Gillu Summary by Mahadevi Verma

Introduction

Gillu is a poem written by the famous writer Mahadevi Verma. The poem describes an incident where a baby squirrel falls into the courtyard of the author and gets injured. The author takes care of the baby squirrel and provides her with all the possible aids to save his life. Eventually, the author gets attached to the baby squirrel. It shows the compassion and generosity of the author.

About the Author

Mahadevi Verma was born in 1907. She was a famous and leading author of the Chhayavadi School of Poetry in Hindi. She has received various awards, including the "Mangla Prasad Prize," '' Bharat Bharti Award," and the "Gyan Peeth Award."

Summary

Gillu is a story that describes an incident where a baby squirrel falls into the verandah of the author. One morning, the author witnessed two crows playing and pushing their beaks into the flower pot. Soon she realized that there was a baby squirrel that was lying wounded in the flower bed. She understood that the baby squirrel must have fallen from her nest. The two crows wounded the baby squirrel. The author took the baby squirrel in her arms and wiped the blood from its body. She also applied ointment to it. After so many failed attempts, she was successful in giving a drop of water to the baby squirrel.

The author took care of him, and within a few months, he recovered entirely with fur all over his body. The author named him Gillu and made his home with a flower bed. The squirrel became familiar with the author. He used to sit near her feet while she was writing and took her attention with his naughty and playful acts. Sometimes the author, out of a joke, held Gillu and put his tiny body in a long envelope. Gillu used to ask for his meals by making soft sounds of 'Chik-Chik' and waiting for biscuits and Kaju.

One day the author noticed Gillu looking out of the window. The author realized that it was necessary to set him free. Thus, she arranged an opening in the inter-woven structure of the wire. Gillu was delighted. When the author went to college, Gillu used to spend his day outside with other squirrels. When she returned from college, Gillu used to meet her with extreme excitement.

Although having several pets, Gillu was her favorite. Only Gillu had the right to eat from her plate. He would refuse to eat if his favorite food Kaju was not available.

Once, the author met with an accident and was admitted to the hospital for several days. In her absence, Gillu used to wait for her. He used to look out the window whenever someone entered the room, but witnessing someone else, he used to run away to his nest. When the author returned to her room, she noticed that the squirrel's nest was full of Kaju. The author was overwhelmed seeing the love and affection of the squirrel. Gillu used to take care of her by rubbing her forehead and hair. He was like a caretaker whose absence used to affect the author. In summer afternoons, when she used to work, Gillu remained there, sticking with a surahi near her to save himself from the summer heat and remain with her.

Gillu stayed with the author affectionately for about two years. The lifespan of a squirrel is about two years. One day, Gillu was ill, and he didn't eat or go outside. Later at night, Gillu held her fingers with his cold claws. The author tried to give him warmth with her electric heater, but it was of no use. Gillu passed away with the first rays of the sun the following day. As he loved the creeper the most, he was buried under the creeper.

For the next few days, the author was in despair and used to wait for Gillu that he would appear, flowering and blossoming in the outward form of a tiny yellow juju flower.

The story describes emotional attachment and human sentiments. The author had excessive love and affection even for a tiny baby squirrel, which is highly admirable.