Other characters

Munmun

Munmun is an important character in the short story “Chokra” by Numair A. Choudhury.

Munmun is the narrator’s sister. The story suggests that she was not born disabled, and that her mother has given her away to be crippled to give the family an advantage at begging: “I never knew what they took her for. Amma told me than Munmun had gone to be made new. To be made again, but different” (p. 306, ll. 24-26). The beginning of the story shows that Munmun was tortured (p. 305, l. 8) and kept in a kerosene drum along with other children: “The man then lifted the lid off the drum and reached inside with one hand. And he pulled out my three-year-old sister.” (p. 305, ll. 8-10) 

The narrative reveals that Munmun has “knotted stubs” (p. 306, l. 6) instead of legs and “mangled arm bones” (p. 306, l. 7). She cannot speak...