Gunga Ram

Gunga Ram appears in the short story “The Mark of Vishnu” by Khushwant Singh. He is an old servant and follows the Hindu religion. Although he is a Brahmin, he is uneducated. He worships the Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva, in accordance with Hindu beliefs, but he is most devoted to Vishnu. Therefore, he smears a V-mark on his forehead in sandalwood paste. (p. 1, ll. 24-28). 

Gunga Ram is very religious. He believes that all life is sacred, even that of the most dangerous creatures: “He would feed and protect snakes because snakes were the most vile of God’s creatures on earth. If you could love them, instead of killing them, you proved your point.” (p. 2, ll. 19-21). However, he is also very superstitious. He believes that as long as he leaves milk for the snake to drink, it wil...