These notes were contributed by members of the GradeSaver community.We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make your own.Written by Micola MagdalenaAbdul HusainAbdul is one of the main characters in the novel. His age remains a mystery as he is not registered and his own mother can’t remember his exact birth date. It is speculated however that he is twenty years old when he is examined by a doctor. Abdul comes from a poor family and slum in Mumbai and in order to survive, he collects garbage and sells it to the recycling plants. Abdul is not the average garbage collector as he has his own business and buys garbage from younger boys to sell it. In comparison with those around him, Abdul is realistic and tries not to indulge in fantasies and dreams that will only harm him.

1. Behind The Beautiful Forevers Pdf

He tries instead to do the best he can with what he was given and to live his life going unnoticed by the others. Abdul’s life changes forever when he and his family is accused by Fatima of setting her house on fire. After that, Abdul, his father and his sister are arrested and their business fails. By the time Abdul gets out of prison it is already too late for him to revive his business and he finds himself in the situation to scavenge for garbage just as the other boys in the slum were doing. Asha WaghekarAsha is an ambitious woman in the slum who dreams of becoming a slumlord one day.

The reason why she wants to become a slumlord it to make sure that he children have the best chance in life and that her family is regarded as a good and wealthy family. Despite living in the slum, Asha sees herself and her family as being above those around them and she looks down on everyone around them. Asha pretends to want to help those around her but in reality the only thing she wants is to profit from them and to be rich. In the end, Asha does become a slumlord but she realizes that it is too much work so she gives up soon after being elected. It is also mentioned that Asha had many affairs with people higher than her in order to achieve her dreams and that her affairs were quite public. Zehrunisa HusainZehrunisa is in the novel Abdul’s mother, a Muslim woman forced to take care of her family when her husband gets ill. Zehrunisa dreams of one day moving to a rural community where Muslims lived but at the same time she enjoyed the freedom she had in the slum.

Where she to move to a Muslim community, she would have to remain locked in the house all day to avoid being seen by other men. Zehrunisa loves her family greatly and will do everything for them. When her husband, daughter and son are arrested, Zehrunisa is the one who gets enough money to get Abdul out of prison. Fatima ‘’One Leg’’Fatima is the woman who used to live near Abdul and his family. Fatima was called One Leg because she suffered from a birth defect that made one of her legs to be crooked.

Fatima moved to the slum after she married her husband but she was never happy. To prove to herself that she was attractive and worth of attention, she used to sleep around and wear make-up and perfume, things for which the others criticized her. Fatima sets her house on fire in the beginning of the novel and she dies in the fire. The police suspected Abdul’s family as being the ones who set Fatima’s house on fire even though they were not involved in any way. Manju WaghekarManju is Asha’s daughter, a young and intelligent woman who had the chance to receive an education. Manju doesn’t resemble her mother and she wants to help those in need. Because of this, she hopes to one day become a teacher and help the children who live in the slum.

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Her mother lets her teach at a school set up by her but after becoming a slumlord she forbids her daughter from teaching there. Manju is obedient, knowing that it is her duty to listen to her mother and even though she is not always happy with her mother’s decisions, she respects them and obeys them.

Manju is quite a tragic character because the reader knows that as long as Manju will live with her mother, she will never be free to do what she wants and will have to listen to her mother’s every word. SunilSunil is a young trash picker who used to sell his trash to Abdul. Sunil tries to keep himself separated from the boys in the slum who use drugs and who steal and tries instead to make an honest living by working hard.

Sunil is small for his age, the result of a bad nutrition and he feels bad because of it and resents his family for not taking care of him. Sunil has a younger sister who is taller than him and he always thinks that he will never be able to grow properly.

SonuSonu is another scavenger in the slum and Sonu and Sunil used to be friends, searching for garbage together. After things become hard on the slum because India is no longer visited by tourists, Sonu starts eating frogs and rats to survive and even begins thieving to make enough money to survive. Sunil looks down of Sonu because of this but realizes that Sonu had no other choice but the steal to survive. MeenaMeena is a girl who lives in the slum and who is good friends with Manju.

Meena live a difficult life, being abused by her family frequently and beaten by her mother. Meena is not the typical Indian girl who is ready to always listen to her family and because of this she decides to kill herself. She does it by ingesting rat poison and she dies a few days later in a hospital. MirchiMirchi is Abdul’s younger brother, a boy in the ninth grade when the book starts.

Mirchi is the only one in the family who was able to continue his studies but he failed his ninth grade and Abdul resents him from throwing away his future. Mirchi hopes that one day he will be able to work as a waiter in a luxurious hotel, a dream considered foolish by Abdul. KehkashanKehkashan is Abdul’s older sister who also lives with them. Kehkashan is almost like a second mother to the children in the family and she works alongside her mother and brother to earn money. Kehkashan is also accused of setting Fatima’s house on fire and she spends a few months in the prison alongside her father. KaramKaram is Abdul’s father, a sickly man unable to work because of his tuberculosis.

Karam feels that it is his duty as a Muslim man to take care of his family but he has to rely on his children and wife to earn money. Karam’s health takes a turn for the worst when he is arrested and he loses all hope of one day moving his family in a quiet Muslim community. KaluKalu is a young scavenger who frequently works alongside Sunil and Abdul.

Kalu is more adventures than the other boys and he often searches for trash in places avoided by other people because they are dangerous. During one of his expeditions, Kalu is killed by a gang on the airport’s property. To cover up his death, the authorities claim that Kalu was killed by tuberculosis. Rahul WaghekarRahul is Asha’s son and Mirchi’s best friend.

Behind The Beautiful Forevers Pdf

Despite one being Hindu and the other being a Muslim, the two boys get along well and they both dream of one day being waiters. Robert PiresRobert was the slumlord in the slum before Asha was elected. SunitaSunita is a minor character in the novel and she is Sunil’s sister.

Sunil is jealous that Sunita is taller than he is but he still loves her dearly. SanjaySanjay is a boy in the slum who was Kalu’s close friend. After Kalu dies, Sanjay ends up committing suicide by drinking rat poison. SurajSuraj is an eunuch who comes one time in the slum to dance. Officer ThokaleOfficer Thokale is the officer at the police station where Abdul and his father are taken. Asha arranges it such that the Officer stops beating Abdul and his father. CynthiaCynthia was Fatima's best friend who at the trial against the Husain family testified that she saw Abdul and his father force Fatima to commit suicide.

MahadeoMahadeo is Asha’s huband. Mahadeo is a drunk who spends his time doing nothing so the person who runs the household is Asha. NooriNoori is Fatima's daughter who sees her mother pour kerosene all over her and light herself on fire. Update this section!You can help us out by revising, improving and updatingthis section.After you claim a section you’ll have 24 hours to send in a draft. An editorwill review the submission and either publish your submission or provide feedback.How To Cite in MLA Format Magdalena, Micola. 'Behind the Beautiful Forevers Characters'. GradeSaver, 20 September 2017 Web.