She calculates the Indian time on her hands. The tip of her thumb strikes each rung of the brown ladders etched onto the backs of her fingers, then stops at the middle of the third: it is nine and a half hours ahead in Calcutta, already evening, half past eight.
The quote describes a character who uses her hands to calculate the time difference between her current location and Calcutta, India. This act of calculating time becomes a tactile experience as she touches the rungs of her fingers, symbolizing her connection to her homeland. By stopping at the middle of the third rung, she realizes that it is already evening in Calcutta, specifically half past eight, emphasizing a sense of distance...
