"Gillu" is a tender and deeply moving essay written by Mahadevi Verma, one of the greatest poetesses of Hindi and a leading figure of the Chhayavad movement. The essay is included in this Class 9 Hindi course as a companion piece to her other autobiographical writings. In this essay, Mahadevi Verma tells the true story of a little squirrel named Gillu, which she rescued and raised with immense love. What begins as an act of compassion becomes a beautiful bond between a human being and a small creature of nature, and the essay traces this relationship from Gillu's first fragile days to its quiet, sorrowful end.
The essay is remarkable because of its honesty and tenderness. Mahadevi Verma does not write about a grand hero or a dramatic event; she writes about a tiny squirrel who shared her room, her food and her love. Yet through this small life she explores big ideas - the sacredness of all life, the intelligence and feelings of animals, the joy of caring for another being, and the pain of loss. Her poetic language turns the little squirrel into a symbol of innocence and love.
For students, "Gillu" is a precious lesson in compassion and sensitivity. It teaches us to look at the natural world with kindness, to respect even the smallest creatures, and to understand that love has no boundaries of species. The essay is also a fine example of Mahadevi Verma's prose style - simple, graceful and full of deep feeling - and it remains one of the most loved pieces in Hindi literature.
Mahadevi Verma (1907-1987) was born in Farrukhabad and grew up in Jhansi. She was one of the four pillars of the Chhayavad movement along with Jaishankar Prasad, Sumitranandan Pant and Suryakant Tripathi 'Nirala'. Known as the "Modern Meera", she is celebrated for her poetry collections like "Nihar", "Rashmi", "Neerja" and "Sandhyageet", as well as for her prose works such as "Mere Bachpan ke Din", "Smyuti ki Rekhayein" and "Gillu". She was also an educator and the principal of a girls' college. Her writing is marked by a deep love of nature, a profound sensitivity to suffering, and a quiet courage in the face of life's hardships. "Gillu" reflects her belief that all living beings deserve love and respect.
The essay begins with a small, pitiful incident. One day, Mahadevi Verma noticed a tiny baby squirrel lying helplessly on the ground. The poor creature had been injured - perhaps it had fallen from a tree or been dropped by a predator - and it was too weak to move. Moved by its helplessness, the author picked it up and decided to care for it. She gave the little squirrel a home, fed it carefully, and watched over it as it slowly recovered. She named it Gillu.
As Gillu grew, it became a lively and intelligent member of the household. The little squirrel loved sweet things, especially sugar and dates, and would come running to take its favourite food from the author's hand. It was full of mischief and affection. Gillu would sit on the author's shoulder, climb up the curtains and run around the room, and rest contentedly in its small box. At night it would settle down to sleep, safe and happy in the home that love had built for it. The author, who lived a quiet and often lonely life, found great joy and comfort in Gillu's lively company.
But Gillu, like all living beings, grew old. In its last days the little squirrel fell ill and became weak. The author tended to it with all the love she could give, but one morning she found Gillu dead. What touched her most was a tiny detail: Gillu was still holding a date - the sweet it loved - clutched in its small paws near its little heart, as if it had carried the author's gift with it even in death. With tears in her eyes, Mahadevi Verma buried Gillu in the garden under a tree, in the green earth it had loved. The essay ends as a beautiful and sorrowful tribute to a small life that brought great joy.
The central theme of "Gillu" is compassion and the sacred bond between humans and animals. Mahadevi Verma shows that a tiny squirrel, which most people would ignore, can become a source of deep joy and love when treated with kindness. The essay celebrates the idea that all life is precious and that love can flourish between a human being and the smallest creature of nature.
The message of the essay is a call to tenderness towards the natural world. The author rescues a helpless creature, nurses it with patience, and grieves for it when it dies - and in doing so she teaches us to extend our care beyond our own species. The essay also touches on the pain of loss, showing that those we love, however small, leave an emptiness when they go. For students, the lesson is simple and profound: to be kind to all living beings, to respect their feelings, and to understand that love, in its truest form, knows no boundaries.
| Stage | Event |
|---|---|
| Rescue | A tiny injured squirrel is found and saved |
| Recovery | Fed and nursed back to health |
| Growth | Becomes lively, playful and affectionate |
| Favourite food | Sugar and dates |
| Old age | Falls ill and grows weak |
| Death | Dies holding a date in its paws |
| Burial | Buried in the garden under a tree |
| Value | How It Is Shown |
|---|---|
| Compassion | Rescuing the injured squirrel |
| Patience | Nursing it through illness |
| Respect for life | Caring for a tiny creature |
| Love | The bond between author and Gillu |
| Grief | Mourning Gillu's death with tenderness |
"Gillu" is a small masterpiece of compassion. Through the simple story of a tiny squirrel, Mahadevi Verma teaches one of the biggest lessons of life - that every living creature deserves love, care and respect. Gillu, with its playful ways and its final, heart-breaking farewell still clutching the sweet it loved, remains one of the most beloved characters of Hindi prose. The essay reminds students that kindness is not measured by the size of the creature we help, and that love, given freely to the smallest of beings, returns as the purest joy and leaves behind the most tender of memories.