Character Sketch of Mr Gupta 1#

Mr Gupta is a key character in Prabhat Kumar Mukhopadhyay’s story ” The Price of Flowers.” He also serves as the story’s narrator. The storey unfolds from his point of view. He is an Indian gentleman who is well-educated and erudite. He possesses sincerity and compassion. He goes above and above to assist Maggie and her mother in their time of need.

Mr. Gupta is about to join the British Civil Service in India. He is now in London, the setting for the most of the story. He befriends Maggie, a teen from a low-income home. When Maggie informs him that her mother is eager to meet an Indian, he is happy to comply. He is really curious and wants to know how the impoverished live in Britain.

Mr Gupta is a figure that challenges conventional conceptions about Indians that were widespread in the West during the pre-independence era. Contrary to popular belief, he is not a vegetarian. He is less superstitious than his Western counterparts and has a more scientific temperament. When Mrs Clifford shows him the ring with the crystal put on it, he understands it is nothing special. But he does not want to jeopardise their faith by declaring it openly.

Mr Gupta’s humanitarian attitude shines through when he pays a visit to the ill mother. He is willing to tell a falsehood in order to save her life, even if it goes against his ethics. He also makes an effort to visit India House and inquire about Frank, Maggie’s brother, about whom there has been no information for a long time. Assuming the role of the missing brother, Mr Gupta even takes Maggie to a zoo, which she thoroughly enjoys.

When he decides to accept Maggie’s one shilling during his final visit with her, soon before his departure, he demonstrates his most sensible and sensitive side. When he discovers that this sacrifice will make her happier, he eliminates his first thought of accepting the money. In the final sentence of the storey, he states, “I wiped a tear or two from my eyes and went upstairs to pack my bags.”

Character Sketch of Mr Gupta 2#

Mr Gupta is an Indian citizen residing in England in the storey The Price of Flowers. He once encountered a 13-year-old girl named Alice Margaret Clifford, or Maggie, in a vegetarian restaurant. He befriended her and her ailing mother, who were anxious to hear about the former’s brother, who was serving in the Indian military. They presented him with a crystal ring the brother had sent them.

Once, the mother requested that Gupta examine the ring and inform her how her son was doing. Without hesitation, Gupta said that he was doing well. This greatly aided the mother’s recovery. Gupta, on the other hand, became distressed when he discovered that the son had died even before he lied to the mother. Nonetheless, he lacked the courage to inform Maggie and her mother of this development.

Maggie came to meet him as he was preparing to depart for India to begin his new work. She gave him a shilling and asked him to purchase flowers for the grave of her brother. Following her departure, Gupta wiped his eyes and headed upstairs to begin packing. This demonstrates that Gupta was a sensitive and compassionate individual. It was precisely for this reason that he concealed the truth about his brother’s death when he learned of it. Additionally, this is why he sobbed when Maggie presented him with a shilling for the flowers to be kept on the grave.