कहानियाँ
Page 7 of 9 — Over 300 short stories capturing the essence of Indian life with remarkable insight.
100 works in collection
Atmaram by Munshi Premchand tells the poignant story of Mahadev, an aged village goldsmith, and his beloved pet parrot Atmaram. When the parrot escapes into the wilderness, leading him to a buried jar of gold coins, Mahadev experiences a profound spiritual awakening that prompts him to confess his dishonest ways and seek moral redemption.
Budhi Kaki by Munshi Premchand is a heart-rending masterpiece on old age, neglect, and redemption. An elderly, infirm widow who transfers her entire estate to her nephew is reduced to starving misery, until a child's innocent compassion leads her family to tearful repentance.
Dussahas by Munshi Premchand portrays the nationalist temperance movement in colonial Lucknow. A prominent lawyer's defiant attempt to break a liquor shop blockade ends in a moral awakening, turning public shame into personal redemption.
Vidhwans by Munshi Premchand is a chilling critique of feudal oppression and landlord cruelty. When ruthless landlord Pandit Udaybhan destroys the small grain-roasting oven of Bhungi, a helpless childless widow, her tragic self-immolation in the flames unleashes a catastrophic fire that consumes the landlord's entire estate.
Aab-e-Hayat (The Elixir of Life) by Premchand tells the story of Dr. Ghosh and four elderly friends who temporarily regain their youth by drinking the Elixir of Life, only to repeat their past follies.
Beton Wali Vidhwa by Munshi Premchand is a heart-wrenching tragedy on widowhood and female property rights. After her husband's death, Phoolmati—mother to four prosperous sons—is stripped of all authority over the home she built with her own sweat, discovering the cruel reality of patriarchy and traditional law.
Bodh by Munshi Premchand is an uplifting story about moral dignity, job satisfaction, and the true value of education. Pandit Chandradhar, an underpaid schoolteacher, envies his corrupt neighbors until a pilgrimage to Ayodhya and a reunion with his grateful former student reveal the sacred nobility of teaching.
Brahm Ka Swaang by Munshi Premchand is a biting satirical story exposing the hypocrisy of bourgeois social reformers. When an educated husband preaches Vedantic equality to his traditional wife, she takes his spiritual teachings literally, triggering his rage and exposing his progressive posture as a sham.
A psychological masterwork by Munshi Premchand exploring the conflict between sensory infatuation and transcendent moral devotion. Sharadacharan, an aristocratic taluqdar elected to the Legislative Council, finds his loyalty tested when intoxicating beauty tempts him away from his noble betrothed, Lajjavati.
Pashu Se Manushya by Munshi Premchand is a visionary story contrasting capitalistic labor exploitation with cooperative human dignity. Durga, a poor gardener subjected to cruel tyranny by an arrogant barrister, finds moral transformation and self-respect in a cooperative garden run on principles of equality and shared profit.
Anisht Shanka (Premonition of Evil) by Munshi Premchand is a haunting psychological tragedy exploring the lethal power of anxious premonitions, prophetic dreams, and fraudulent astrology. A devoted wife's obsessive terror over her husband's safety during famine relief in Bundelkhand culminates in a fatal accident, turning fear itself into a self-fulfilling doom.
The Bank's Bankruptcy (बैंक का दिवाला) by Premchand tells the gripping story of the Lucknow National Bank's collapse following an uncollateralized loan to a royal estate, and how the new heir, Kunwar Jagdish Singh, sacrifices his entire fortune to repay the debt and save thousands of innocent depositors.