A Handful of Rice

A Handful of Rice – The novel is a compelling story of struggle for survival in a large modern city set in post-independence India. The narrative focuses on the life of Ravi, a young man from a peasant background who migrates to the city of Madras (now Chennai) in search of a better life, only to face the harsh realities of urban poverty and systemic inequality. Driven by rural destitution, Ravi joins the exodus to the city and initially falls in with a group of petty criminals. A chance encounter leads him to an apprenticeship with Apu, a respectable tailor, and Ravi attempts to live an honest life after falling in love and marrying Apu’s daughter, Nalini