MAYA AND VEER, Marwari Hindus
Maya, a school principal, also called Mayu
Veer, a businessman, nicknamed Kancha
Janu, their child
Pallavi, the family maid
Veer’s cousin and business partner
Veer’s father and brothers, also partners in business, and Veer’s stepmother
Maya’s father, a businessman, and Maya’s mother, a homemaker
Ashni, Maya’s friend, a vice principal and, later, a shopkeeper
Raj and Anika, Veer’s friends
“The other Maya,” Veer’s former girlfriend
Subal, a businessman and friend of Maya’s
SHAHZAD AND SABEENA, Sunni Muslims
Shahzad, a chicken shop owner and, later, a real estate broker
Sabeena, a homemaker
Shahzad’s father, a landlord of a local Market, and Shahzad’s mother, a homemaker
Sabeena’s father, a sexologist, and Sabeena’s mother, a homemaker
Atif, a karate instructor and Shahzad’s closest friend
Diana, a woman known around the local market, who works in advertising
Farhan, a teacher and, later, a mobile phone technician, and his wife, Nadine, a homemaker, who are Shahzad’s extended family
Mahala and Taheem, Farhan and Nadine’s children
Mamoo, a priest
Zora, a salon owner
ASHOK AND PARVATI, Tamil Brahmin Hindus
Ashok, a journalist and aspiring novelist
Parvati, a student and engineer
Parvati’s father, an engineer, and Parvati’s mother, a homemaker
Ashok’s father, a jack-of-all-trades Anglophile, and Ashok’s mother, a homemaker
Nada, works at a British company
Mallika, a filmmaker
Joseph, a student and engineer
“The US boy,” works at a tech corporation