Setting

The story “The Grass-Eaters” by Krishnan Varma is set in Calcutta, India. The story presents the realities of extreme poverty and homelessness in India by showing various locations in which the main characters have lived. 

Ajit and his wife, Swapna, first lived on a crowded footpath after they came from East Bengal to Calcutta: “The footpath was so crowded with residents, refugees like us and locals, that if you got up at night to relieve yourself you could not be sure of finding your place again”. This fragment shows how people were striving to live decently and how poor the conditions were. 

The next place that the couple stays in is a freight wagon. According to Ajit, the place was perfect for them: “advantages of living in a wagon – four walls, a roof and...