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and without hesitation confirmed that she had a bad ear infection. He gave me a prescription to get filled and said she should be fine in a few days. Saroj and I made our way back into town and I went to the chemist’s shop in the bazaar to get the prescription filled. I told Ram Swarup that Saroj would need to take the medicine every day for ten days. He looked at the bottle suspiciously and nodded his head. I imagine he was wondering how the contents of this small bottle could drive away a powerful bhut, but, as if to please me, he administered the first dose of the medicine, and I watched to make sure he gave her the full dose.
    The next day, Saroj seemed to be feeling a little better. She was more like her old self, shouting instruction to her sisters in a loud voice and demanding that they do things for her. Later that week, Ram Swarup handed me the bottle of medicine, with several days supply still in the bottle. “No need for this angrezii diwaii (English medicine),” he said. “The bhut decided to leave on its own.” I was worried that Saroj would suffer a relapse, but fortunately she recovered fully after a few more days. The infection in her ears had run its course. The bhut had fled the scene and the medicine had worked its magic.

R AMA’S P LAY

    O CTOBER BRINGS FORTH A ROUND of religious festivals that are celebrated with great joy and enthusiasm in River Town. The most important of these is Dushera, a ten day festival that celebrates the trials and tribulations of Rama and Sita, the two main characters from the epic story of the Ramayana. According to the story, prince Rama was exiled, along with his wife Sita and brother Lakshman, from the kingdom of Ayodhya. While roaming the forest in exile, Sita is abducted by Ravana, the demon king of Lanka. Rama and Lakshman eventually join up with Hanuman and his army of monkeys and attack Lanka in order to rescue Sita. A fierce battle takes place between Rama and the mighty forces of Ravana. Ultimately, Rama, with powerful magical weapons, prevails by destroying Ravana and rescuing Sita, after which he returns victorious to the capital city of Ayodhya.
    Each night for ten nights during Dushera, a grand procession of characters from the Ramayana snaked its way through the narrow lanes of River Town. All of the characters were boys in their early teen years who performed the roles of both male and female characters from the Ramayana. They stood motionless and speechless as they passed through town on animal or tractor driven carts. There were no actions performed to convince the audience of their characters. Instead, the boys were mere vessels for the essence of the characters they portrayed. Rama’s army was equipped with bows and arrows, demons wore hideous masks, and Hanuman, the monkey god who assisted Rama, rode along with them with his long tail attached to the rear end of his costume. With drums leading the way, Hanuman’s army marched through the lanes of River Town on its way to rescue Sita, Rama’s wife.
    During the ten days of Dushera, tableaux scenes from the Rayamana, called jhankis, were displayed in every corner of the bazaar. Each of the jhankis represented a different event and geographic location mentioned in the Rayamana. There was a scene of Rama and his brother Lakshman living in exile in the forest. All vestiges of their privileged life in the city of Ayodhya were stripped away. Instead, they were dressed in simple bark clothing. There was a scene with Hanuman, the monkey god, who led Rama’s army to ultimate victory. And there was a scene of Ravana who, using deception and magic, stole Sita from Rama and carried her off to his fortress in Lanka. The mood of the crowd was festive as it made its way among the blinking lights and familiar scenes of the jhankis.
    On the tenth day of Dushera, a giant effigy of the demon Ravana, made of paper and bamboo and stuffed with fireworks, was set ablaze to mark the triumph