I was hooked to reading this novel and finished it in three sittings. It had such colorful mix of characters both real and fictional. Various known names - ousted Nawab of Awadh settled in his Metiabruz in Calcutta of the 19th century. The Brahmo Samaj - the fight for women's education, doing away child marriage done in the name of shastras, and widow remarriage. Kadambini Ganguly - the first lady doctor of Bengal, Dwarakanath - the reformist, Rabindranath Tagore, and so many from the era. And a family that is divided by the deceptive contractual labor.