Savitha loved her family. She chose to have her hand amputated knowing that her family would benefit financially. She wanted them to be secure and safe. She sacrificed for them. And the one thing that kept her where she was was the fear of her family being punished if she did run away. The message in her father's story was that are fears aren't always what one imagines to be-often they are nothing. She seemed to be looking for guidance in remembering-only this fear-the fear of her family paying for her actions was very real to Savitha. What do you do when your fear IS a bear or tiger? I think she would have stayed indefinitely just to protect them. But then Savitha learns through a conversation with Mohan that no one knows where she is. No one knows who her family is. Just like that, she is free from the fear or harm coming to her family. And because of this, the can walk away with a clear conscious.
I am amazed at Savitha's level of care and concern for her family. The bear or the tiger seems like it would be a young women; alone, unable to speak English, no documentation, no money, no clear sense of direction, in a world that has already proven to be hostile and unkind. Savitha expresses absolutely no fear about what could happen to her.