The Complete Short Stories

by Premchand

  Tilottama’s nature underwent a strange transformation. She’d talk amiably with others, enjoy her meals, go to the theatre and participate in social gatherings. On such occasions, she behaved normally with Professor Dayaram and was even affectionate. She took care of his comforts. She wouldn’t do anything contrary to his wishes. On seeing her, any stranger would have said that she was the ideal housewife. The life of this couple was an ideal one, but the reality was quite different. When they were alone in the quiet of their bedroom, her face grew tense, her eyebrows tightened, her head became heavy, her body started burning like fire, fire came out of her eyes, and darkness covered her face. There was no change in her appearance, but no one knows why suspicion of her being a nagin arose. Sometimes she hissed. In this situation Dayaram didn’t have the courage to go near her or talk to her. He was fascinated by her looks, but repelled by her behaviour. He’d leave her in this possessed state and step out of the house. He took advice from doctors, he studied many books to gain insight, but couldn’t make any sense of the mystery. He had to admit his lack of knowledge in physical sciences.

  He found his life unbearable and regretted his bold decision. He had trapped himself in the situation unwittingly. He suspected that there was definitely some supernatural force at play. He was not superstitious, but where intellect and reasoning fail, people turn superstitious because of helplessness.

  Day by day, his condition became such that he was frightened of Tilottama. Her deranged and distorted facial expressions didn’t leave his mind. He was afraid that she’d kill him some day. Who knew when she’d be possessed by this madness? This thought would not leave him in peace. Hypnotism, electric shock and other procedures were tried on her. He had great hope in hypnotism, but when this also failed, he was terribly disappointed.

  5

  One day, Professor Dayaram had gone to attend a science conference. It was midnight when he returned. It was the monsoon season and the servants were asleep. He went to Tilottama’s bedroom to ask where his food was kept. He had just stepped in when he saw a huge, dreadful black snake sitting on her bed. The professor stepped back quietly. He went to his room, gulped some medicine and returned with a pistol to Tilottama’s bedroom. He was sure that this was his old enemy. After a long time, he had found out where Tilottama lived. But why was he so attached to her? He sat on her bedside and looked like a piece of rope. What was this mystery? He had heard and read curious stories about snakes, but never heard or seen one that was quite like this. When he returned to the room suitably armed, there was no sign of the snake. Yes, Tilottama looked like one possessed. She was sitting and looking towards the door with fiery eyes. Her eyes were spitting flames. The heat could be felt two yards away. She looked totally insane. The moment she saw Dayaram, she pounced on him like lightning. She didn’t strike him with her hands but tried to bite him. She held him tightly by his neck. Dayaram tried with all his might to free his neck, but Tilottama’s grip was coiling like a snake. Moreover, he was apprehensive that if she bit him she could die. The medicine he had taken a little while ago was more fatal than the snake’s poison. In this situation, a desperate thought came to his mind. Was this life really worthwhile? He had to bear the responsibilities of the household, but there was no trace of happiness. On top of it, his life was at risk. What sort of illusion was this? Was the snake some spirit that came to her and transformed her in this way? It was said that in such a condition whatever injury is inflicted on the patient goes to the spirit. He had seen such cases among people of the lower castes. While he was debating this he felt suffocated. Tilottama’s hands were tightening around his neck like a rope. He started looking here and there helplessly. He couldn’t see any means to save his life. Suffocated, his body went limp and his feet trembled. Suddenly Tilottama leaned towards his arms. Dayaram froze. Death was dancing before his eyes. He said in his heart, ‘She is not my wife now but a terrible poisonous snake. Her bite will be fatal.’ His confidence in the medicine waned. If a mouse goes berserk and bites someone it becomes fatal. O God! What a terrible transformation! She looked like a veritable cobra. Dayaram wanted to put an end to his suffering by any means. He was overwhelmed by a sense of desperation. Tilottama, her tongue protruding, was repeatedly hissing and pouncing on him. All of a sudden, she said in a shrill voice, ‘Fool, how dare you love this beautiful woman?’ Saying this, she ran to bite him. Dayaram lost patience, straightened his left hand and fired a shot at Tilottama’s chest. It didn’t have any effect on Tilottama. Her embrace tightened. Her eyes began to spit fire. Dayaram shot a second round. This hit home. Tilottama’s grip loosened. In a moment her hands were dangling, her head came low and she fell down on the ground.

  Then appeared a scene, the likes of which could not be found even in books like Alif Laila and Chandrakanta. There, near the bed, was lying a huge black snake in the throes of death. Streams of blood were flowing from its face and belly.

  Dayaram couldn’t believe his eyes. What strange occurrence was this? What was the actual matter? Whom should he ask? Solving this puzzle had become the duty of his life. He pierced the snake with a stick and brought it to the courtyard. It was lifeless. He put it inside a box and closed it. He wanted to stuff it and hang it on the veranda. No one had seen such a big gehuan snake that belonged to the cobra family.

  Then he went to Tilottama. He was mortally afraid to step inside the room. Of course, he found some solace in the thought that since the snake had died she would survive. In this state of hope and fear he went inside and found Tilottama standing before the mirror doing her hair.

  Dayaram felt as though he had come upon the wealth of the world. Tilottama’s lotus face was lit up. He had never seen her so happy. Seeing him she moved towards him endearingly and said, ‘Where have you been out in the night?’

  Dayaram was delirious and said, ‘I had gone to an assembly. How are you feeling now? I hope you are not in pain?’ Tilottama looked at him, amazed. ‘How did you know? My chest is being pierced by a shooting pain.’

  Translated from the Hindi by M. Asaduddin

  Turf War

  1

  By appearance Tommy looked quite hefty; when he barked he could burst people’s eardrums. His gait was such that on dark nights people mistook him for a donkey, but his valour was proven in the battlefield. A couple of times when the lumpen elements in the market offered him a challenge, he descended on the arena to smash their pride, and eyewitnesses say that as long as he fought, he fought strongly, his tail dealing more blows than his nails or teeth. It couldn’t be said with certainty who had won the fight in the end but since the other party had to ask for reinforcements, then, according to the laws of the battlefield, it seemed reasonable that the victory trophy should go to Tommy. On that occasion, Tommy acted pragmatically and bared his teeth, which was a requirement for truce. But since then he had stopped engaging with such unprincipled adversaries.

  Tommy was peace-loving, but the number of his enemies increased by the day. His peers were jealous of him because he was lean instead of roly-poly. The troop in the market envied him because he did not allow any bones to escape his grip. He woke up early in the morning and licked all that was left over in the leaf plates in front of the sweetshop and chewed all the bones left in front of the abattoir. Thus, surrounded by such a large number of enemies, Tommy’s life was full of difficulties. Months would pass till he came by a meal that would fill his belly. Several times he had had such a longing for a heavy meal that he had filled his belly with dubious stuff, and the consequences had been grave. For several days, he suffered from a severe ache, not in his stomach but in his back. Having learnt his lesson he began to follow the path of restraint. Though restrained, his longing did not stop. He wanted to go to a place filled with prey—there should be hare, antelopes and sheep grazing in the field with no one to look after them, and no rivals to offer him a fight. There should be shady trees for his rest and sweet river water to slake his thirst. He would kill them at his will, have his mea
l and go into deep sleep. Everyone around that place would be afraid of him and accept him as their king. Slowly, he would be so powerful that no jealous rival would have the courage to step into his area. One day, lost in such sweet dreams, Tommy had left the main road and was passing through a lane when he had an encounter with a gentleman dog. Tommy wanted to walk past him, but the gentleman was not as peace-loving as Tommy. He pounced on Tommy and caught him by his snout. Tommy fell at his feet and cringed, ‘For God’s sake let me go. I take this oath that I won’t step here again. It was my ill luck that I had entered your area.’ But that cruel and vain creature did not show him the slightest mercy. Defeated, Tommy began to whine like a donkey. Hearing this commotion, several leaders of the mohalla gathered there, but instead of showing mercy to the oppressed they began to cut their teeth on him. Such unjust treatment broke Tommy’s heart. He left the scene with his life. The cruel animals chased him for a long distance. There was a river before him. Tommy jumped into the river to save his life.

  It is said that every dog has his day. Tommy’s day came when he jumped into the river. He had jumped into it to save his life, but he came upon a pearl. Swimming across the river he reached the other bank, and saw his long-cherished dream taking shape into reality.

  2

  It was a huge field. As far as the eyes could see, it was all lush green. One could hear the cackle of rivulets and the melody of waterfalls. If there were clusters of trees at places there were also sandy expanses. All in all, it was a fascinating site.

  There were animals with sharp claws. Seeing them Tommy’s heart trembled. But they didn’t care for him. They fought among themselves, their blood flowing. Tommy realized that he could not challenge these fearful beasts physically. He thought of a clever strategy. When one of the two fighting animals looked injured and vanquished, Tommy would pounce on it and run away with a piece of meat which he relished alone. Drunk in the happiness of victory they ignored him.

  Tommy’s good days had returned. It was Diwali every day. Neither jaggery nor wheat was scarce. Every day he had a new catch under the trees. He hadn’t even imagined such heavenly happiness. He had reached heaven not by dying but by living.

  In a short period, eating nutritious food injected new energy into him. His body became agile and well-rounded. Now he began to hunt smaller animals on his own. The animals were alerted to this and made efforts to turn him out from there. Tommy played a new trick. Sometimes he said to one enemy, ‘That enemy of yours is planning to kill you.’ To someone else he would say, ‘That fellow calls you names.’ The animals fell into his trap and fought among themselves. In course of time, it so happened that the big animals in the jungles disappeared. The smaller animals didn’t have the courage to face him. Seeing his progress and his growing strength they felt as though this strange creature has been sent from the skies to rule over them. Tommy would reinforce this belief by showing his skill at hunting. He would declare proudly, ‘God has sent me to rule over you. This is God’s will. Stay comfortably in your own homes. I will not say anything. As a reward for my service I will only occasionally kill one among you. After all, I too have a belly. How can I survive without food?’ He would now stride around the jungle casting proud glances around him.

  The only worry that Tommy had was the emergence of a rival. He was always alert and armed. As the days went by and he grew more accustomed to a comfortable living, his worries increased all the more. Often he would get startled at night and begin chasing unknown enemies. He exhorted the animals, ‘God forbid, you fall into the trap of some other rulers. He will simply smash you. I am your well-wisher; I always think about your well-being. Don’t expect this of anyone else.’ All the animals would reply in one voice, ‘As long as we are alive, we will serve you.’

  In the end, it so happened that Tommy did not have a single moment of peace. Throughout the days and nights he would pace along the bank of the river from one end to the other. He would run and run, pant for breath and then fall unconscious, but there was no relief from his worry, lest some enemy enter his territory.

  But as mating season came, Tommy’s mind became restless to meet his mate. He could not control his mind in any way. He remembered the days when he chased her with some of his friends in the lanes and alleys of the village. For two or three days he exercised patience but in the end his emotions became so strong that he was ready to challenge his destiny. Now he also prided in his energy and sharpness. He could easily vanquish two or three rivals.

  But as he crossed over to the other side of the river his confidence began to wane like mist in the morning. His gait slowed down, his head came low and his tail shrunk, but at the sight of a lover he became emotional and began chasing her. The lover did not like his approach. She yelled her complaint. Hearing her voice several of her lovers converged there. They lost their temper at the sight of Tommy. Tommy was outnumbered. He had yet to decide about his course of action when he was attacked from all sides with sharp teeth and claws. He didn’t have the time to escape. His whole body was covered with blood. When he ran he had a whole bunch of the devils chasing him.

  From that day, fear entered his heart. Every moment he feared that troops of attackers were coming to destroy his happiness and break his peace. He had had this fear earlier too, but now it was more intense.

  One day he was terribly frightened. It seemed as though the enemies had arrived. He ran to the bank of the river and began to run from one end to the other.

  The day ended, the night too, but he did not take rest. Another day came and went, but Tommy kept on making his rounds, without food or water.

  Five days passed. Tommy’s feet began to fester and his eyes darkened. Hunger made him weak and he fell down, but his worry did not leave him.

  On the seventh day, Tommy, obsessed with his feeling of possessiveness, left for the other world. Not a single animal of the jungle came near him. No one uttered a word about him, no one shed a single tear on his death. For several days vultures kept circling over his body. In the end, nothing was left except his skeleton.

  Translated from the Hindi by M. Asaduddin

  Hidden Wealth

  1

  Babu Haridas’s brick kiln was situated near the city. Hundreds of men, women and children came there from nearby villages, carried bricks on their heads and arranged them in rows. A man stood near the kiln with a basket of cowries. He paid the labourers by counting the number of bricks arranged. If a labourer arranged more bricks, he was paid more cowries. Because of this, many labourers worked beyond their capacity. The sight of old men and children bent down under the weight of the bricks was doleful. Sometimes, Haridas himself sat near the cowrie man and encouraged the labourers to load bricks. This sight was more heart-wrenching when there was a sudden demand for bricks. At that time, the wages were doubled and the labourers doubled the number of bricks they carried. Each step was difficult. Their bodies were drenched in sweat from head to toe and their heads bent low with the weight of the bricks. Looking at them made one feel as if a greedy spirit had thrashed them down and settled on their heads. The most miserable was the condition of a little boy who always carried twice the number of bricks that the other boys his age managed and worked without any rest. His sad face and wiry body filled one with pity. Some boys bought and ate jaggery, some stared at the moving vehicles, while others showed off their martial prowess and verbal skills in fisticuffs, but this boy would only devote himself to his work. He was neither restless nor mischievous like other boys of his age. In fact, no one had ever seen him smile. Out of sympathy, sometimes Haridas would ask the cowrie man to pay the boy some more cowries than was his due. At other times, he offered him something to eat.

  One day, he had the boy sit beside him and asked him about his family. He came to know that the boy was from a nearby village, and that he lived with his old mother, who was suffering from a chronic disease. The entire responsibility of the house was on his shoulders. There was no one to cook for him. When he went hom
e, he would cook for himself and also feed his mother. A thakur by caste, he had been born into a once-prosperous family that owned a sugar factory. The family also owned some land, but the competitiveness and enmity among the brothers had led to a condition where he was now struggling to earn his daily bread. The boy’s name was Magan Singh.

  Haridas asked, ‘Don’t the villagers help you?’

  Magan said, ‘Wah! The only thing they’d want to do is kill me. They believe that there’s money buried in my house.’

  Haridas asked curiously, ‘It is an old household, there must be something. Your mother never told you anything about this?’

  Magan replied, ‘No, Babuji, there isn’t any money. If there was indeed any, why would my mother endure such pain?’

  2

  Haridas liked Magan and he decided to promote him from a labourer to one of his officials. He gave him the responsibility of making payments and instructed Munshiji to teach him to read and write. It seemed as if the poor boy’s fate had finally changed.

  Magan was an honest and a clever boy. He was never late or absent at work. Within a few days, he won the trust of Babu Sahib, and acquired both reading and writing skills.