The scenes in which rumors aboard the boats that Deeti and Kalua travel on seem, to me, to imply the idea that those on the “lowest rung of the ladder” do not have access to unfiltered information. In contrast, Neel is someone who, at least in his past, had access to information and facts mostly as a result of his high caste. Because of this kind of access, Neel’s worldview is seemingly uncluttered, at least up until he loses his Raja-hood. Once Neel becomes “caste down” into the rank of a common criminal it seems that his access to “pure” information (literature, philosophy, etc.) was just a product, an illusion, of his caste. These rumors then are examples of the confusion inherent in living life as it is lived (not tucked away in a palace). Also, it seems that it takes courage to disregard these rumors, a quality that can’t necessarily be “learned” from books or extracted from ideologies. Once Neel becomes “among the lower castes,” he’s subject to the same bewildering tortures and confusions they are.
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