ilovepdf_merged (1).pdf contains exam question papers; the textbook chapter was used for this lesson."An Astrologer's Day" is a short story by R.K. Narayan, first published in 1947 and later included as the opening chapter of Malgudi Days. The NIOS textbook describes it as a thriller and suspense story about a day in the life of a fake astrologer. It explores hypocrisy, selfishness, shrewdness, revenge, superstition, guilt, and redemption — exposing both the fraudulent astrologer and the gullible clients who believe him.
At midday the protagonist opens his bag and displays professional equipment: cowrie shells, a cloth with mystic charts, a notebook, and palmyra writing. His forehead bears sacred ash and vermilion; his eyes have an abnormal gleam that clients mistake for prophetic power. He wears a saffron turban. The dramatic setting — painted forehead, dark whiskers, saffron cloth — makes even ordinary eyes look striking.
He sits under a tamarind tree in Town Hall Park, beside a busy path crowded with medicine sellers, junk dealers, magicians, a loud cloth auctioneer, and a groundnut vendor who renames his ware daily ("Bombay Ice-Cream," "Delhi Almond," "Raja's Delicacy"). The astrologer works by the light of a flare above the groundnut heap. The park lacks municipal lighting; shop lights, gaslights, flares, and cycle lamps create a crisscross of light and shadow that suits him perfectly.
Crucially, he never intended to be an astrologer and knows nothing about stars. He pleases clients through study, practice, and shrewd guesswork. The textbook stresses this is still honest labour — he deserves his daily wages.
He fled his village without plan or notice, putting hundreds of miles between himself and home. Had he stayed, he would have tilled land like his forefathers. He understands human troubles — marriage, money, tangled relationships. He charges three pies per question and stays silent until the client speaks for at least ten minutes, gathering material for many answers.
His stock lines win agreement: "In many ways you are not getting the fullest results for your efforts"; questions about hostile women in the family; character readings blaming Saturn for a rough exterior. Clients love imagining they have a forbidding nature.
When the groundnut vendor blows out his flare and leaves, darkness signals the astrologer to pack up. A man blocks the green shaft of light. The astrologer invites him to sit; the stranger thrusts his palm forward and challenges his skill.
The stranger offers an anna and demands proof — if the astrologer is bluffing, he must return it with interest. They bargain: eight annas if answers satisfy; double back if wrong. By match-light the astrologer glimpses the man's face and grows fearful. He tries to leave but the stranger grips his wrist and insists on the challenge.
When asked about his search, the astrologer reveals: the stranger was left for dead; a knife passed through him (he bares his chest scar); he was pushed into a well and saved only because a passer-by peeped in. Asked when he will find his enemy, the astrologer answers: "In the next world — he died four months ago in a far-off town. You will never see him again."
The astrologer names him Guru Nayak, shocking the stranger. He advises taking the next train north, rubbing sacred ash on the forehead, and never travelling south again to live a hundred years. Guru Nayak admits he wandered only to find and choke the man who wronged him. The astrologer says that man was crushed under a lorry. Guru Nayak leaves after paying coins; the astrologer reaches home near midnight with twelve and a half annas.
After dinner on the pyol, he tells his wife the truth: as a drunken youngster in his village he quarrelled, stabbed a man, and fled believing he had killed him. That guilt drove him away, to settle here and marry. Guru Nayak is alive — the load on his conscience is lifted. The story ends with dramatic irony: Guru Nayak thinks his enemy is dead; the astrologer knows he cheated him and escaped revenge.
Middle-aged, saffron turban and gown, intense eyes. Shrewd, confident, secretive. Earns by reading human nature, not stars. Transforms when guilt is relieved.
Well-dressed man with a chest scar. Troubled, revenge-driven. Confrontation with the astrologer drives the plot. Believes his assailant died under a lorry — unaware the astrologer sits before him.
Irony: The textbook cites the astrologer calling Guru Nayak a "swine" for paying less than a promised rupee — while the astrologer himself deceived Guru Nayak by hiding his identity and false astrology.
Light and darkness: Flares, shadows, and the green shaft mirror deception, ignorance, and sudden self-discovery.
Superstition: Learning outcome — "superstition is the religion of feeble minds." Clients trust appearance over truth.
Redemption: Encounter with the past allows the astrologer to unburden guilt when he learns his victim lived.
A fake astrologer in Town Hall Park survives on shrewd guesswork until Guru Nayak, a man he once stabbed and left for dead, challenges him at night. Through staged prophecy the astrologer convinces Guru Nayak his enemy is dead, sends him home, and secretly learns his victim survived. Narayan uses suspense, irony, and light-dark imagery to expose superstition, guilt, and the possibility of relief when truth finally surfaces.
Most important exam points from Module 3:
He knows nothing about stars. He succeeds through shrewd observation, letting clients talk ten minutes, and giving relatable lines about marriage, money, and character. Examiners often ask whether he has real predictive powers — answer: No.
The stranger is Guru Nayak, the man the astrologer stabbed years ago. The chest scar, the well, and the claim that the attacker died four months ago in another town are the climax. The astrologer hides that he himself was the attacker.
Guru Nayak leaves believing his enemy died under a lorry. The astrologer feels cheated over a rupee while having deceived Guru Nayak completely. The textbook uses this to illustrate appearance versus reality.
The astrologer fled his village thinking he had killed a man. Learning Guru Nayak is alive removes a long burden. Motivation for confrontation: guilt and need for redemption (Intext 3.4, answer b).
Town Hall Park at dusk — flares, shadows, no municipal light — creates suspense and hides identity. Signal to pack up: groundnut vendor blows out his flare. Fee: three pies per question; stranger pays annas and coins.
Questions from previous NIOS board exams. Solutions included only when present in PYQ PDF.
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5 English theory problems from this NIOS English (302) chapter. Each item gives a clear answer and an exam tip.
Who wrote “An Astrologer’s Day”, and how does the NIOS text describe its genre?
Final answer: R.K. Narayan; thriller/suspense short story (Malgudi Days)
Spell Narayan correctly; do not credit O. Henry or Maupassant.
Is the astrologer a genuine fortune-teller? How does he earn clients’ trust?
Final answer: No — he is a fake; he succeeds by shrewd guesswork and observation, not stars
Always say “no real powers” then explain method.
Who is the stranger who challenges the astrologer at night, and what past link binds them?
Final answer: Guru Nayak — the man the astrologer once stabbed and left for dead
Name + scar + well + revenge motive earn full marks.
Explain the irony at the end of the story.
Final answer: Guru Nayak thinks the enemy is dead while the attacker sits before him — dramatic irony
Use the term dramatic irony if you can.
How do setting and theme work together in “An Astrologer’s Day”?
Final answer: Dusk park of light/shadow aids deception; themes = superstition, guilt, irony, redemption
Name place + light imagery + one theme for a strong answer.