Bapsi Sidhwa

Bapsi Sidhwa (Urdu: ‫ ;بیپسی سدھوا‬born 11 August 1936) is an American–Pakistani[1] novelist

of Gujarati Parsi descent[2] who writes in English and is resident in the United States.
She is best known for her collaborative work with Indo-Canadian filmmaker Deepa Mehta:
Sidhwa wrote both the 1991 novel Ice Candy Man which served as the basis for Mehta's 1998
film Earth as well as the 2006 novel Water: A Novel on which is based Mehta's 2005
film Water. A documentary about Sidhwa's life called "Bapsi: Silences of My Life" is currently in
production and is expected to release 2021.[3]
The Crow Eaters: A Brief Summary
Faredoon Junglewalla, nicknamed as Freddy, was a strikingly handsome man with a soft and
pleasant voice. When he died at sixty-five he attained the distinction of being listed in the
'Zarathusti Calendar of Great Men and Women'. In his youth he had come to Lahore with his wife,
daughter and mother-in-law as a penniless man.
In Lahore, he started a store and soon established himself as a successful businessman. His
manly bearing and soft-spoken manners quickly found their way into Punjabi hearts. But there has
always been a thorn in his flesh. It was his mother-in-law, Jerbanoo, who was a constant source of
worry for him. She did everything to disturb him.
Sick of her, he visited a mystic who asked him to bring a strip of her hair. When Freddy tried
to cut her hair, she woke up and slapped Freddy in the face. Freddy actual intentions could not be
known at that time however he remained successful in frightening her. Sensing the sensitivity of
matters, Putli stopped the tyrannies of her mother and took over the charge of home.
Now Jerbanoo found another point to bother Freddy. She would often initialize the topic of
death and talked about that till Freddy began to feel awed and frightened.
An insurance officer visits the Parsi community in Lahore. Freddy too gets his valuables
insured with him. Later he hit a plan to win the insurance money. According to this plan, Freddy
saves the valuables of his store in a warehouse and sets fire to his store to claim for the insurance
money. He remains successful and gets a handsome amount from the insurance company.
After the episode of fire Jerbanoo changed and stopped creating problems for Freddy. In
Freddy's presence she was as quiet as a fat little mouse. Years went by. Freddy expanded his
business. As opportunity beckoned, he dabbled in a variety of trades. After getting the money from
insurance company, he had never looked back.
On a hot summer morning, Freddy finds some salt in the drinking water. It was an indication
that someone from the family wanted to get married. He made inquiries from his elder son, Soli
and daughter, Yasmin. But both were not interested in marriage at that time.
 However, soon his other son, Yazdi approaches him with the desire to marry his class fellow,
an Anglo-Indian girl, Rosy Watson. Freddy could not allow him marrying outside the community.
So he clearly refuses to allow Yazdi to marry Rosy.
Yazdi, who is shown as an over-sensitive boy is upset at the decision of his father. Later when
he finds that Rosy is a part-time prostitute, his world staggers and he turns into an overly generous
boy who wants to leave every luxury and is eager to spend everything on beggars. He takes his
share from the family money, leaves home and gets himself busy in spending the monthly profit
on beggars.
From a Brahmin Gopal Krishan, Freddy learns that his elder son, Soli will die in three months.
The news worries Freddy very much. He does everything to escape the tragedy but remains unable
to change the fate. Soli dies at the said date.
This changes Freddy altogether. He starts to take interest in religion. The whole responsibility
of business falls to the shoulders of Billy who is a thrifty and miserly person. Billy has been
conscious about money right form the days of his childhood.
An advertisement is printed in the newspapers to find a match for Billy. Out of hundreds of
letters received in response of the advertisement one from Easymoney's is selected and Billy goes
to Bombay with his mother Putli and his grandmother Jerbanoo to see the girl, Roshan. In Bombay,
Billy falls in love with Roshan's sister Tanya. After a mild twist in the story, marriage between
Billy and Tanya is settled and both are married in a grand luxurious style.
The Junglewallas leave Bombay four days after the wedding and take with them all of
considerable luggage of Tanya while the married couple goes to Simla for honeymoon. In train
Billy and Tanaya read their congratulation telegrams. Some of them were very interesting.
After honeymoon when Billy and Tanya arrive Lahore, they are taken to a new house which
is gifted by Faredoon to the newly we couple. A staff has already been engaged. Billy has tears of
gratitude in his eyes.
The house is furnished with essentials. Putli has thoughtfully left the selection of those things
a woman likes to choose for herself to Tanya. Tanya's luggage has been unpacked and arranged,
and ornamental articles have been placed on show in the drawing room.
Putli and Jerbanoo make problems for Tanya who at last complains Freddy about them.
Freddy, as a result, announces to take Putli and Jerbanoo to London for a six month visit. In all
their life, Putli and Jerbanoo have been impressed by their English rulers. But when in England
they see them as a common men and women, all their ideals about them shatter and break.
Jerbanoo takes a revenge of this breakage from Mary, the wife of their host, Charles P. Allen.
She taunts her, pokes her nose in every matter of her and soon makes it unbearable for her entertain
them. By and by things get worse and they have to leave the house of Allen and to shift into a
hotel.
 In Hotel, too, Jerbanoo creates a fuss by unlawfully taking bath in the balcony. The man living
under Jerbanoo's room complaints to the management and they in turn go to Freddy. At this Freddy
decide to return to Lahore.
Tanya has had a hard time during the absence of Putli and Jerbanoo. She is pregnant once
again. This time she gives birth to a boy. Freddy sees in this boy the image of his dead son, Soli.
This event brings on the last phase of Faredoon's life. He loses his sense of challenge and striving
and is content to leave the entire management of his business to Billy. He devotes himself to
altruistic deeds, holding audience in his office room. In the month of June, at the age of sixty-five
Faredoon falls ill. He knows his days are over and his end is near. In the last scene he tells his
children that if the country faces a partition, they will side with the rulers and the object of their
lives will always be to obey the rulers and find the ways of their survival.

Ice Candy Man Summary and Study Guide

Plot Summary
Ice Candy Man is a heartbreaking story about the Partition of India and the 1947 upheaval that left
countless people homeless, hurt and/or dead. This period of time has been documented from
various viewpoints, but Sidhwa’s novel approaches the subject from the point-of-view of a little
girl who lived through the troubles. Once precocious and seemingly innocent to the world, the
main character, Lenny, finds herself altered forever from the reality unfolding around her, as India
and Pakistan both form from the rubble of the Partition. The book has been so successful that it
was also made into a film, titled 1947.
The main protagonist of Ice Candy Man is a Parsee girl named Lenny Sethi. Her narrative begins
when she is only four years old, and ends four years later. Lenny details how the people around
her react to the Partition by commenting on the various people in her life, including her Hindu
Ayah, the Sikh zoo attendant, the Muslim cook and the ice candy man of the title’s namesake.
Through her use of these colorful individuals, Sidhwa gives a breathtaking view of power, terror
and heartbreak through the eyes of a young, naïve girl.
Lenny reveals how her ayah, a term which means “maid,” is romantically linked to the very
charming ice candy man. Her ayah plays an important role in her life, and yet Lenny is initially
unable to help her ayah when trouble begins. When the turmoil of 1947 breaks out in the form of
the Hindu-Muslim wars, all bets are off the table, including love. The ice candy man actually turns
on the ayah, abusing her due to her Hindu caste.

Over the course of the narrative, Lenny talks about other characters as well, including her brother,
Adi, and her mother and father. Another integral character, however, is Rodabai, Lenny’s
godmother. Rodabai is characterized as fat and stubby, and completely instrumental in the ayah’s
rescue. With Rodabai’s help, Lenny is eventually able to track down her ayah, thus helping the
woman who has always helped her in the past. Rodabai and Lenny rush to Diamond Market, where
the ayah is being held, and confront the ice candy man.

In the end, the ice candy man finds himself the victim of religious/social intolerance, and is beaten
up while Lenny’s ayah escapes. The ayah then says her goodbyes and heads to Lahore, to be with
her family. It is revealed that the Parsees have lost everything at this point with the fighting and
the Partition, and all sides of the struggle must move on and attempt to heal their wounds as best
they can.

Ice Candy Man is a narrative both comical and heartbreaking. Told from a young girl’s point-of-
view, the narrative often finds hilarious points-of-departure to comment on, and affords the reader
the naiveté of a child’s point-of-view. As Lenny grows, however, and as the fighting between
Muslims and Hindus hits closer and closer to home, Lenny’s insights are clouded with bloodshed
and the very worst of the human condition. Even people she used to look up to or at least admire
show their true nature. Lenny’s coming-of-age is made all the more heartbreaking in that it is set
against the backdrop of war. Lenny must find the strength to persevere and save her ayah, thus
highlighting that her naiveté has grown into genuine concern, and a more comprehensive
knowledge of others and their wellbeing.
The narrative is symbolic in its look at growing up and coming of age despite external factors that
seek to hinder growth. Lenny’s character, including her trials and triumphs, reveals that the human
desire for love, growth and compassion can far outweigh the effects of war and hate. The narrative
also shows just how important community is, especially during tumultuous times. Lenny looks at
her immediate family, extended family and family of servants, and in each of them, finds points
of connection. These relationships help to inform her worldview, and allow her to make informed
decisions based on newfound love and compassion.