An Astrologer’s Day
An Astrologer’s Day
By R.K.Narayan
Punctually at midday he opened his bag and spread out his professional equipment, which consisted of a dozen cowrie shells, a square piece of cloth with obscure mystic charts on it, and a bundle of palmyra writing. His forehead was resplendent with sacred ash and vermilion, and his eyes sparkled with a sharp abnormal gleam which was really an outcome of a continual searching look for customers, but which his simple clients took to be a prophetic light and felt comforted. The power of his eyes was considerably enhanced by their position, placed as they were between the painted forehead and the dark whiskers which streamed down his cheeks: even a halfwit's eyes would sparkle in such a setting. To crown the effect he wound a saffron coloured turban around his head. This colour scheme never failed. People were attracted to him as bees are attracted to cosmos or dahlia stalks. He sat under the boughs of a spreading tamarind tree which flanked a path running through the Town Hall Park. It was a remarkable place in many ways: a surging crowd was always moving up and down this narrow road morning till night. A variety of trades and occupations was represented all along its way: medicine sellers, sellers of stolen hardware and junk, magicians, and, above all, an auctioneer of cheap cloth, who create enough din all day to attract the whole town. Next to him in vociferousness came a vendor of fried groundnut, who gave his ware a fancy name each day, calling it ‘Bombay Ice-cream' one day, and on the next ‘Delhi Almond' and on the third ‘Raja's Delicacy', and so on and so forth, and people flocked to him. A considerable portion of this crowd dallied before the astrologer too. The astrologer transacted his business by the light of a flare which crackled and smoked up above the groundnut heap nearby. Half the enchantment of the place was due to the fact that it did not have the benefit of municipal lighting. The place was lit up by shop lights. One or two had hissing gaslights, some had naked flares stuck on poles, some were lit up by old cycle lamps, and one or two, like the astrologer's managed without lights of their own. It was a bewildering criss-cross of light rays and moving shadows. This suited the astrologer very well, for the simple reason that he had not the least intended to be an astrologer when he began life; and he knew no more of what was going to happen to himself next minute. He was as much a stranger to the stars as were his innocent customers. Yet he said things which pleased and astonished everyone; that was more a matter of study, practice, and shrewd guesswork. All the same, it was as much an honest man's labour as any other, and he deserved the wages he carried home at the end of a day.
He had left his village without previous thought or plan. If he had continued there he would have carried on the work of his forefathers—namely tilling the land, living, marrying, and ripening in his cornfield and ancestral home. But that was not to be. He had to leave home without telling anyone and he could not rest till he left it behind a couple of hundred miles. To a villager it is a great deal, as if an ocean flowed between.
The nuts vendor blew out his flare and rose to go home. This was a signal for the astrologer to bundle up too, since it left him in darkness except for a little shaft of green light which strayed in from somewhere and touched the ground before him. He picked up his cowrie shells and paraphernalia and was putting them back into his bag when the green shaft of light was blotted out; he looked up and saw a man before him. He sensed a possible client and said: “You look so careworn. It will do you good to sit down for a while and chat with me'. The other grumbled some reply vaguely. The astrologer pressed his invitation; whereupon the other thrust his palm under his nose saying: "You call yourself an astrologer?' The astrologer felt challenged and said, tilting the other's palm towards the green shaft of light: “Yours is a nature.... “Oh, stop that, the other said, 'tell me something worth while.
Our friend felt piqued. 'I charge only three pies per question, and what you get ought to be good enough for your money.' At this the other withdrew his arm, took out an anna, and flung it out to him, saying: 'I have some questions to ask. If I prove you are bluffing, you must return that anna to me with interest.'
'If you find my answers satisfactory, will you give me five rupees?'
'No' ‘Or will you give me eight annas?'
‘All right, provided you give me twice as much if you are wrong,' said the stranger. This pact was accepted after a little further argument. The astrologer sent up a prayer to heaven as the other lit a cheroot. The astrologer caught a glimpse of his face by the matchlight. There was a pause as cars hooted on the road, jutka drivers swore at their horses, and the babble of the crowd agitated the semi-darkness of the park. The other sat down, sucking his cheroot, puffing out, sat there ruthlessly. The astrologer felt very uncomfortable. 'Here, take your anna back. I am not used to such challenges. It is late for me today.' He made preparations to bundle up. The other held his wrist and said: “You can't get out of it now. You dragged me in while I was passing.' The astrologer shivered in his grip; and his voice shook and became faint. 'Leave me today. I will speak to you tomorrow. The other thrust his palm in his face and said: 'Challenge is challenge. Go on. The astrologer proceeded with his throat drying up:'There is a woman...'
'Stop,' said the other. 'I don't want all that. Shall I succeed in my present search or not? Answer this and go. Otherwise I will not let you go till you disgorge all your coins.' The astrologer muttered a few incantations and replied: ‘All right. I will speak. But will you give me a rupee if what I say is convincing? Otherwise I will not open my mouth, and you may do what you like.' After a good deal of haggling the other agreed. The astrologer said: “You were left for dead. Am I right?'
“Ah, tell me more.'‘
"A knife has passed through you once' said the astrologer. ‘Good fellow!' He bared his chest to show the scar. What else?'
‘And then you were pushed into a well nearby in the field. You were left for dead.
''I should have been dead if some passer-by had not chanced to peep into the well,' exclaimed the other, overwhelmed by enthusiasm. “When shall I get at him?' he asked clenching his fist.
'In the next world,' answered the astrologer. “He died four months ago in a far-off town. You will never see any more of him'. The other groaned on hearing it. The astrologer proceeded:
‘Guru Nayak.
'You know my name!' the other said, taken aback.
“As I know all other things. Guru Nayak, listen carefully to what I have to say. Your village is two days' journey due north of this town. Take the next train and be gone. I see once again great danger to your life if you go from home. He took out a pinch of sacred ash and held it to him.'Rub it on your forehead and go home. Never travel Southward again, and you will live to be a hundred.'
'Why should I leave home again?' the other said reflectively.
'I was only going away now and then to look for him and to choke out his
life if I met him. He shook his head regretfully. 'He has escaped my hands. I
hope at least he died as he deserved.' ‘Yes,' said the astrologer. 'He was
crushed under a lorry. The other looked gratified to hear it.
The place was deserted by the time the astrologer picked up his articles and put them into his bag. The green shaft was also gone, leaving the place in darkness and silence. The stranger had gone off into the night, after giving the astrologer a handful of coins.
It was nearly midnight when the astrologer reached home. His wife was waiting for him at the door and demanded an explanation.
He flung the coins at her and said: 'Count them. One man gave all that.' "Twelve and a half annas,' she said, counting. She was overjoyed. 'I can buy some jaggery and coconut tomorrow. The child has been asking for sweets for so many days now. I will prepare some nice stuff for her.'
"The swine has cheated me! He promised me a rupee,' said the astrologer. She looked up at him. 'You look worried. What is wrong?
'Nothing.'
After dinner, sitting on the pyol, he told her: 'Do you know a great load is gone from me today? I thought I had the blood of a man on my hands all these years. That was the reason why I ran away from home, settled down here, and married you. He is alive.
She gasped. “You tried to kill!'
'Yes in our village, when I was a silly youngster, we drank, gambled, and quarrelled badly one day—why think of it now? Time to sleep,' he said yawning, and stretched himself on the pyol.
An Astrologer’s Day
By
R.K.Narayan
Summary
This story is about an astrologer who very shrewdly transacted his business in a village called Malgudi. He appeared at the seat of his business under a tamarind tree exactly at 12 noon. He cleverly dressed himself in the attire that suited his business. He painted sacred ashes, sandal paste and vermillion on his forehead and wound a saffron coloured turban around his head. His painted forehead and dark whiskers never failed in attracting the customers. He understood the psychology of the people very well. He had working analysis of people’s troubles. He never spoke anything until his customer had spoken for five minutes. He charged three pies per question. The path to Town Hall Park was crowded by several other vendors e.g. cloth seller, magician, medicine seller, groundnut seller, junk and stolen hardware seller and so on.
One day when he was winding up his cowrie shells and all the paraphernalia with a view to leaving for home, he saw a man before him. Sensing him a potential customer, he asked the man to sit with him and chat with him. But the man suspected him of bluffing the people and challenged him that he would give him eight annas if whatever he says is true but he would have to pay twice as much he pays if he is proved wrong. In the meantime the astrologer recognizes the man. It was the man whom he had stabbed and pushed into the well to die during a quarrel when he was still a youngster. He had to leave his village secretly after this incident. He suddenly decides to leave the challenge but the man does not let him go. Then the astrologer says “You were left to die in a well” The man was quite surprised at it. He asks the astrologer to tell him more. The astrologer tells his name also and narrates the whole incident. But the astrologer warns him against travelling towards south so that the man should not come to his place of business again. The man obeys his instruction and leaves. The astrologer reaches his home at midnight. His wife who was waiting for him demands explanation. He flung the coins at her hand. She is delighted to see twelve annas because she can buy jaggery coconut to prepare sweets for her son.
After dinner, he tells his wife that a big burden has been removed from his head. As a youngster he had stabbed a man pushed him into the well. He thought the man was dead but today the man came to him to know his future. I have told him not to come to this village otherwise he would face danger.
Q.1. What motivated the hero of the story to become an astrologer
Ans. The people in India are superstitious and credulous. If a person has sharp wits he can befool any person like that. The hero in this story had escaped from his village after killing a man. So he did not have any occupation. He was new to the village so it was almost difficult to get a job there. So he found the job of an astrologer very fit for his purpose.
Q.2. What tactics were used by the astrologer to earn his wages?
Ans. The astrologer was very clever in attracting the people. He cleverly dressed himself in the attire that suited his business. He painted sacred ashes, sandal paste and vermillion on his forehead and wound a saffron coloured turban around his head. He said things that pleased and astonished everyone. Long practice had sharpened his perception. He never opened his mouth until the other had spoken for five minutes.
Q.3. Give a character sketch of the astrologer.
Ans.
Character Sketch of the Astrologer
The whole story revolves round one person that is the protagonist the astrologer who leaves his village because in the fury of the fight he pushed a man into the well. He chooses to become astrologer in a strange village which however proves to be a right decision.
1. He wears befitting attire:- The astrologer knows how to attract people. He cleverly dresses himself in the attire that suits his business. He paints sacred ashes, sandal paste and vermillion on his forehead and winds a saffron coloured turban around his head.
2. He has good study of nature of people:- He knows the weaknesses of the people. He says things that please and astonish people. He never opened his mouth until the other had spoken for five minutes.
3. He is always alert and knows how to exploit a situation:- He is very alert in every situation. He immediately recognizes Guru Nayak when he comes to him and he exploits that situation in his favour by telling his past and his name correctly and then by advising him not to travel to the south.
About the Author R.K. Narayan
R. K. Narayan (Rasipuram Krishnaswami Iyer Narayanaswami), an Indian writer an novelist, was born in a Tamil Brahmin family on 10 October 1906 in Madras (now Chennai, Tamil Nadu) in British India. He was the son of a school Headmaster and one of the eight children. One of his brothers Laxman became a cartoonist.
He is known for his collection of stories "Malgudi Days". Malgudi is a fictitious town which serves as setting for all his 32 stories of this collection. " An Astrologer's Day is one of theses stories. Malgudi Days was published by Thought Publications, a company that he himself founded. Previously, four stories of Malgudi days were published by Penguin Books. A TV Serial Malgudi Days was also started on Doordarshan. His novel The Guide won him Sahitya Academy Award. later on a film was also made based on this novel. He won Film Fare Award for the best story. He died on 13 May 2001 at the age of 94.
Important Words and Their meanings
cowrie = small shell
obscure = hidden
palmyra = writing bout palmistry
resplendent = very bright
vermilion= bright red
clients = customers
enhance = add to value, power etc.
whiskers = hair allowed to grow on the side on a man's face
cosmos or dahlia = flowers
surge = move forward
junk = old, discarded thing of little value
din = noise.
vociferous = loud noise, noisy
dally = think idly about
bewilder =confuse
wages = payment
impetuous = inclined to act on impulse
exterior = outer
paraphernalia = numerous small possessions
pique = offend
cheroot = cigar with both ends open
disgorge = give up
incantation = words used in magic
pyol = a mat made up of grass
blood of a man on my hands = murder
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