Summary of Chapter 2 "The Second Night"

In this chapter, Balram writes a second letter to the Chinese Premier Mr. Wen Jiabao. But in this letter, in comparison with his first letter, he is not talking about himself anymore. He talks about his ex-employer Mr. Ashok. He describes his behavior and his personality and he talks about Mr. Ashoks wife Pinky Madam too. Balram worked as a chauffeur for both of them. While driving both through India, Balram eardrop’s their conversations and learned much about the country and the environment. At the end of the letter he confesses to the Premier that he murdered Mr. Ashok.

After his father Vikram became very ill, Balram and his brother Kishan try to help him. They drive to the government hospital, but there was no doctor available. They meet an older Muslim, who describes the situation and Balram finds out, that doctors prefer to work in better hospitals, some of them even paying kickbacks to the government, than the one in Dhanbad.
Balram`s father died after he got no help.

Two weeks later, after the wedding of Dilip, Balrams cousin. The three guys travel to Dhanbad. They find a job in a tea shop. Dhanbad is a relatively rich city as the surrounding mines produce a lot of coal. The people there work very hard and do their job well.
While working in the tea shop Balram starts spying other people´s conversations. In his mind a good way to learn more, to hear new, different things. Sometimes the miners come to the tea shop and tell exciting stories. Firstly Balram wants to become a miner, but when he finds out, what a taxi driver earns a month, he changed his opinion.

Balram`s granny recommends to keep the job in the tea shop, but Balram starts to search for a taxi driver, who should train him how to drive. In his letter he also describes the job situation in India, that many people are unemployed as they have not received any education, never had a change to find a proper job.

Balram and Kishan go to a house, where many taxi drivers live. After several failures he finds a driver willing to teach him, but in return he needs to repair the taxi driver’s car.
After he finished his training he asked the Landlord Thakur Ramder for a job. This man tests Balsam’s skills. He asks him, which casts he belongs to. In his letter to the Premier Balram explains in detail the Indian cast system, which in short says, that you were born into a cast and that you will belong to it for your entire life.

When Thakur asks him which cast he belongs to, Balram says the truth, say the bottom cast. While thinking about Mr. Thakur’s question, he recollects the story of the Buffalo, who killed his servant, because he kidnapped buffalo´s son.

After the interrogation, Balram was told that he will get the job as a taxi driver. In this part he describes his life and his daily routine in this job. He has a colleague, his name is Ram Persad and both of them often need to do the housework.

In the following days he learns a lot about the life as a servant. Sometimes he has to buy things that Mr. Thakur needs. Mr. Thakur talks with Balram about their old home Laxmangarh and that he wants to visit it, but in the last minute he stays back, so Balram drives to Laxmangarh with Pinky Madam and Mr. Ashok, both being good friends of Mr. Thakur.
In Laxmangarh Balram can meet his family. His brother Kishan is of the opinion that Balram should marry, but he do not feels prepared to do so yet.  

At the end of the letter Balram announced that he will describe a fight between the passengers of two busses in his next letter to the Premier.

What I like/dislike in this Chapter?


At first I felt very bad when I read that Balrams father Vikram died because of his illness and nobody helped him. I´m feeling angry about the situation in the hospital government and how they earn backhanders to give the jobless people in india a job.On the other side,I liked the scence,when Balram got the job as a taxi driver. Now earns good money and maybe has a good future.He also supports his family with a small part of his income. But what I don´tunterstand is,why Balram and Ram don´t like each other. They are a team and has to work together.






I found a link about the economy situation in Dhanbad. I got my experiences from the scence,when Balrams tells something about the miners in Dhanbad and their big reserve of coal....
Dhanbad- Economy Situation






I found a picture about Dhanbad and the daily routine...

Enjoy the reading,
Tim