The document provides background information on the short story "Girls" by Mrinal Pande. It discusses the author, characters in the story, plot summary, and observations about the story's portrayal of attitudes towards girls in society. Specifically, it notes that the story shows how girls are viewed as inferior and families long for sons, but girls are sometimes worshipped as goddesses on certain occasions, highlighting societal hypocrisy regarding gender roles. Through the young narrator's observations and questioning of these attitudes, the story critically examines the position of women in Indian society.

1. GIRLS
Mrinal Pande
Gokhale Education Society’s
S.M.R.K. B.K. A.K Mahila Mahavidyalaya, Nasik-5.
CC English (HL)
T.Y.B.Com. Sem V
Unit 1
Ms.Geetanjali Gitay,
Assistant Professor

2. About the Author
● Mrinal Pande (born 1946) is an Indian television personality, journalist and
author.
● Until 2009 ,she was chief editor of Hindi daily Hindustan.
● She was then appointed chairperson of Prasar Bharati , the official apex
body of Indian broadcast media.
● She also hosts a weekly interview show Baaton Baaton Mein on Lok Sabha
TV.
● Earlier she worked for Doordarshan and Star News.
● She has also written a few short stories.
● She was the editor of the popular women's magazine Vama from 1984-87.
● The Government of India awarded her Padma Shri in 2006.

3. Background to the Story
• ‘Girls’ was first published in 1983 in Dharmayug and in English translation
in the same year in Manushi – a journal about women and society, New Delhi.
• The story is narrated by an eight year old girl. She is the middle one among
the three sisters. This is a first person narrative.
• In the story she narrates her experiences when she has gone for a long visit
to her maternal grandmother’s house.
• The story is set in a town in Uttar Pradesh.

4. Characters in the Story
•Baabu – narrator’s father
• Ma (Lali) -narrator’s mother
• Badi – narrator’s elder sister about 11-12 years old.
• Chhoti – her younger sister about 3-4 years old.
• Naani- her maternal grandmother
• Maama ,Maami and their son – maternal uncle and aunt and their son.
• Maasi – mother’s sister
• Saru’s Mother – servent in father’s house
• Tulsa Dai – servent in grandmother’s house

5. Plot Summary
• The girl begins by telling that her father breaks a surahi on the day they are to
leave for Naani’s house. Her mother asks Saru’s mother to wipe the water.
• She futher tells that “To Ma, everything is a problem.” Whether they are at
home or school, are ill or playing, they are a problem.
• Her mother is pregnant for the fourth time and that’s why they are going to the
Naani’s house, at least for three months.
• She overhears her mother saying that it would be better if it is a boy this time.
• She is a mischievous girl and angered by her , her mother says to her “You are
the cause of all my problems!”
• After reaching Naani’s home, she purposefully loiters outside.
• Finally when she enters the house, she has to touch the feet of
her Naani, and she is told to bend properly. “ ..bend properly.
You are born a girl and you will have to bend for the rest of your
life.”

6. Plot Summary
• Then she pinches her Maama’s five year old son who is fair and chubby and
supposed to be cute. He and other children of the house keep following her all
the time.
• The elderly neighbour who comes to visit says that Lali is surely going to have
son this time. To this, Naani prays to God and asks that he should protect her
honour and let her daughter take home a son this time.
• In the night, all are asleep and Tulsa dai applies oil to her mother’s feet and
tells if it is a boy she will demand a sari with stainless steel zari.
• The girl then listens to her mother talking with her Chhoti Maasi. Chhoti Maasi
says that she has to endure a lot.
• The next morning when she asks her mother what does it mean ‘to endure’,
the mother calls her a witch for asking questions.
• Her elder sister tells her that she should never ask questions to elders or else
one day they will beat her up. Her sister is making garland for Naani’s Gopalji.
• Naani calls her sister “ my Lakshmi.”

7. Plot Summary
• In the night, the girl wants to sleep near her Naani. But Naani tells her that
there is no space for her.
• The next day is a ritual performed on Chaitya Shukla Ashtami where young
girls are worshipped as living incarnations of Devi, a goddess or divine feminine
principle.
• Her Naani has prepared halwa and puri, and is going to do aarti for all the girls
in the family. All the girls except this one sit in front of Naani.
• Despite her mother’s scolding, she refuses to accept prasad and asks
“ When you people don’t love girls, why do you pretend to worship them?”
• She refuses to take halwa-puri, tikka or money – the one and a half rupee her
grandmother is distributing.
• She says “I don’t want to be a goddess.”
• The stain of tikka on her grandmother’s fingernail looks like a bloodstain to her.
• She screams so loudly that the pigeons pecking at the scattered grain in the
courtyard take off on a flurry, as if a bullet has been fired somewhere.

8. Observations
• Attitude of society towards girls
• A girl is looked at as an inferior in the society. The society longs for sons.
This is communicated in the story through the observations of the narrator.
She repeatedly hears her mother, her grandmother even servant telling that her
mother should have a son. “ Ah, three girls!” they say.
• When her father tells her that she can become anything with hard work she
asks whether she can become a boy. While looking at the birds she thinks
whether mother birds also think their girl children to be inferior. She makes the
servants in the house to say “Girls are nice.” Her Naani allows her grandson to
sit near her but not any girl. At a very young age, she knows that people don’t
like girls.
• A girl who asks questions is a ‘witch’ , the one who follows the customs, like the
elder sister is a “Lakshmi”. They are “Devi” s on specific occassions. But hardly
respectable human beings.

9. Observations
• The girl questions this partiality, rebels against it and refuses to accept these
divisions.
• The male characters in the story- Baabu, Maama and Maama’s son hardly say
anything. It is the women themselves who repeatedly state that women are
inferior. Thus is the deep rooted belief.
• Only on some days they are to be treated as goddesses.
• The story thus questions the position of women in the society and addresses its
hypocrisy.

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