Although the bra
is found under Ram’s bed, the Colonel knows that is was actually Ramu who tried to frame Ram and
Ramu is fired. A new cook is hired by the name of Jai and Jai, although seemingly trustworthy to
the Taylors actually tells Ram of his scheme to steal the Taylor’s money. Jai does this the very
minute the Taylor’s go away for Colonel Taylor’s mother’s funeral. The robbery is a disaster as Jai
does not find any money but manages to mess up the Taylor’s house. It is after the robbery that
Ram discovers the tapes and cameras that Colonel Taylor contains and realizes he knows everything
because he has bugged the house and the house of the High Commissioner of India and figures out
that he is actually a spy. Ram is actually the one who tells on Colonel Taylor and Colonel Taylor is
arrested and forced out of the country with his family leaving Ram with all the money he was owed.
After the experience at the Taylor’s, Ram tells Smita about his experience working at a bar.
This story centers on a drunk by the name of Prakash Rao who comes in one night sobbing
nonsense about his dead brother. When Ram goes to “comfort” him, an act that he does only to
earn more money for the bar, he is told the story of Julie, the Haitian voodoo woman he convinces
him to steal money from his brother’s buttons franchise. When his brother, Arvind, catches him he
is punished. Julie, however, greedy for money, makes a voodoo doll of Arvind that consists of a
button of his as well as some of his hair and gives it to Prakash. Prakash uses the doll to his own
free will and is able to harm Arvind enough so that he ended up in an asylum where they eventually
kill him with tests to figure out what was wrong with him. Prakash then tells Ram that he has seen
Julie for who she truly is and has actually fallen in love with another woman. He tells Ram he plans
to kill Julie, however, he in the next minute or so, he dies, ironically, feeling the same pain in his
chest that he had caused his own brother.
The next story Ram tells Smita is about the train ride that had cost him all he had earned.
On the train he meets another middle class Indian family. He begins talking to the son, Ashkay,
however, feeling the need to show off, he mistakenly tells Ashkay that he is hiding 50,000 rupees in
his underwear. (This section takes place just after the Colonel is caught as a spy.) The train is
robbed that night and just as the robber is about to leave after taking everything valuable that was
visible to him, Ashkay informs the robber of Ram’s 50,000 rupees in his underwear and Ram must
give it up. The robber leaves to rob the other cars but returns and takes an interest in Meenakshi,
Ashkay’s sister. Ram, however, kills the robber just as he is about to rape her and realizing what he
had done, runs away from the train.
The last story of the section takes place during a war between India and Pakistan and is about
an ex-soldier, Balwant Singh, who tells of his experience during India’s first war with Pakistan. He
tells of his bravery and the way he had charged the Pakistanis after promising one of his comrades
that he would cremate him and not bury him. He tells of the way he encountered a Pakistani soldier
and killed him although he didn’t do it because he wanted to, but because it was his duty. He
recounts every detail in order to show the kids that war is not a kind and happy thing.
Every story he tells Smita helps his to win more money in the game show W3B.
Discussion Questions:
Confusions:
N/A
What would you have done if you
were in Ram’s position when he
found out the Colonel was a spy?
 Do you think Ram would’ve gotten
in trouble with the police had he
stayed on the train?
 What would you have done to
Ashkay if you had been Ram and
had just been stripped of 50,000
rupees because of him?
Predictions: I have this hunch that Balwant may actually be lying about what had happened in
the war the way he gets emotional after he tells his story. Some may say that it is because he is so
emotional about the war and how the people are giving him praise, but the fact that he didn’t
receive any awards for his bravery and the fact that he stalks off to be by himself makes me believe
that what he tells them isn’t all truth after all.
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