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An Astrologer's Day by R. K. Narayan
Summary | Exercise (Questions and Answers)
Compulsory English Class 11
Neb English Notes
An Astrologer's Day by R. K. Narayan
MAIN SUMMARY
An Astrologer's Day by R. K. Narayan
Astrologers and Their Daily Business Details:
According to the author, an astrologer always opened his business of astrology in the afternoon hours. He used to run his business while sitting under a tamarind tree on Town Hall Road. The road led to Town Hall Park, which was good enough for their business to entice their customers. The street was quite crowded with people from different trades and professions. There was also a groundnut seller sitting next to him. The groundnut seller's gaslight enabled the astrologer to run his business even after sunset. The astrologer was quite skilled in analysing human nature and psychology.
When he started his business in the afternoon, he decorated his astrology business by making various preparations. He took out of his bag his professional tools, like a square piece of cloth, cowries shells, charts, palmyra writing, etc. He usually dresses like an astrologer to attract customers. He applied holy ash and vermilion on his forehead. Due to his makeup, his forehead looked very bright. He put a saffron turban on his head. Thus, the astrologer presented himself perfectly to attract his clients.
The astrologer was a clever man who had hardly any knowledge of astrology. He just guessed to satisfy his customers. According to him, he left his village because he did not want to continue the traditional occupation of his ancestors, i.e., farming. He never planned to return to his native village. He had to work so hard to earn his wages by using his smart mind. He gave his day's earnings to his wife in the evening.
Main Event in the Story:
One day, when the groundnut seller turned off his gas light, the astrologer also started closing his shop. While packing his professional tools, he saw a man standing in front of him. He considered the man his potential customer. When the astrologer invited him, the man challenged the astrologer and his related astrology. The man made a bet with the astrologer. He offered one anna to the astrologer and asked for a satisfactory answer to his question. He also said that if he did not give a satisfactory answer, he would have to return his anna along with interest. The astrologer denied it, saying that he charged three pies per question answered. He demanded Rs. 5 for a satisfactory reply. But, eventually, he demanded that eight annas come for a satisfactory answer. The man agreed to pay. But he placed a condition in front of an astrologer. According to him, if the astrologer gave a satisfactory answer to his question, he would give him eight annas. But if he failed to satisfy him with his answer, he would have to return him double the amount, i.e., sixteen annas. The astrologer started praying for heaven. After a while, when the man lit his candle, the astrologer caught a glimpse of his face. He refused the challenge and asked the man to let him go. But the man held him tightly to his wrist. The astrologer started trembling with fear.
He reluctantly accepted the challenge. The astrologer started telling him something about a woman, but the man stopped him. He seemed dissatisfied. The man had only one question: whether he would find what he was looking for. The man promised to give one rupee to the astrologer on getting a satisfactory answer. The astrologer again prayed a few mantras before answering. The astrologer revealed an incident involving a person in the past. According to him, the man was attacked by some unknown person with a knife to his chest. The man got excited after hearing the words of the astrologer. In the past, he had been attacked with a knife in his chest. After being injured, he was thrown into a nearby well to die. A passerby saw him and saved his life.
The man wanted to know in detail about the culprit from the astrologer so that he could take revenge. But the astrologer informed him about the death of the criminal in a distant town four months ago. Hearing this, the man was disappointed. The astrologer also identified the man's name as Guru Nayak. He told the man that his village was located in the north, and it took him two days to reach there. He warned him to go back home immediately and never try to travel south again. He asked him to return to his hometown as soon as possible. He told the man that he might be in trouble if he left the house again.
The man wanted to know the reason behind the death of the culprit. The astrologer satisfied him by telling him that the culprit came under a truck. The man left after giving a handful of coins to the astrologer. The astrologer also packed his belongings quickly and went home. The astrologer reached his home quite late. His wife was quite worried about him. The astrologer threw coins at his wife to count. In total, there were twelve and a half annas. She was very happy to see this amount. He decided to buy jaggery and coconut for their child, who had been demanding sweets for a long time. However, the astrologer seemed worried and was not as happy as his wife. He was angry with Guru Nayak, who had promised him to pay one rupee but allowed him only twelve and a half annas.
After dinner, the astrologer shared the secret of his life with his wife. He said that the great burden of his life had been removed that day. He always thought that he had killed Guru Nayak. So the astrologer fled from his native village for fear of being accused of being the murderer. He settled in Malgudi, got married, and decided that he would never return to his native village. The man who stabbed the knife into Guru Nayak's chest was the astrologer himself. So he was able to make the right predictions about him, though he hardly knew astrology. The astrologer confessed to his wife that during his youth, he was in bad company with Guru Nayak. One day, he drank, gambled, and quarrelled badly. In that fight, he almost killed Guru Nayak with a knife.
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