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The Beloved Charioteer – Shashi Deshpande
Shashi Deshpande’s short story, ‘The Beloved Charioteer’ describes the sad existence of two widowed women. They are mother and daughter. The story is told in the first person by the mother. She gives birth to two sons and one daughter, Arati. The two sons do not survive and the daughter loves her father very much. Arati is married and her husband dies even before the birth of their daughter, Priti. Arati becomes a recluse and hates the world. The grandmother adores Priti. She remembers the bitter memories of her suppressed life as a housewife. She has to bear the burden of her daughter’s aloofness. She lives for her granddaughter, Priti.
