An Astrologer’s Day R. K. Narayan

 

R. K. Narayan (1906-2001) was an Indian writer known

for his works set in the fictional South Indian town

of Malgudi. He was born in Madras, South India. He

wrote many novels including Swami and Friends, The

Bachelor of Arts and The English Teacher, along with

short stories and other works. He was among the best

known and most widely read Indian novelists who

wrote in English. He highlighted the social context and

everyday life of his characters.

Astrology is a form of fortune telling, originated in ancient Babylonia. It has been

practised in many cultures, including ancient Rome, Greece, India, and China.

'An Astrologer's Day' is a thriller, suspense story describing a day in the life of

an astrologer who makes his living by selling cosmic insights to gullible villagers,

though he has no knowledge of the cosmos or actual spiritual insight.

Reading

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, a notebook 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

236 English: Grade 11

forehead and the dark whiskers which streamed down his cheeks: even a half-wit’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 created enough din all

day to attract the whole town. Next to him in vociferousness came a vendor of fried

groundnuts, 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 crisscross of

light rays and moving shadows. This suited the astrologer very well, for the simple

reason that he had not in the least intended to be an astrologer when he began life; and

he knew no more of what was going to happen to others than he knew 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 any 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.

He had a working analysis of mankind’s troubles: marriage, money and the tangles

of human ties. Long practice had sharpened his perception. Within five minutes he

understood what was wrong. He charged three pies per question and never opened his

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mouth till the other had spoken for at least ten minutes, which provided him enough

stuff for a dozen answers and advices. When he told the person before him, gazing at

his palm, ‘In many ways you are not getting the fullest results for your efforts,’ nine

out of ten were disposed to agree with him. Or he questioned: ‘Is there any woman in

your family, maybe even a distant relative, who is not well disposed towards you?’ Or

he gave an analysis of character: ‘Most of your troubles are due to your nature. How

can you be otherwise with Saturn where he is? You have an impetuous nature and a

rough exterior.’ This endeared him to their hearts immediately, for even the mildest of

us loves to think that he has a forbidding exterior.

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 standing

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 vague reply.

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 worthwhile . . .’

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

match-light. 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,

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‘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 out 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.

English: Grade 11 239

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 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.

Glossary

cheroot (n.): a cigar cut square at both ends

jutka (n.): a two-wheeled, horse-drawn vehicle

disgorge (v.): to give up or hand over

cowrie (n.): a small snail commonly found in warm, shallow waters of the Pacific and

Indian Oceans

impetuous (adj.): done quickly without thought; hasty

incantation (n.): words spoken in a magic spell or charm

jaggery (n.): solid dark brown sugar made from sugarcane

pyol (n.): a low bench

palmyra (n.): paper made from the leaves of the palmyra tree

paraphernalia (n.): things used in a particular activity; equipment

piqued (adj.): aroused in anger or resentment; offended

saffron (n.): an orange-yellow colour

vociferousness (n.): noisy outcrying

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Understanding the text

Answer the following questions.

a. How does the astrologer’s appearance help him attract customers? How does he

help the customers satisfy their needs?

His forehead is resplendent with sacred ash and vermilion, and his eyes sparkle. He ties saffron-coloured turban around his head. This colour scheme never always as bees are attracted to cosmos or dahlia stalks. he helps customers with his comforting words for the trouble they have with money and married life. He says things which please and astonish everyone. He is able to do with long  and shrewd guesswork.

b. How do you characterise the astrologer’s attitude toward the stranger?

The astrologer thinks the stranger can be his client. Even in a dim light, he has guessed the stanger is potential customer who has question to be answered. 

c. What details does the astrologer give the stranger about his past?

The astrologer tells the astrologer that he was stabbed by a knife and thrown into a well to die.

d. Why does he advise the stranger to go home immediately?

He advises the stranger to go home immediately because his life is in danger at that place. 

e. What is your reaction to the conversation between the astrologer and his wife?

After reading their conversation I sympathized with the astrologer and his wife. They lead a very poor life. All they rely on the money he earns after he forecasts other's future all day long. Furthermore, to see him confessing that he has stabbed a man when he was young shocked me. Yet the revelation satisfied.  

Reference to the context

a. Suspense is the feeling of anticipation you may have as you read. In this story,

what details contributed to your feelings of suspense and surprise? Explain.

The feeling of suspense is created about the personal and past life of the astrologer. The reader is told that he was not intended to be an astrologer. He left his village without any previous plan. The reader is also told that astrology is not his family business. This creates curiosity in the mind of the reader about the reason why he broke this ancestral cycle and was forced him to leave his home all of a sudden. The sense of suspense continues with the astrologer’s encounter with the stranger. The astrologer catches a glimpse of the stranger’s face in the flash of light created by the matchstick, and immediately disagrees to accept the stranger’s challenge. At the end of the story, the reader is surprised with revelation of the fact that the astrologer was the person who stabbed the stranger and left for dead when he was drunk during one of his days as a youngster.

b. Analyze the conflicts in “An Astrologer’s Day.” Explain how the conflicts are

resolved and what they reveal about the characters involved in the story.

In the story, conflict takes place when a stranger as the astrologer’s client, appears in the scene to be consulted. The astrologer is packing up his stuff and ready to call it a day. The stranger challenges the astrologer to provide specific answers for his questions. As the stranger lits his cheroot, he catches a glimpse of his face by the match light and for some unclear reasons the astrologer feels uncomfortable and rejects the challenge. But, he is forced to tell the stranger something that will satisfy him. The stranger is surprised to be told about his past life by the astrologer, and agrees to give up his search for his enemy who was declared to have been crushed under a lorry. The astrologer ensures a safe and secure life for himself hereafter.

c. “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.”

i. Who is the speaker?

The astrologer is the speaker.

ii. Who is he speaking to?

He is speaking to Guru Nayak.

iii. What does the expression ‘open my mouth’ mean?

The expression ‘open my mouth’ means to utter some convincing information about the stranger.

d. Description helps readers visualize what is happening in a story. What details

and techniques does the author use to describe the astrologer?

The astrologer is an impressive character. He is able to develop a new personality and survive in a densely populated urban environment by using his intelligence. The astrologer lives by his wits. Despite having no mystical knowledge he knows how to put on a show to attract passers-by. It is obvious that he must sit for long hours in order to collect enough to keep himself and his family alive from day to day. In addition to his intelligence, he is courageous and determined. When he is dealing with Guru Nayak and his life is in danger, he still insists on bargaining for money. He brings every single anna home to his wife so that she can buy food for the family. He is a devoted husband and father.

The story has the mode of third-person omniscience. The use of dialogue throughout the story serves the function of providing multiple points of view without changing the overall authority of the narrator. The story is set in the Town Hall Park, in the late evening. The reader learns that the astrologer is usually under the tamarind tree by noon.

e. Irony is a contrast between appearances and reality. What is ironic about Guru

Nayak’s meeting with the astrologer?

The irony of the situation centers around the meeting of Guru Nayak’s meeting with the astrologer. He comes to the astrologer for help in finding and killing the man he is talking to. The man whom Guru Nayak is looking for is none other than the astrologer himself. As soon as the astrologer recognizes the man, he feels very uncomfortable. But the astrologer wisely misinforms him. He makes Guru Nayak wait and bargain for money. When he finally calls the stranger by his name and tells him about the incident that happened in the village, he has Guru Nayak in the palm of his hand.

f. How does the astrologer’s manner of dress suit his character?

The astrologer is the protagonist of the story. The initial part of the story describes the outfit and the appearance that the astrologer carries when he performs his duty. He is dressed typically like an astrologer. His forehead is bright with sacred ash and vermilion. He winds a saffron-coloured turban around his head. His dress and appearance suit his character and becomes a center of attraction. They are easily fooled by the astrologer with his wits. He is intelligent and has his shrewd ways to go about his profession. He has a working analysis of mankind’s troubles.

Reference beyond the text

a. The astrologer attracts many customers in the street who are pleased and

astonished by what he tells them. What does this tell you about the people of the

town walking in the street?

b. Why do most people want to know their future? Do you think astrologers can

really help them know their future?

c. Is astrology a good practice of fortune telling or is it just a blind faith? Give

reasons.