The Poor Condition of Indian Food:
After reading the story of the novel ‘Heat and Dust’ we find that the Narrator had given the description of India as well as of Olivia which she had observed in 1923. She showed the comparison about the progress India had made between the periods of her grandmother's time to the time of her granddaughter.
The Narrator had arrived in Bombay on February 2 and on her first day she stayed at the society of Missionaries Hostel. A woman was sleeping on the side - bed and she helped the narrator in finding her watch. She also gave her a good advice about her things and food in these significant words. “You have to be very careful with your food in the beginning boiled water only, and whatever you do no food from these street stalls. Afterwards you get immune. I can eat anything now if I want to. Not that I want too...… I hate their food. I wouldn't touch it for anything.” She also advised her to take care of her things so that they might not be stolen by someone. She added that the Indians used to eat spicy food, cooked unscientifically in dirty environments. They do not learn for any change.
The Narrator further said that if the people earned more they wasted their money in drinking country liquor and on cinema. The women also liked to put on shining dresses so that they might look more beautiful. The same idea is well - expressed in these lines of the Narrator “More wages means more selfishness, more country liquor, more cinemas. The women used to wear plain simple cotton dhotis but now they all want shiny from the outside.” She added that they did not think of making their living - level better but they spent more on liquor and films.
The Condition of the Serious Poverty:
The close study of the present novel shows that the Narrator was badly influenced by the serious condition of the people which she had seen with her own eyes. She felt when she had seen beggars, crippled persons and the poor boys begging and moving in the streets. On the very first day she had a glimpse of the stark poverty in the street of India. She saw people sleeping outside without any bedding even in the bad weather. She also saw a large number of crippled children begging and moving daily in the streets. She also saw many people buying from the hawkers and standing there eating when many others looked at the gutters to find what had been thrown away. She had seen such a bad scene decades ago. Many people used to sleep on footpaths and some of them died of sun - stroke, or due to excessive cold. Many Europeans were also found living under such bad conditions in the streets. They slept in the streets because they did not have enough money with them. They begged from one another and they also stole from their neighbours. Some of them fell sick and died. She further said that Hindu - Muslim riots were common sight. These were the early experiences of the Narrator when she had arrived in India.
Over - crowded Buses and Numerous beggars in the Streets:
The Narrator also saw over - crowded buses in which the people pushed one another due to the shortage of space. She was also hurt when she found a large number of beggars moving and begging everywhere.
It was on February 24, It being Sunday. Indarlal offered to take the Narrator to Khatm to show her the palace of the Nawab. She was surprised why he would not take his wife, his three children and his mother with him. On the other hand, they were left closed in dark small rooms for all the days. When the Narrator boarded the bus she found that there buses were over - crowded, they were open so the heat and dust entered inside the buses freely. The novelist had taken the title of the novel from such situation. The people who used to travel by these buses were treated worse than the animals.
When the Narrator reached Khatm, she found the city built to serve the palace. The streets were dense and dirty and they were over - crowded by the beggars in large numbers. She found the palace beautiful and it was decorated with old sofas and cloth fans which had been bought in auctions. Though the Nawab had died yet stories of his dissolute life were very common. Indarlal had told the Narrator that there was a lot of intrigue and jealousy in the offices where an honest worker was not allowed to do his duties properly. Indarlal was in the good books of his boss. In short, then the life of the people in India was hopelessly poor in all aspects.
Pick - Pockets and Cheats dominated the Contemporary Society:
It was on February 28, when the Narrator found a trio of a young man, his girlfriend and another youth, dressed in saffron clothes. The watchman of the rest - house refused for their stay without the official permit. Later he permitted to stay in the rest - house for three rupees. When they entered the guest - house they found bad smell from a dead squirrel. They had come to India after hearing the inspiring speeches of the saints about universal love but they found the people dirty and dishonest.
They had been robbed of their watches in the temple of Amritsar. They were again cheated by a man when they were going to Kashmir by the train. At Fatehpursikri the girl was molested by some Sikh youths. The pocket of the young man was picked on his way to Goa. He was again attacked by a mad Dane armed with a razor. The young man had jaundice and the girl suffered from ring - warm. All those three persons had such experiences after their arrival in India.
The Neglected Condition of Indian Women:
The wife of Indarlal, Ritu was homesick during first years of her marriage that she did not take food in full. The Narrator talked about the life of such Indian men and women. She cried for her parents and her husband did not care for her health. She had three children but her husband Indarlal did not talk to her as he used to talk to the Narrator because he loved her. He also said to the Narrator, “How is it possible for me to talk with her the way I am talking with you?”
If the Narrator liked to talk to Ritu, she was so shy that she would run away from her presence. Its cause was her illiteracy and backwardness. How could she face the world when she was shy of talking with her husband and another woman? The Narrator found the village women living under purdah and inside the four walls of their house. The Narrator also saw a large number of women in such conditions. The novelist wished to make some changes and improvement in their conditions.
The Poor were Neglected:
The Narrator noted that a large number of poor were much neglected. They were neither educated, nor they had any progressive ideas. They worked hard from morning to evening to earn their living. Most of the poor moved in the streets begging from door to door. Their condition was still worse, so the Narrator, the spokesman of the writer felt very deeply about their such poor condition.
The Narrator had asked Indarlal to go with her to see if the beggar woman was alive but Indarlal refused to go with her because then he was in a hurry to go to his office. After that she went to the local hospital and reported the matter to the Medical Superintendent, Dr. Gopal, but he told to examine the old woman if she brought her to the hospital. He refused to send the ambulance because it was for emergency cases and that beggar woman was not an emergency case for him. The Doctor had added “If she is dying, then don't bring her, there is not much we can do.” It clearly shows the apathy of that Doctor. Nobody cared where that old beggar woman should die.
The Novelist's Hope for the Bright Future:
The novelist had full hope for the bright future of the people of India. Its reason was that with her optimism she had created the character of the Narrator to work hard in India for her mission for necessary changes and social reformation. It was on July 31, when Maji saw that the Narrator was pregnant. She told her to help her because she was also a professional mid - wife. She gave her a warning that she should not fall in the trap of any other mid - wife. In the darkness of illiteracy, ignorance and apathy, Maji showed the ray of hope to the Narrator and others. It was also the sign of progress. She hoped that the people of India would change and make necessary progress.
