Summary Of Indira's Days

Most of Indira’s days begins with her waking up before day breaks near Kathmandu, Nepal. She, her parents and her siblings get ready for the day, eating small amounts of Dal, Bhat and Tarkaari, lentils, rice and curried vegetables. After having eaten, Indira’s family begin their walk to the quarry. The sheer cliffs where stones have been dug from loom above her and she feels the familiar sensation of granite dust settling into her lungs.The sun comes up as she’s lifting a basket of rocks onto her back and climbing out of the pits where she dug them from. After climbing up out of the pit, she grabs a small mallet and begins to break them apart. Dust comes up from her work and the stifling temperatures doesn’t help quicken her pace. Her brother …show more content…
As she ran, the tremors were getting more frequent under her feet. The sides of the quarry were cracking, threatening to split off. She found her parents, her mother was carrying her sister in her arms as she ran for the exit. As she ran she saw the mother with the baby strapped to her back also run, the child was still asleep in the basket.

They get out of the quarry mostly unscathed. All of them coughing out granite dust and brushing it out of their clothing. Indira had a small graze on her chin from a dislodged stone. Her father, however, had fractured his arm when he fell from a ladder. Indira’s mother wants him to be to the hospital to be seen. He refuses to be taken there and is adamant about not getting the medical bill. They argue for a bit and he finally relents after her mother explains that it would be harder for their family if he wouldn’t be able to work than if they had to pay a single medical …show more content…
They are greeted with the sight of their house. Luckily, the damage to it wasn’t extensive. Their house is a less than adequate, being supported by bamboo pillars, with structures of mud brick walls and a thatched roof. Sunlight can filters in through the edges of the roof, illuminating the inside for hours. The earthquake has left it leaning to the left side a little more, making it look tired. They decide to rest outside, “it’s far too dangerous inside,” says both Indira’s parents. The house itself is one room, a bed, and a mattress in the middle for them to sleep on. There’s no insulation or electricity; lighting a fire is hazardous due to the house 's construction, and even more so when the foundation is insecure. She and her sister help their mother move salvageable things to the outside of their home. Afterward, they go and draw water from a nearby well to cook noodles with. Over dinner, her parents discuss what they will do now. The granite quarry won’t be open for some time, so they need to find new methods for earning money. Her mother has decided that she’ll be a housekeeper for someone else and plans to move into Kathmandu to find a wealthy person to work for. Indira will work for a nearby textile company. Her little siblings have decided to find a job in a shop market, working as sales workers. They’re not content with their situation, but they know they’ll get through it somehow. The chance of better