7. An Astrologer's Day by R.K. Narayan
An Astrologer’s Day Summary The story begins with the description of the astrologer, the place and the environment in which he does his work. Every day he starts his work at midday, under a tamarind tree that is close to a public park in the town. The place which the astrologer chooses for his work is generally full of people who pass by or gather there. They are attracted by vendors of nuts, medicines, stolen hardware, etc. It is a place poorly lighted in the evening. The astrologer has to depend on lights coming from the flickering lamps kept by neighboring vendors because he has no light of his own. The astrologer knows nothing about astrology, but with his experience he manages to earn money which he carries home at the end of a day. He has a working analysis of the common problems of most people. He makes people believe that he has an unusual ability to tell people’s fortunes. One evening, the nuts- vendor blows out the light and is ready to go home. This compels the ast...