Kolkata, India

A Guardian and a Thief posits between both the positives and the negatives of India through the father-and-daughter duo that is Ma and Dadu. While Dadu has a relatively positive perception of India, given that he is a male writer who is seeking out connections among all of the individuals in the bustling and hot streets, Ma has a completely different experience of India, calling to attention the number of times that she has had to worry about her safety. The differences between the two people of different sexes in their perception of a country hit pretty close to home, taking into account how they are oftentimes treated on account of something as banal as their sex. Even if Dadu likes India, he is very aware of Ma’s own position, given that he is very hesitant to leave her alone on the streets at certain points of the novel. This is a very valid position given that India ranks very high in the rates of domestic violence against women. In a 2024 study, it was reported that “nearly one in five (18 percent) Indian women [report] having suffered…physical and/or sexual violence” (Guadiaut, para 1). The fact that Ma could become just another statistic seems to hang over their heads, with Majumdar subtly mentioning that through Ma’s comments and Dadu’s own wordless worry about his only daughter.

Sources:

Guadiaut, Tristan. “Domestic Violence Against Women: India’s Persistent Crisis.” Statista, 26 Nov 2025. (Accessed 19 Apr 2026).

Mamjundar, Megha. A Guardian and a Thief, Penguin Random House, 14 Oct 2025. (Accessed 19 Feb 2026).

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