Sanjay

Sanjay is a secondary character who appears in the second half-of the story “English Babu” by Vijay Medtia. From his outer characterisation, we find out that he is Ramesh’s “eldest son” (l. 97), that he was born in England (l. 47), and that he is married with children (l. 159).

Inner characterisation

Most of Sanjay’s inner characterisation is conveyed indirectly through the narrator’s observations about his attitude or through dialogue when the character speaks for himself.

From the moment the character is introduced, the narrator’s observations suggest that he is displeased with his brother dating an English girl: “Sanjay, my eldest son, sits next to Anita on the main sofa and stares at the floor. He has avoided eye contact with everyone.” (ll. 97-98); “Sanjay still hasn’t looked at Prakash, and I don’t like it.” (l. 119).

As the conversation reaches a delicate topic – the fact that Rebecca eats beef – and Prakash announces he has no intention of convincing her otherwise, Sanjay’s reaction suggests that he is conservative and critical of his brother: “ ‘To us Hindus, it’s a sacred animal,’ said Sanjay. ‘We consider her as one of our mothers, for we consumed her milk whilst we were infants. But I don’t expect you to understand all these things, Prakash.’ ” (ll. 132-134).

As Prakash a...