Under the Pipal Tree Beginning in India in 1966, two women, Indira and Maria, her impoverished companion sit on the verandah, reminiscing as Maria rocks a baby in her arms, whispering stories of their past to the infant, Rohini. The story unfolds in the viewpoints of Rohini in the present and Maria in the 1960s.Rohini struggles with periods of depression despite her busy life as a teacher, mother and wife and an active member of the Bengali community in Mumbai. It is only when Rohini visits her mother in Kolkata that she discovers a shocking truth that upends her middle-class life.Probing how we deal with loss of identity, prejudices, class and mental illness, Under the Pipal Tree is a humane account not only of internal conflict, but also how Rohini finds the courage and humour to go on. In a tale of secrets, and social prejudices, three women redefine their boundaries with each other and the world.