Kanai Dutt: Indian, 42 years old; translator; knows 6 languages; at around 10 was sent to Lusibari to be “rusticated” when speaking back to the teacher; unmarried; lives in New Deli; runs a bureau of translators;
Piyali Roy: Indian by descent; does not speak Bengali; from Seattle but born in Kolkata, left when 1 year old; cetologist; has an uncle in Kolkata (big man in government); late 20s; her mother suffered from cervical cancer;
Nilima Bose: Mashima - “aunt”; 76 years old; Kanai’s aunt, mother’s sister; founded the hospital in Lusibari, heads the organization Badabon Trust; childless;
Nirmal Bose: Saar – “Sir”; headmaster of a school in Lusibari; Kanai’s uncle, Nilima’s husband; dead; died in 1979 in July, the year he wrote the notebook; in youth was in love with the idea of a revolution, started despising what Nilima did. Nirmal stopped writing in Lusibari.
Horen Naskor: fisherman; gives a boat ride to Nilima, Nirmal and Kanai when he comes to Lusibari the first time; has 3 children; marries at the age of 14;
Kusum: girl form Horen’s village, 15 years old was put in care of Women’s Union in Lusibari; runs off and on return is killed; has a tooth chipped, short hair when Kanai first meets her (suffered from typhoid); doesn’t know English; from island of Sajtela; father died foraging for firewood; the man that “employed” her mother in Calcutta wanted to sell Kusum but Horen interfered;
Mej-da: owner of the launch Piya hires; does not speak English;
Guard: assigned to Piya for her survey; does not speak English;
Moyna Mandol: works for Nilima; married Kusum’s son, Fokir; is a trainee in the union for many years, started out as a barefoot nurse. She wanted to study but her family decided to wed her off to Fokir, who could neither read nor write. She doesn’t’ speak English. She wants Tutul to have an education, Fokir is against it.
Fokir (Fokirchand) Mandol: Kusum’s son; Moyna’s husband; is brought up by Horen; he doesn’t lie it in