The main character

-His name combines the names of three religions. Which are they?

Ram Mohammad Thomas: Ram is from Hindu, Mohammad is form Muslim and Thomas is from Christianity.


-Where does he grow up?

He was born in Delhi and grows up in the city of Mumbai.


People, places and events in the story.

-Who was Surdas?

He was a saint, poet and musician. He was born in a small village in India. He couldn't see. Surdas was very religious man and wrote over one thousand poems, though only around eight thousand can be found today. He left his family at the age of six.

-  What is the connection between Surdas and the main character?

When Mamman catch Ram and Salim, Mamman gave them singer's lessons and his favourite song was Surdas because it's considerate the song of the people that can not see.

-  What is the historical background? What war appears in the story?

The historical building is Taj Mahal. This building appear in the book when Ram fall in love with Nita. Ram Mohammad Thomas was the guide of Nita in Taj Mahal because he needs the money to go back to Mumbai with his friend Salim.

-  What is the story behind Taj Mahal? 

The Taj Mahal was built by Emperor Shahjahan. Work started in 1631 and took 22 years. The Emperor falled in love with 'the chose one'. The got married and had fourteen children. The woman died while giving birth to the last child in 1631. Before she died, Emperor promised to build the most beautiful palace in the world for her. The result was the Taj Mahal.