Junoon

A reckless feudal chieftain whose life orbits around breeding carrier pigeons. He is drawn to Ruth while navigating his sense of honor and the turbulent politics of the rebellion. His arc moves from domestic indulgence to a costly but martyr-like stand against the British.

Ruth’s mother, a Nawabi-influenced woman who manipulates events to secure a future for her daughter. She escapes with Ruth and Ruth’s grandmother, leveraging diplomacy and grit to negotiate with Javed and others. Her choices hinge on safeguarding her family amid empire-wide upheaval.

Daughter of Miriam, Ruth becomes the focal point of competing loyalties and a potential union with Javed. Her feelings complicate a war-torn landscape, and her survival hinges on the shifting alliances around her. The narrative ends with Ruth remaining unwed as the rebellion reorganizes.

Javed’s wife, whose jealousy grows as Ruth and Miriam challenge the household’s balance. She embodies domestic tension and the strain of hosting strangers while navigating her own place within a patriarchal order. Her reactions reveal the fragility of intimate relationships in wartime.

Javed’s politically awakened brother-in-law who becomes a voice for armed resistance. He sabotages Javed’s pigeons as part of the rebellion and meets a fatal fate in battle. His arc embodies the rise and fall of revolutionary fervor within a fractured society.

A wealthy Hindu patriarch torn between loyalty to India and his privileged British-backed status. He shelters Ruth’s family at times, highlighting the moral complexity of class and allegiance during the rebellion. His actions reveal the private conflicts behind public duty.

A matriarch from the Rampur Nawabi milieu who embodies traditional cultural divides. She was married to an Englishman, illustrating the cross-cultural currents shaping Ruth’s lineage. Her presence marks the intergenerational perspective on empire and identity.