An Astrologer's Day

"An Astrologer's Day" was first published in the newspaper The Hindu and then was
made the title story of a collection of short stories which appeared in 1947the year that
India gained its independence. R. K. Narayan's first collection of short stories, entitled
Malgudi Days, appeared in 1941. Two other collections followed quickly: Dodu and
Other Stories in 1943 and Cyclone and Other Stories in 1944. By the time this collection
was published, he was already a well-known novelist, both in India and the West. The
endorsement given by the eminent British novelist Graham Greene, who wrote an
introduction to Narayan's novel The Financial Expert (1952), made a great deal of
difference to his popularity in the West. By the 1950s he was known as one of the three
major writers of India, the other two being Raja Rao and Mulk Raj Anand. "An
Astrologer's Day" remains a major work in his corpus and displays all the characteristics
associated with his writing. Narayan's sense of irony, his deep religious sensibility, his
humor, his consciousness of the significance of everyday occurrences, and his belief in a
Hindu vision of life are all revealed in this story.

An Astrologer's Day Summary

"An Astrologer's Day" has a deceptively simple plot, although the full significance of the
story becomes evident only after a second or even third reading. Part of the difficulty
arises from the fact that the author deliberately avoids markers that would benefit the
reader: there is no clear indication where the story occurs or when it does, although it is
possible to make an educated guess about both. The story begins almost in medias res (in
the middle) and concludes on what appears to be an ambiguous note. But, in fact, the
story is a tightly knit one in which all parts fit together.
Description
The story begins with a description of the astrologer, who is the central character in the
story. In minute detail, his appearance, his clothes, and all the materials he uses to ply his
trade are described. The astrologer, who is not given a name, comes across as a type, one
of the many street vendors in India, who sit under the shade of a tree or a temporary shed
and sell anything from vegetables to newspapers. This astrologer belongs to the same
category although, given the nature of his trade, there is a need to dress and behave in a
particular manner. He does that effectively by giving the impression of a holy man whose
special powers enable him to function as an astrologer.
Almost casually, the surroundings of the astrologer begin to take shape. While there are
no clear references to a particular city, it is likely, since Narayan consistently uses the
fictional city of Malgudi, that this story too takes place in Malgudi. In any event, one gets
the impression of a somewhat backward city which still retains a measure of its rural
character. The reference to "municipal lighting" is one of the strategies employed by the
author to suggest a sense of the place.

An Astrologer's Day" has a deceptively simple plot, although the full significance of the
story becomes evident only after a second or even third reading. Part of the difficulty
arises from the fact that the author deliberately avoids markers that would benefit the
reader: there is no clear indication where the story occurs or when it does, although it is
possible to make an educated guess about both. The story begins almost in medias res (in
the middle) and concludes on what appears to be an ambiguous note. But, in fact, the
story is a tightly knit one in which all parts fit.