Another flashback returns us to his childhood for a few pages. Fermented lime-pickle , intensely sour, is a favorite Indian condiment, or chutney. The fact that he never heard the end of the story about Devaka may foreshadow the end of his own story. Devaka was the grandfather of the god Krishna on his mother's side. We now return to Raju's childhood.
Recitation aloud is the traditional method of education.
Jaggery is a brown crystalline sweetener made from the sap of the kitul palm. Raju interrupts the story of his education to return to Velan. Marriage with cousins is not uncommon. Almost all weddings are planned with the advice of astrologers. Note Raju's fear that Velan might suppose that he didn't need food.