shared with Shukla’s overbearing mother and silent father. The "Wall of Suitcases"

Why not Sharma? Why not Verma or Gupta? The choice of "Shukla" is deliberate. In the collective consciousness of North Indian middle-class families, Shukla is the name of the tutor who comes to your house to teach mathematics. Shukla is the boy who never misbehaves. Shukla is the IAS officer’s surname in a textbook example.

: The narrative highlights the lack of personal space in Mumbai, where a joint family unit is often separated only by a line of old suitcases.