Lady Mohan Lal or Lachmi is one of the two main characters of Khushwant Singh’s short story ‘Karma’. Singh with the portrait of Lady Lal’s character distinguished the issues of cultural identity. Lady Mohan Lal (Lachmi) is portrayed as a native woman right from the moment she is introduced in the story. She has been described as simple and ordinary Indian woman. Lady Lal, Lachmi, the wife of Sir Mohan lal in the story “ Karma” by Khuswant singh, is quite a contrast to her husband. She is typical Indian house wife, a village woman, who finds discomfort in the company of the British and Anglicized Indians.
Characteristics:
A. Short and Fat : Lady Mohan Lal is an Indian woman with short and fat physical dimensions.
B. Age : She is in the middle of forties. She is an grown up woman.
C. Fashion : Lachmi is simple and unsophisticated. Lady Lal is not so careful about her fashion. She wears a dirty white sari with a red border, and a diamond nose-ring along with several gold bangles on her arms.
D. Talkative : She is very humble and she can start talking with a coolie or an ordinary bearer without hesitation. Lady Mohan Lal is a very talkative woman and she is tittle bit fond of gossiping.
E. Food Habit : She chews betel leaves, eats chapattis with mango pickle. The brass tiffin carrier having cramped chapattis and mango pickle shows her nativity.
F. Illiterate : She is illiterate and she has no knowledge of English , English culture.
G. Naive and Simple: She is very naive and simple woman. Her personality shows a native Indian woman . She is rustic and illiterate. She does not care for the refined social customs and wipes her hands and face with the loose end of her sari.
Significance:
She is the representative of native Indian women dominated by their husbands.
Conclusion:
In the conclusion we may say that the physical appearance of Lady Mohan Lal has been criticized only to recognize her native Indian identity. She has been presented as exactly the opposite of Sir Mohan Lal to brought up the issues of cultural identity. She represents true Indian Culture.