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Krishnan's mother is a traditional old housewife for whom efficient house-keeping is a veritable goal in a woman's life. She brooks no negligence and slovenliness on the part of a woman in the matter of home-management which she considers as an art. She picks up occasional quarrels with her elder daughter-in-law who is negligent and over-bearing in domestic duties. The old lady has her own fads and fancies about home-keeping. She admires Susila with unstinted sentiment when the latter responds favourably to her instructions and picks up the style of house-management taught by her from time to time. When Susila and Krishnan are setting up an independent house at Malgudi, she comes there voluntarily leaving her husband alone in the village. She has done this for the purpose of tidying up the household things before the arrival of Susila. Moreover, she puts up with them for a period of time so that she may guide and give proper instructions to Susila regarding the maintenance of a well-ordered house. She leaves for the village when the arrangements have been properly done. This reveals her concern for the son and the daughter-in-law and her fondness for house-keeping. The essence of her existence consists in the thrills, pangs and the satisfaction that she derives from running a "well-ordered household." She is unsparing and violent whenever she meets carelessness. She thinks that house-keeping is an ideal fora woman. She says, "If a woman can't take charge of a house and run it sensibly, she must be made to get into man's dress and go out in a procession.."
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| Krishnan's Mother |
She is superstitious and believes in the observance of certain time-honoured customs and rituals. When Susila and the child arrive, she tells them to stay away from the doorway of the house as they have to be given proper ceremonial welcome before entering the house. She has hung festoons of mango leaves on the door and has made certain designs at the entrance of the house. She has a pan of vermilion solution ready at hand and circles it before the young mother and the child before allowing them to get down from the carriage.
Krishnan's mother is both a considerate, loving mother and mother-in-law. As a grandmother, she takes keen interest in the grandchild and plays with her for her amusement. After Susila's death, she proposes to take Leela with her. She is sympathetic to her son when he feels despondent after his wife's death. She, off and on, comes to meet Krishnan and the child and stays with them for some days. She has a feeling that her son should marry for the second time but she is not vocal about it because she knows that Krishnan feels upset whenever such a proposition is made to him. In deference to Krishnan's sensitivity on the subject, she asks the village woman not to talk loudly about her opinion favouring second marriage for him. Besides motherly duties, she carries out a wife's duties sincerely. She is helpful and considerate to her husband who suffers from the attacks of gout at times. That is why, she is not able to live with Krishnan for long at Malgudi as she has to attend to her husband also. Ultimately, she takes Leela with her to the village to bring her up and thereby lightens her son's burden.