Gajar Halwa - by Githa Hariharan

Gajar Halwa

-       Githa Hariharan

   ‘Gajar Halwa’ is a story written by Githa Hari Haran. This is the story of Perumayee, a village girl from the South who joins as a domestic help in Delhi. This story indirectly deals with the social problems such as poverty, illiteracy, child labour, etc., that exist in our society.

Perumayee lives along with her mother and three siblings in Salem. Her father left the family and her mother works as a labourer. After few days, Perumayee’s mother is left without any work. So she sends Perumayee along with Chellamma, to work as a domestic help in Delhi. Chellamma lives in a room which is actually a scooter garage.  Chellamma employs Perumayee as a domestic help for a salary of two hundred rupees per month. Perumayee gives fifty rupees to Chellamma every month. She thinks of sending the remaining money to her mother at village.

Perumayee slowly gets accustomed to the environment in the city. One day she was asked to prepare Gajar Halwa (Carrot Halwa), which was new to her. Though it was an entirely new experience for Perumayee, she finally succeeded in it. It shows the beginning of her journey in the strange and unfamiliar city environment. Because of her poverty, there is no escape from the whirlpool. The best she could do was to accustom to that and endure it silently. 

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Noojilla Srinivas

Lecturer in English

Govt. Degree College - Alamuru

M: 7981862200

email: noojillasrinivas@gmail.com