What do a mother a mother, a cab driver, and a laundryman have in common?
They’re all minor players in my novel, Tulip Season: A Mitra Basu Mystery.
A number of readers have told me that these characters are fun to have around. Despite the gloom and the complications that surround the disappearance of Mitra’s best friend, these characters lighten up things.
I have to agree. Minor characters serve many purposes, such as providing a contrast to the main character and helping the main character grow, but in this book, they each have had an opportunity to let their personalities shine.
Mitra’s mother, a retired school teacher who lives in Kolkata, is not afraid to speak up. When Mitra questions her mother’s ability to withstand the rigors of locating a missing person, she replies, “You think I’m a weakling, don’t you? How I wish you’d seen me in my college days. All I had to do was breeze through the door wearing a pretty sari, my mother’s locket, and a smile, and doors would swing open for me. I’d leave with treasures—satisfactory results—in my handbag. In those days, happy endings didn’t seem corny, delusional, or fictionalized, just a natural outcome of events. Maybe I could have a taste of those days again.”
Arnold, the Kolkata cab driver, is barely twenty, but full of ideas. “My name is Ashish,” he said. “(But) friends call me Arnold. Guess why? I’m ambitious like, you know, the other Arnold. Someday I immigrate to California. But, if not, I at least like to be elected the chief minister of this state. But no scandals though.” He pressed a business card in (Mitra’s) hand. “Welcome to Arnold’s Private Investigation Bureau. Me, your sherpa, can escort you wherever you wish to go, safely and in record time. I dress up in a fancy uniform if you like. Privacy assured. Confidentiality maintained. Satisfaction guaranteed. And smiles plenty.”
And here’s the laundryman, as Mitra first meets him. “Namaskar.” He folded his hand at chest level in traditional greeting and smiled through his paan-stained ruby teeth. Tattooed on his right arm was the word “Om.” His frosty-white shirt contrasted with his walnut complexion and scratched hands. “I understand you want some detective work done.”
These three share Mitra’s adventure, providing humor and help and making for some memorable moments.