An Astrologer's Day by R K Narayan
About Author
R. K. Narayan (born 1906) is one of
the best novelists among Indian English writers. Narayan wrote his first novel,
Swami and Friends in 1935. He is the author of fourteen novels and five volumes
of short stories. Narayan created the imaginary town of Malgudi, where realistic
characters in a typically Indian setting lived amid unpredictable events. He is
one of the most famous and widely read Indian novelists. His stories are
grounded in a compassionate humanism and celebrated the humor and energy of
ordinary life. His stories are characterized by simple style and subtle humour.
Background: “An Astrologer's Day” was first published in the newspaper
The Hindu and then was made the title story of a collection of short stories
which appeared in 1947-the year that India gained its independence.
Introduction
An Astrologer’s Day is a
short story by R. K. Narayan. An
Astrologer’s day´ tells the reader about a person’s life who accidentally
becomes an Astrologer only by using his sharpness in identifying and analyzing
the people’s problems without even knowing the Astrology or any kind of star
knowledge at all. This person is talented enough in speaking, that he is able
to say the things that please and astonish his entire customer and probably
that is because he has a long practice on it. He talks about safe topics like
marriage, money and relationships and takes to speak only after the client has
revealed enough about himself.
Summary
An Astrologer's Day is a story of an
astrologer who conducts his business near a court. He starts his work
almost at midday. He spreads his professional equipment, which consists of
a dozen cowrie shells, a square piece of cloth with obscure mystic charts
on it, a notebook and a bundle of Palmyra writing. He's a fine get-up
of an astrologer, with his forehead shinning with sacred ash
and vermilion. He has dark whiskers and sparkling eyes. To crown the
effect, he wears a saffron-colored turban around his head. He sits at a
place which's frequented by all sorts-of people. Many hawkers cry loudly near
him. And when it’s dark he gets light from a neighboring hawker.The
astrologer was devoid of any professional training. During his youth he used to
drink, gamble and quarrel. Once he hit a fellow villager hard on his head and
assuming the person dead, he pushed him into a well. To hide himself from the
police he ran away and settled as an astrologer in a town. Even though he
lacked training, he had all the shrewdness and understanding of human mind
and the causes of human worries. That’s why he could answer convincing
questions to his clients.
Once he had an encounter with a person before winding up his day's work.
The man wanted to get satisfactory answer to the question "Whether he'll
be able to find his enemy or not. The astrologer recognized him as
his enemy in that dim light. He was the person whom he pushed into a well
thinking he was dead. The astrologer addresses him by his name, Guru Nayak. The
astrologer told him that his enemy was crushed under a lorry four months
earlier and Nayak’s life is not safe so he should return to his village
immediately and warns him not to travel in that direction again. Satisfied with
the answer, Nayak gives him some coins and leaves feeling happy at the thought
that the man he wanted to kill is already dead.
In this way he bade him good bye and got rid of his enemy. Reaching home
the astrologer told his wife that a great burden was off his head as the person
whom he thought to be dead was alive. He narrated the past incident to her.
After this, he yawned and stretched himself on the pyol.
Novels of R K Narayan
The Bachelor of Arts 1937
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