Mansarover Part 8

Dhanpat Rai Srivastava, famously known as Munshi Premchand was a pioneer in Hindi and Urdu literature. He is recognized as one of the earliest Hindi authors to integrate realism in their narratives. His objective was to utilize literature as means to motivate people towards social change and his works often reflect contemporary social themes like struggles of women and labourers, the exploitation of rural farmers by moneylenders and officials, problems of poverty, corruption, child widowhood, prostitution and colonialism. He perceives religion as a mechanism for those in power to exploit the weaker sections of society. He also published and edited two literary journals: Hans (The Swan) and Jagran (Awakening).

Many of Premchand’s short stories were collected posthumously in an eight-volume series titled Mansarovar. Compact in form and style, they draw, as do his novels, on a wide range of Indian life during the British rule for their subject matter. Through simple yet rich narratives of ordinary life, he addresses topics such as caste, class, poverty, loyalty, courage, love, sin, patriotism and women's role in a patriarchal culture.

This eighth volume contains 31 stories. The story titled 'Balidan' illustrates how the level of respect a person receives in society corresponds to their financial status, through the story of a farmer’s family who once enjoyed a prosperous life but has now fallen into despair. After the farmer’s death, the villagers, who once held his opinions in high regard, do not even offer him proper mourning, instead, they are depicted to be quarrelling over his land. 

In another story titled 'Namak ka daroga', Premchand emphasizes the significance of integrity in an increasingly dishonest world. The story opens with a background of increasing corruption within government systems. A newly appointed inspector of the salt department, despite his father’s repeated advice to take advantage of opportunities for earning some extra income, is committed to upholding his integrity at work. He meets a wealthy landlord who is trying to smuggle carts of salt without proper documentation. The conflict intensifies with the landlord attempting to bribe the inspector with substantial sums of money, but the inspector’s principles triumph leading to the landlord's arrest. The story concludes at an unexpected turn as the landlord realizes that the inspector’s true value lies in his character and offers him a position as his manager. This story conveys that genuine success is not measured by wealth but by the individual’s integrity and their impact on others.  

Focus by Sakshi Purandare.