कहानियाँ
Page 6 of 9 — Over 300 short stories capturing the essence of Indian life with remarkable insight.
100 works in collection
Diksha by Munshi Premchand is a brilliantly humorous and self-critical satire on addiction, moral rationalization, and colonial humiliation. A lawyer who takes a lifelong temperance vow succumbs to peer pressure and alcohol addiction—until a degrading encounter with a British official permanently cures him.
Ek Aanch Ki Kasar by Munshi Premchand is a hilarious satirical masterpiece exposing social hypocrisy and reformist double standards. A self-proclaimed anti-dowry leader is humiliated when his young son accidentally reads out a secret dowry bargaining letter before wedding guests.
Mukti Marg (मुक्ति-मार्ग) by Munshi Premchand is an indelible rural masterpiece exploring pride, jealousy, and the destructive spiral of mutual vengeance. A proud peasant and a prosperous shepherd destroy each other's livelihoods through fire and conspiracy, only to discover genuine spiritual deliverance when reduced to penniless wage laborers.
Sava Ser Gehun by Munshi Premchand is a devastating indictment of rural debt, usury, and bonded labor. A poor, honest farmer named Shankar borrows just one and a quarter seers of wheat to feed a visiting holy man—only to find the debt manipulated into a lifetime of hereditary slavery.
Shatranj Ke Khiladi (The Chess Players) by Munshi Premchand is a famous political satire set in 1856 Lucknow on the eve of Awadh's annexation by the British. Two aristocrats, Mirza Sajjad Ali and Mir Roshan Ali, remain hopelessly addicted to chess while their kingdom falls without a fight—only to duel to the death over a disputed move.
Aabhushan (Ornaments) by Munshi Premchand explores how the fatal obsession with gold jewelry and material vanity destroys love, family, and life itself, contrasting superficial beauty with inner virtue.
Aap Beeti (In My Own Words / Personal Experience) by Munshi Premchand is a witty, self-deprecating, and morally incisive semi-autobiographical masterpiece. A writer flattered by a suave poet friend gets swindled out of seventy-five rupees. The resulting cynicism leads him to cruelly refuse a fifteen-rupee travel loan to a dangerously sick young compositor, revealing the vast chasm between literary moralizing and real-life compassion.
The Simpleton (बौड़म) by Premchand tells the unforgettable story of Muhammad Khalil, a wealthy young man branded a fool by society because he rejects greed, defends oppressed laborers, champions Hindu-Muslim unity, and sacrifices worldly comfort for truth.
Gupt Dhan by Munshi Premchand is a haunting morality tale of greed, betrayal, and divine retribution. When a benevolent employer succumbs to temptation and steals a secret treasure map from an orphan boy, the stolen wealth brings a deadly curse upon his family.
Pariksha by Munshi Premchand is a timeless masterpiece on character, empathy, and ethical leadership. When the aging Prime Minister (Dewan) of Devgarh estate retires, a month-long test of candidates reveals that true virtue lies not in academic degrees, but in selfless compassion when no one is watching.
Ghar Jamai by Munshi Premchand explores dignity, economic dependence, and the true meaning of home. Haridhan moves into his wife's prosperous household, handing over his entire inheritance to his in-laws. But as his wealth drains away, he is demoted from a cherished son-in-law to an unpaid domestic laborer, prompting his return to his ancestral home to reclaim his independence.
आदर्श विरोध
Adarsh Virodh (आदर्श विरोध) by Premchand is a powerful story about the ideological conflict between Daya Krishna Mehta, an Indian member of the British government's Executive Council, and his nationalist son Balakrishna. As Mehta compromises his ideals after entering government, the growing conflict between father and son reaches a tragic end.