A Winter Night: English Translation of 'Poos ki Raat' (eBook)

Munshi Premchand, born Dhanpat Rai Srivastava on July 31, 1880, was one of the most prominent figures in Indian literature. He is celebrated for his profound portrayal of social issues and the human condition through his novels, short stories, and essays. Premchand was born in Lamhi, a village near Varanasi in present-day Uttar Pradesh, India. Despite facing financial struggles early in life, he pursued education with determination and went on to become a teacher. Premchand's writing career began with the pen name "Nawab Rai," but he later adopted "Premchand" to signify his love for literature. His works often depicted the trials and tribulations of the common people, particularly those from rural India. He delved into themes such as poverty, social injustice, caste discrimination, and the complexities of human relationships with empathy and realism. Some of Premchand's most notable works include novels like "Godan" (The Gift of a Cow) and "Gaban" (Embezzlement) and short stories like "Eidgah," "Shatranj ke Khiladi" (The Chess Players), and "Poos ki Raat" (Night of the Winter). His writing style was marked by simplicity, yet it carried profound insights into the intricacies of human emotions and societal structures. Premchand's contributions to Indian literature earned him widespread acclaim and recognition both during his lifetime and posthumously. He passed away on October 8, 1936, leaving behind a rich legacy that continues to inspire generations of readers and writers in India and beyond. Today, he is revered as one of the pioneers of Hindi-Urdu literature and is often referred to as the "Upanyas Samrat" (Emperor of Novels) in Hindi literary circles.

With a heavy heart, Halku walked towards his wife and said, "The moneylender has come. Get me the money I had kept with you, will give it to him. At least we will live in peace." Munni was sweeping the floor, she turned and replied, “We have just three rupees. JUST THREE RUPEES.” Her anger was evident in her tone, “We have kept it to buy a blanket for the upcoming winters. How will we survive these brutal wintry nights, if we give our savings to him? Tell him, we will pay him when we sell our crop. We don’t have anything for him right now!” Halku stood there not knowing what to do. He tried to put his thoughts in order, so as to take a decision. Winter season was at its peak and without a blanket there was no way he could sleep out in the open, guarding his fields all through the night. But he knew that refusing the money monger would be even worse. He thought, it was better to die in the open field under the dark sky than listening to the abuses being hurled at him. Clear in his mind now, he dragged his hefty self towards Munni and with a fake smile said, “Come on, Munni. Give it to me. At least it will take the moneylender off my neck. I will think of something and get the blanket.” But Munni was in no mood to listen to his fake promises. She moved away from him and said, “Am fed up of you and your assurances. Tell me, what you are going to do about the blanket. Who will give it to you for free? Who knows, how fierce it’s gonna be for us? We survived the last time, but this time it will kill us.” She paused for a second, and continued, “Why don’t you leave farming? Are we going to live like this forever? We work our asses out to grow these bloody crops but what happens when the time for harvest comes? These morons line up outside our house and take away all that we have. For God’s sake, do something else. Earn some money and do whatever you want to of it. I am not going to give even a damn penny to them.”