ABSTRACT
Mahasweta Devi’s short story “Giribala” narrates the plight of a girl married off at 14 to a man who sells their own daughters into the flesh trade to pay for the construction of his dream house. The extract describes her marriage to Aulchand and subsequent life of poverty and exploitation until, after the birth of her fourth child, she has an operation to avoid further pregnancies. Aulchand reacts violently and accuses her of promiscuity but feels afraid when he encounters Giri’s defiant gaze. The narrative reaches a climax when Giri returns from a visit to her parental home to discover that Aulchand has sold their daughter Belarani to raise money for building a house. In rage and despair, Giri realises the truth of the old saying about the fate of the girl child in a male-dominated society: “A girl’s by fate discarded, lost if she’s dead, lost if she’s wed.”
