Munshi Premchand Short story that Portray human feelings brilliantly

Munshi Premchand, one of the best Indian authors of short story of the early 20th century, was born on July31, 1880 as Dhanpat Rai Shrivastava. A plain man, Premchand’s stories are a portrayal of the culture of his day. His novels are known for their exquisite depiction of man’s diverse emotions. He was the first Hindi writer to incorporate realism into his stories as he wrote fictional stories with a social intent. While he began writing under the pen-name Nawab Rai, he soon switched to Premchand, a name that is still popular with many readers today—more than 80 years after his death.

You must have read a couple of short stories by Munshi Premchand in your Hindi textbooks, back in the 7th or 8th standard. So we thought it would be pleasant to take you back to those days.

Premchand has published over 300 short stories, several novels, essays, poems, and letters, and translated few other foreign works into Hindi, so that other literary writers properly call him Upanyas Samrat. His works have been translated into many languages over the years.

Remembering Premchand’s 140th birthday today, we’re going to list some of his best short stories that everyone should read.

While it’s hard to choose just a handful, we’ve shortlisted and summed up 10 tales from the treasure chest of hundreds of brilliant short stories by Munshi Premchand.

1. Kafan

Undoubtedly, ‘Kafan’ is one of his finest short stories. It portrays the feelings and hardships of Ghisu and Madhav, the unfortunate father and son pair, who are too unmotivated and passive to do anything about their plight and take up minor jobs once in a while when there is a desperate need. The conversation between them, as Ghisu remembers the sumptuous meal he had at Thakur’s daughter’s wedding some 20 years ago, is so traumatic that it shakes one to the heart. Kafan is a must-read tale of how Ghisu and Madhav, with their metaphysical discussions, explain wasting the money they borrowed to buy a Kafan (shroud) for Ghisu’s dead wife, drinks and food. Yet still, you’re going to end up with sympathy for them.

Read the full story here.

2. Eidgaah – The one short story by Munshi Premchand that everyone has read

At least once in our lifetime, we’ve all read this short story by literary Moghul Munshi Premchand.

Hamid, a 5-year-old, lives with his grandma after his parents have passed away. They’re extremely poor, and his grandma can barely afford him two square meals a day. During the joyful Eid celebration, everyone goes to Eidgaah to offer their prayers. All the kids are excited about the fair, and all Hamid’s friends are buying candy and wonderful toys. Hamid, who has the least money among all his peers, is tempted to see their toys and candy but doesn’t give in. Instead, the conscientious boy buys a pair of tongs for his grandma, so that she doesn’t burn her hands in the fire when preparing food. This touching tale of the sacrifice and love of a young boy makes everybody shed a tear or two.

Read the full story here.

3. Namak ka Daroga

Namak Ka Daroga, another heart-rending gem from his works of fiction, leaves a sweet taste in your mouth and moisture in your eyes.

Vanshidhar is newly designated as Daroga in the Salt Department of the Government. Salt was a valuable commodity back in the day, and the illicit trading was rampant. Against the advice of his old father, urging him to make some extra money by taking bribes, Vanshidhar is fair and just in his actions.

Once it happens, Vanshidhar arrests a rich businessman, Pandit Alopideen, for illegally selling salt. There’s no amount of money the Pandit Alopideen provides the opportunity to the Pandit to get Vanshidhar to settle on his morals. Eventually, the powerful businessman is free from all allegations, leaving Vanshidhar frustrated. But the twist in the plot comes when he shows up at Vanshidhar’s home, celebrating his integrity.

 Read the story here.

4. Bade Bhai Sahab

Bade Bhai Sahab is an eccentric tale of two brothers, one of whom is five years older to the other. The elder brother’s rant on the value of schooling and how ludicrous he likes to think it at the same time provokes a lot of laughter. He also teaches to his younger brother, who is not keen to study and spends much of his time hovering about and playing. Despite this, sadly, the younger one passes with flying colors every year, while the older brother struggles.

The storyline concludes with a strong lesson, though, that it is foolish to dismiss the elders on the grounds of their educational qualifications.

You can read the full story here.

5. Nasha

Nasha too is set in the days of pre-independence before the government scrapped Zamindari. Bir, the son of a poor clerk, was a good friend to Ishwari, who was the son of a wealthy landlord. They often debated, and Bir highly opposed the Zamindari regime, arguing that the landlords were abusing the poor and that this entire system should be brought to an end. Ishwari, on the other hand, argued that all humans were not equal and that the Zamindars were born to rule the people. Despite this conflict of opinion, they were both close friends.

Once, when Bir was unable to get to his hometown because he didn’t have enough money, Ishwari took him home. Upon arriving, Bir is introduced as one of the rich zamindars. Bir, loving the love and respect he enjoys from all the servants of Ishwari, starts to live a falsehood, contradicting his own views toward the aristocracy. Nasha or inebriation is entirely justified by its title as the plot continues, and how Bir is struck by the harsh truth after he leaves.

 Read the full story here.

6. Boodhi Kaki- The short story by Munshi Premchand that brings out hardship of the poor

Like most of his narratives, this one emphasizes on the challenges of a poor, helpless soul. This time, his central character is an elderly, blind woman whose husband and sons have expired. With no one to look after her at this age, her nephew agrees to keep her, but not until she transfers all her property to her name. With no one to look after her at this age, her nephew agrees to keep her, but not until she transfers all her property to her name.

Once in their home, everybody enjoying eating sweets and pooris, ignoring the old Kaaki who’s starving. The weak and fragile lady, unable to contain herself any longer, lands in the midst of the guests. This makes the heartless pair is even more furious.

The climax of this story comes when Rupa sees the Kaaki peacefully enjoying the leftovers. This melt even the hardest of hearts. With this tale, Munshi Premchand sends out a message that old age is just a re-entry of childhood.

Here you can read the whole story.

7. Poos ki Raat – Another Poverty depicting short story by Munshi Premchand

Poos is a local term for Poush-a month in the Hindu calendar that starts from mid-December to mid-January.

The night of January or ‘Poos Ki Raat’ is a heart-wrenching account of a farmer named Halku, who had no choice but to pay off his debt with all the money he had saved to buy a winter blanket.

Read ‘Poos Ki Raat’ to find out how Halku managed to live through the chilling winds, with only an old tattered blanket and a faithful dog by his side.

8. Thakur ka Kuan

Thakur Ka Kuan sheds light on the degrading status of Dalits in the old days. It is about the time when people from the upper caste were refused safe drinking water.

When a Dalit lady, Gangi’s sick husband, complains about an unpleasant scent of drinking water, she asks him to wait until she gets some clean water.

Determined to carry clean drinking water to her thirsty and sick husband, Gangi summons bravery and heads to their village Thakur’s well. She did so knowing full well that if she was found she would be beaten to death.

Thakur Ka Kuan is written in such a way that it is going to make you fear caste-based discrimination in our country.

You can read the full story here

9. Panch Parmeshwar

Here, an eternally important story of two best friends, Jumman Sheik and Algu Chaudhary, who mistakenly believe each other. But their relationship takes a U-turn when Jumman’s aunt comes to the village of Panchayat. She is looking for revenge against her nephew, who illegally took all her belongings and now ill-treated her. Algu Chaudhary, who is also a delegate of the Village Assembly, is stuck in a bind where he is supposed to deliver justice that could damage his relationship with Jumman.

The tale concludes with a life lesson for all of us; how each person sees the situation from their own viewpoint.

Read the full story here.

10. Do Bailon ki Katha

Before Munshi Premchand starts his narration in the short story, Premchand wonders if all the animals are called the stupidest donkey? He writes that maybe because his patience and silence was dumb. The Ox, Premchand believes, is another species that struggles because of its submissive nature.

Do Bailon Ki Katha (The Story of Two Oxen) is an emotional tale of Heera and Moti, two oxen who are best friends and committed to being together. They are sent to the place of a relative by the evil wife of their loving master, who ill-treats them and does not feed them properly. The pair bursts out of the shackles but finally winds up in a factory with too many other stuffed animals to be sold in decaying condition. It’s a heart-warming story about how these mates stay together in whatever challenge and eventually get home.

You can read the full story here.

The world of Hindi literature is still indebted to Munshi Premchand for his contribution.

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