Age of Vice

The narrative shifts to London in 2006. Neda has been living in London since April 2004, studying for a bachelor of arts in social anthropology at the London School of Economics. Though it had been Neda’s lifelong dream to study in the UK or US, she misses Delhi. She lives a hermit-like existence, is addicted to alcohol, and is barely in touch with her parents back home. Her degree and her luxurious one-bedroom apartment are all paid for by Bunty Wadia, evidently to keep her away from Sunny. Wadia ensures Neda’s bank account always has a balance of 100,000 pounds.

Neda fled to London after the crash in which Gautam killed the unhoused people. In London, she found out that she was pregnant. Neda was coerced to terminate the pregnancy by Bunty’s associate. She now follows news of Sunny, the 2004 crash case, and her former boss Dean Saldanha online.

Neda recalls the events which led her to London, beginning with her first meeting with Sunny: In 2003, 22-year-old Neda is a city reporter at the Delhi Post. She investigates cases about land grabs and Delhi’s real-estate mafia, since her editor Dean Saldanha is interested in unravelling the link between the city’s extremes of poverty and wealth.