Lady Dr Agarwal – abortionist
Ali Akbar – businessman and smuggler
Mrs Balani – wife of businessman, now living in the US
Kamal Balani – her lawyer son
Mr Bhagwandas – jeweller, third-floor resident of Sadhbela
Mrs Bhagwandas – his wife
Bhai Sahib – holy man second-floor resident of Sadhbela
Burmawallah – clairvoyant consulted by Mrs Watumal
Lokumal Devnani – much-revered fifth-floor resident of Sadhbela
Prakash Devnani – his son
Jyoti Devnani – Prakash’s wife
Ravi and Bina Devnani – young children of Prakash and Jyoti
Gopal – the liftman of Sadhbela
Mr Hathiramani – former journalist, fourth-floor resident of Sadhbela
Mrs Hathiramani – his illiterate wife
Pinky Lalwani – friend of Rani Murjani
Mataji – seer consulted by Mrs Hathiramani
Murli Murjani – rich industrialist, resident of Sadhbela
Mrs Murjani – his wife
Rani Murjani – their eighteen-year-old student daughter
Kishin Pumnani – former headmaster, seventh-floor resident of Sadhbela
Rekha Pumnani – his wife
Meena – their married daughter
Sham Pumnani – their only son
Lakshmi – eldest unmarried daughter of Kishin and Rekha Pumnani, later married to Hari Samtani
Padma and Veena – younger unmarried daughters of Kishin and Rekha
Chachi – widowed sister of Kishin Pumnani
Raju – Mr and Mrs Hathiramani’s twelve-year-old servant
Hari Samtani – husband of Lakshmi Pumnani
Mrs Samtani – his mother, mother-in-law to Lakshmi
Dr Subramaniam – doctor, ground-floor resident of Sadhbela
Tunda Maharaj – Lokumal Devnani’s holy man
Mr Watumal – factory-owner, sixth-floor resident of Sadhbela
Mrs Watumal – his wife
Mohan Watumal – their only son
Sunita Watumal – their unmarried daughter, aged 31
Lata Watumal – their younger unmarried daughter, aged 29