Daphne Manners is the victim of the rape in Bibighar Gardens. The novel opens with a graphic account of her running back home after the rape.


Daphne Manners is niece of Lady Ethel Manners, the widow of ex-Governor, Sir Henry Manners. After the death of her parents, she comes to the sub-continent to live with her aunt in Rawalpindi.

In February 1942, she came to Mayapore with her aunt’s friend, Lili Chatterjee, and took up an honorary job as a nurse at a local hospital. She was a clumsy big girl, neither pretty nor ugly, but not unattractive, she rightly calls herself ham-fisted, because she often broke things while using them.

Daphne is a complex but not complicated character. Despite her physical sturdiness she is soft and pliable. She did not like India but her love for Hari Kumar changed her attitude overall. She was attracted towards Hari by his Englishness. But in time she came to love everything in India for Hari was an Indian. That is partly why she desired that a large chunk of her money should be spent to set up a home for Indian boys and girls.

Daphne is one of those English people who do not like high-handed attitude of their nation towards the Indians. Her love for an Indian is one but not the only reason for this dislike. She is a human character. Speaking of the British prejudice against Indians and unjust favour of their own nation, she writes:


Speaking of the fear created by the rulers in the hearts of the Indians, Daphne warns her nation:


It is Daphne who makes the most rational analysis of the worsening situation.


Again Daphne is the only character in the novel who takes to task those Indians who allow the British to treat their nation with disdain and arrogance. She does not spare even Lili when she says:


Daphne is bold enough to admit that she was not a virgin when she fell in love with Hari. She confesses her earlier sexual experiences without a qualm. She warns the assistant commissioner, Mr. Poulson, that she will not support the case made out by the administration. She bursts out:

Daphne is cruelly passionate in love. Her love affair with Hari is almost a one-sided infatuation. Hari’s attitude is not very encouraging. Yet Daphne is determined to have him. And she does carry it out to the bitter end. She was very well aware of the risks involved. She knew that her romping about with Hari had brought upon him universal wrath of her community. She knew that Merrick was Hari’s rival in love. She also knew Merrick and the powers he had. True that love is blind, but in Daphne’s case it was more selfish than blind. Still she is to be pitied because it cost her life as well as honour.

Women are spiritually more susceptible than men. So is Daphne. She has premonitions about her death. And they turned out to be true.

Daphne never regretted her love for Hari Kumar. Even after the rape when she was caught in the consequences of her love-affair, she never complained. She only regretted that she had made Hari’s life miserable and was unable to help him in any way.

In this state of helplessness the only hope which kept her alive was that the child in her womb was Hari’s. She dragged on through her miserable days only to see the child and make sure it was Hari’s.

In her journal she makes pathetic mention of the child. She says if it is male, it should be named Hari Kumar or Hary Coomer as Hari’s father liked to spell his name. She requests Lady Ethel Manners to be kind to the child. She says:

Daphne died a tragic death, quite young, immediately after the birth of her only child, a girl, later named Parvati. Her aunt, Lady Ethel Manners, writes to Lili:

As it later comes out, there was a striking resemblance. Daphne had seen it. That is what her smile meant. It was a smile of delight, her reward for all her sufferings, the reward she had been praying for.