Ms Emily Rita Berkshire reflects on her good fortune as she waits in line, dressed in her black academic gown, gold satin cape and black mortarboard. She had attended the best private schools and one of the best universities in England where she had received her Bachelors degree in Law, now she was about to receive her Masters degree in Law. Her loving parents are wealthy although not ostentatious. Her father is native English and her mother Anglo-Indian, her maternal grandfather was Brahmin caste, the highest in the strict Indian caste system. She looks over to her extended family attending this very special day in her life and beams a smile toward them. Her name is called and she crosses the stage to receive her certificate from the Chancellor, who congratulates her before she shakes hands with the Vice Chancellor and then returns to the auditorium, smiling to her family all the way.
Her mother's brother, and Emily's favourite Uncle, Sanjit, is head of an old established and well regarded legal chambers in Kolkata, formerly known as Calcutta, in the West Bengal state of India. The chambers were established during the British Raj with an inclusive attitude towards Anglo-Indian attorneys. Since Emily had started at law school her mother, Dhanika, and Uncle Sanjit had talked many times about Emily joining him in his chambers. She will start as a pupil barrister and all are confident she will make a fine barrister. Naturally she will live as part of the family in their Raj style house, not far from the famous Victoria Memorial. Arrangements were completed and a week later, following tear-filled farewells, she boards her flight at London's Heathrow airport for a 10 hour flight to Kolkata's Dum Dum airport where she is met by her Uncle Sanjit and Auntie Anjuli. The family car is a large black Mercedes V Class driven by their own uniformed chauffeur. On arrival at the grand old house, she is shown to her room and she unpacks while Auntie Anjuli brings her the most beautiful sari outfit as a welcome gift.