41 Anmol Kahaniya (41 Priceless Stories) by Munshi Premchand: Book Review

 “ The world assumes that we are happy with high mansions, fine carriages, servants and attendants, and huge investments. But he who is without the honor and strength of the soul can be anything but happy. (transl.)”

Geetanjali Shree’s ‘Tomb of Sand’ emerging as the Booker Prize winner made me reflect upon how far I had been marginalizing Hindi literature. And picking up Premchand’s collection of stories, emerged as a sure eye-opener.

Dhanpat Rai Srivastava, better known by his pen name, Munshi Premchand, was one of the most pioneering writers in Hindi literature. His works are all classics, capturing the then India with all its copious dissimilitudes, both social and economical.

Reading him was just like reading a detailed and factual thesis on the early twentieth-century India, albeit coloured with his vivid imagination.

Premchand’s works are an ideal quintessence of the Indian spirit. Capturing life with all its ironies and beauty, his style is a wonderful blend of sarcasm with deference. Cascading over numerous social, political, professional, religious, and family issues, his stories leave hardly any topic untouched.

His clearly etched characters bring out his mastery over the short-story genre.  I was impressed by how Premchand has distinctly brought out the clashing perspectives of all his characters in his stories , sticking to the truth of those days, refraining from any fairy-tale endings.

The exquisite vocabulary used in his stories adds further to the charm of his work. His command over Hindi and Urdu language beautifully leaves us entranced in the world he paints.

Reading his work led me to realize that Premchand was essentially a feminist, a man who stood up for women’s rights at a time when feminism was yet to be coined.

 If you are a Gen Z reader, you might take more than your average time reading them as the stories are all in Hindi.

Most of us might have read Premchand’s works when they were a part of our Hindi textbooks. But now, it is time to go through his works once more, now from a mature perspective. The stories bring forth a volley of emotions, leaving you yearning for more.

Happy Reading!!