Lachmi

Lachmi identifies with a lower social class than her husband

Lachmi is Sir Mohan's wife in the short story "Karma" by Khushwant Singh. Unlike her husband, Lachmi doesn’t follow upper-class English social manners. She eats on the train platform, belches loudly (p. 179, ll. 42-44), and spits out her chewed betel leafs: “As the train sped past the lighted part of the platform, Lady Lal spat and sent a jet of red dribble flying across like a dart” (p. 182, ll. 34-36). Also, Lachmi chews betel leaves throughout the story and eats traditional Indian food – “cramped chapaties and some mango pickle” (p. 179, ll. 23-24)– which helps portray her as an ordinary Indian woman.

Lachmi enjoys chatting and gossip, possibly because she is lonely. Lachmi is mostly ignored by her husband and her relatives do not visit her anymore because Mohan Lal does not like th...