I think that Haresh Khanna is most definitely the 'Suitable Boy' that her mother has in mind for Lata. Lata seems somewhat unenthusiastic about him, but she does not appear completely indifferent to him.
"Mrs. Rupa Mehra had indeed liked Haresh. She had liked the fact that he was energetic, that he was independent of his family (though affectionate towards them), and that he clearly took great care with his appearance. Nowadays, many boys looked so scruffy. And one crucial point in Haresh's favor was his name. Being a Khanna he was bound to be a khatri."
Khatri meaning that he comes from the right caste, which she can tell by the name and region from which he hails. We met Haresh some chapters back, if you recall:
"Haresh was short, well-built without being stocky, fair in complexion, with a squarish rather than oval face. His eyes were not large, but they had a directness of gaze which she believed was a key to straightforwardness of character. Silk shirt and agate cuff-links . . ."
But he has this habit of eating paan . . . The description of Haresh above comes from Lata's sister's inlaws. In reality, Lata has a different first impression!
"Her first impression of him was that he was shorter than expected. The next -- when he opened his mouth to speak -- was that he had been chewing paan. This was far from appealing. Perhaps, if he had been wearing kurta-pyjamas, a red-stained mouth would have been appropriate -- if not acceptable. Paan did not go at all well with fawn gabardine and a silk shirt. In fact paan did not go at all well with her idea of a husband. His whole mode of dressing struck her as flashy. And flashiest of all were the co-respondent shoes. Whom was he trying to impress?"
Of course he does work with a shoe company, in his defense. And when you are pining away for someone else, how likely is he to impress her anyway. A mother's dream perhaps, but a young woman's? There has been match making abounding in this part. Lata and her mother have traveled to Dehli, ostensibly to visit some old friends, but her mother is on a mission--to look for a prospective husband. Kabir aside, Lata was spending far too much time with that poet, Amit.
So, let's get this all straight, yes? First it began in Brahmpur where Lata was at university and meets a very unsuitable, but highly appealing cricket player named Kabir. Being Muslim, he is not only wholly unsuitable, but the match would not even be considered by her family. So, exams over, she is whisked away to Calcutta where her elder brother lives with his wife and family, only to become involved with the Chatterjis (the family her brother Arun married into), where she meets Amit. Apparently poets are not suitable either according to Mrs. Rupa Mehra, and Lata was having far too much fun with those Chatterjis (Arun's wife Meenakshi is having an affair if that helps set the tone). So, off to Delhi.
Kalpana, the family friend "tried her best to ferret out likely prospects." Haresh is a friend and former fellow student. He and Lata actually have one big thing in common as he is in love with an "unsuitable girl"--a sikh girl, but the two have called it all off and know they must find their happiness and spouses elsewhere. We know what Lata thinks of Haresh. Here is how Kalpana describes Lata to him:
"She is 5 ft. 5 in. tall, not very fair, but attractive and smart in an Indian sort of way [I wonder what that means!]. She looks forward, I think, to a quiet, sober future. I have played with her as a child--she is like my own little sister, and has gone so far as to say: 'If Kalpana thinks well o someone I'm pretty sure I will too."
"She is a decent girl (if you are interested) and deserves a steady, honest, sincere type like her late father was."
So, this is where things stand. Mrs. Mehra is sold. Lata is pretty indifferent, but I would say not rather than yes--Haresh is not for her. She thinks any idea of them marrying is ridiculous and that Haresh is not properly westernized for her sensibilities. In the twenty-four hours or so they know each other Mrs. Mehra is already asking for Lata's decision, but Lata puts her off as much as she can. I suspect she is happy to be going home, particularly since she had a rather unsettling experience aside from having to meet Haresh. Kalpana's father came into her room one night, and then made inappropriate comments to her. Is he elderly and not aware of what he is doing, or just nasty and taking advantage. In any case as the section comes to a close Lata is feeling sullied and tired and ready to leave. Mrs. Mehra thinks she has found a solution. And Haresh is ready to move forward on this potential romance.
I think I am ready to see what Kabir has been up to. It seems, however, that section ten is going to take us back to Maan (and his massive crush on Saeeda.
I do have some fun news--the BBC is going to film A Suitable Boy--apparently a first as they are using a non-white cast. It is the same director who made the Colin Firth version of Pride and Prejudice. The series will be in eight parts, which means it should get into the story pretty deep. I am not sure when it will air--likely not for a very long time, but truly I am determined to be well finishing reading the book before then!