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Perveen decided to be magnanimous. ‘Well, not many British people would invite an Indian up to their veranda, let alone into a family bedroom.’
‘But they can heckle me endlessly! My mother didn’t think twice about setting me up with a chinless wonder like Mr Martin. And now she’s dangling the wealthy neighbour. Can you imagine being called Alice Lipstye? It sounds like a dermatologic condition!’ As Alice ranted, her body swayed slightly.
the swastika pattern that represented the revolving sun’s life-giving force.
‘Many of you may know about these rooms,’ Jamshedji said, turning to address the room. ‘Binamazi, the Zoroastrian tradition of seclusion for women during menses, likely originated during the Yazdani era, 1200 years ago. Orthodox Parsis still practise this archaic custom to an extreme, forcing women to avoid cleansing themselves properly for the entire menstrual period, plus two more days.’
Azara had fever before her menses began, yet instead of the family seeking medical help as the fever rose, the child was left on a metal cot in an eight-by-twelve-foot room in a remote area of the house.’
