Detective fiction: Ambai’s private eye Sudha Gupta is on a mission to uncover Mumbai’s underbelly

There was a reason why he wanted Bahinabai and the Lord she worshipped, Vittal, to be his names. Bahinabai was a devotee who was closest to his heart. A Vittal devotee. He wanted his identity to be that of Bahinabai and her Vittal. Bahina had said she was ready to bear any pain in her body if it would help her reach her Vittal. He had had enough suffering in this man’s body. He had the greatest happiness the times he wore a sari. Stolen times. When nobody was around, he would wear a wild, turmeric-coloured sari with a wax-red border, decorate his forehead with kumkum powder, and walk around the house swaying his hips – what heaven that was!

Anumantha Jogappa, who would make the trip to Saundatti every year from Nipani, was the one who gave him the courage to face this. He had been dedicated to Goddess Yellamma. Dayaram, too, was a regular pilgrim to Saundatti every year. He liked the goddess Yellamma. He would find peace and satisfaction when spending time with the Jogappas.

Jogappas were not hijras. They were not those referred to as hijras or “alis: who were born with genital defects or whose male member...

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