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| R. K. Narayan |
R. K. Narayan begins his story, ‘an astrologer’s day’ with a description of the astrologer. The astrologer works under a tamarind tree, on a busy road, in a park along with several street vendors. Though he has no special powers, he looks like a holy man with his saffron turban. Many years of practice and experience have made him a keen observer and a good judge of character.
One day as he is about to return to his home he encounters an unusual customer. The customer challenges him to answer certain questions. He dares the astrologer to pay extra amount in case the answers are not correct. The astrologer reluctantly agrees. He recognizes the customer in the dim light. Addressing the customer by name, Guru Nayak, he recounts the customer’s past. He tells that the customer had once been stabbed in a quarrel and left for dead.
Guru Naik agrees and tells him that he had been saved by a bystander. The astrologer advises him to forget revenge. He should go home as the man who stabbed him is long dead in an accident. He is relieved of his long-standing burden of avenging his enemy. R.K. Narayan reveals the twist in the story that the astrologer is the man who stabbed Guru Nayak in a drunken brawl.
The astrologer goes home and tells his wife that he has been relieved of a great load. He admits that he is relieved to know that he has not killed a man.
