STORY OF THE DAY: KAFKAESQUE ENCOUNTER WITH BUREAUCRACY

Source

Franz Kafka: Pictures of a Life by Klaus Wagenbach (1984), p. 209; sourced to Klaus Wagenbach Archiv, Berlin

https://kafkamuseum.cz/en/photogallery/

AuthorUnknown author

This work is in the public domain 

Via WIKIMEDIA COMMONS 

KAFKAESQUE ENCOUNTER WITH BUREAUCRACY 

I recently had the privilege of being dragged through the grand labyrinth of bureaucracy — a majestic structure where reason takes a holiday, logic goes into exile, and ordinary mortals like you and me are reduced to supplicants before clerks armed with rubber stamps.

For thirty days, I was tossed about like a file without a cover, waiting for some “competent authority” to decide whether I had the right to exist. The questions were profound, almost philosophical. For instance:

Does an eight-legged spider really have eight legs? Or should this be certified by an officer in triplicate?

Can you prove that you are yourself? Not just with an ID card, but with two witnesses, a sworn affidavit, and possibly your great-grandmother’s horoscope?

Is today really today, or must you obtain a letter to confirm it from yesterday?

Each time I thought the ordeal had ended, a new requirement emerged like a hydra’s head. A missing comma here, a wrong-colored ink there, a form submitted in blue when it should have been black. One clerk even whispered to me confidentially: “It’s not the documents that matter, sir, it’s the documents about the documents.”

At last, by divine intervention (and perhaps because the spider grew tired of having its legs counted), the file was released from its dusty purgatory. I emerged blinking into the sunlight, like a prisoner set free — not sure whether to laugh, cry, or request a fresh certificate confirming my release.

Bureaucracy is truly democratic: it makes everyone feel equally small, equally helpless, equally absurd. As Kafka might have said, “It’s not about solving your problem; it’s about proving endlessly that you have one.”

Grateful thanks to ChatGPT for its kind help and support in creating this blogpost.

STORY OF THE DAY

Premchand – Hindi author from India (1880–1936)

AuthorAnkur8563

licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license

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MOSQUE (IDGAH)

SHORT STORY BY MUNSHI PREMCHAND 

Summary

The story is set on the day of Eid, a festival of joy and celebration for Muslims. The central character is a little boy named Hamid, only four or five years old, who lives with his grandmother, Amina. His parents have passed away, and his grandmother is raising him in poverty. Despite their difficult circumstances, she tries to keep Hamid cheerful, telling him his father has gone to earn money and his mother has gone to Allah to bring gifts.

The Festive Morning

On Eid morning, the entire village is filled with excitement. Children put on new clothes, count their pocket money, and look forward to the fair after prayers at the mosque (Idgah). Hamid, however, has only three paisa (a tiny sum), given by his grandmother. He has no new clothes or shoes, yet his spirit is full of faith and cheer. He believes that Allah will provide.

At the Eidgah

Hamid walks with other children to the mosque. The sight of so many people, the festive atmosphere, and the collective prayers fill him with joy. After prayers, the children rush to the fair to buy toys, sweets, and enjoy rides.

The Children’s Purchases

The wealthier children buy clay toys — soldiers, milkmaids, and animals. Others indulge in sweets like jalebi, candy, and sherbet. Hamid watches with wide eyes but keeps his three paisa safe in his pocket, thoughtful and silent.

Hamid’s Unique Choice

As he walks around the fair, Hamid notices a stall selling iron tongs (chimta) used for handling hot chapatis. Suddenly he remembers how his grandmother burns her fingers every day making rotis because she has no tongs.

Instead of toys or sweets like the other children, Hamid decides to buy the iron tongs for three paisa.

Children’s Mockery

When the other children see Hamid with a rough, heavy pair of tongs instead of sweets or toys, they laugh at him. They tease him, saying his tongs are useless for play. But Hamid defends himself cleverly, saying:

His tongs can defeat all their toys in battle — they won’t break like clay toys.

They are stronger than swords or guns.

Most importantly, they will save his grandmother’s fingers from burns.

Gradually, the other children feel ashamed and even begin to admire Hamid’s thoughtfulness.

The Ending

When Hamid returns home and gives the tongs to his grandmother, she is overwhelmed. She had expected him to come crying for sweets or toys, but instead he brought her something useful. Tears roll down her cheeks, but they are tears of love and pride. She hugs Hamid tightly, realizing how wise and selfless her little grandson is.

Themes & Significance

1. Childhood Innocence & Maturity – Hamid shows how even a small child can think beyond momentary pleasures for the sake of loved ones.

2. Poverty & Resilience – The story contrasts the poor and the rich, showing how deprivation can cultivate deeper sensitivity.

3. Selfless Love – Hamid’s sacrifice reflects the purity of love, where he puts his grandmother’s comfort above his own desires.

4. Simple Realism – Premchand’s hallmark is evident: he portrays ordinary people, simple lives, and deep truths with tenderness.

👉 “Idgah” remains one of Premchand’s most beloved short stories — a timeless tale of love, sacrifice, and values shining through poverty.

Grateful thanks to ChatGPT for summarising this beautiful story of Premchand 

STORY OF THE DAY

THE NECKLACE: GUY DE MAUPASSANT 

 Detailed Summary

Mathilde Loisel, a young woman of modest means, is dissatisfied with her simple life. Though married to a kind, hardworking clerk in the Ministry of Education, she dreams of luxury, wealth, and social prestige.

One day, her husband secures an invitation to a grand ball hosted by the Ministry. Mathilde is upset—she has no elegant dress or jewels to wear. Her husband sacrifices his savings, set aside for a hunting gun, so she can buy a beautiful gown. Yet, Mathilde still feels incomplete without jewelry. To solve this, she borrows a dazzling diamond necklace from her wealthy friend, Madame Forestier.

At the ball, Mathilde is the center of attention. She is admired for her beauty, grace, and elegance—living, for one night, the life of her dreams. But when she returns home, her joy shatters—the necklace is missing.

She and her husband search frantically but cannot find it. Too ashamed to admit the loss, Mathilde decides to replace it. They borrow huge sums of money, fall into crushing debt, and buy an identical necklace.

For the next ten years, the Loisels live in grinding poverty. Mathilde, once graceful and delicate, becomes hardened and aged by endless toil and sacrifice.

One day, after repaying all their debts, Mathilde encounters Madame Forestier and decides to confess. With a bitter smile, she tells her friend how she had lost the necklace and suffered ten years of misery to replace it.

Stunned, Madame Forestier reveals the shocking truth:

“Oh, my poor Mathilde! The necklace was fake. It was worth at most five hundred francs.”

Arising this story.

The story ends on this cruel irony, highlighting the futility of vanity, pride, and the harsh twists of fate.

Grateful thanks to ChatGPT for its kind help in summarising this beautiful story.

STORY OF THE DAY

Portrait of Anton Pavlovich Chekhov

Tretyakov Gallery  

Public domain 

Via WIKIMEDIA COMMONS 

Anton Chekhov, the great Russian master of the short story, had a rare gift for capturing the human soul in just a few pages. His story “The Bet” (1889) is one of his most powerful works — a gripping account of a wager between a banker and a young lawyer that evolves into a profound meditation on life, freedom, and the true meaning of happiness.

This tale, though simple in plot, asks timeless questions: Is wealth worth more than wisdom? Can suffering lead to enlightenment? And what does it mean to truly live?

The Bet by Anton Chekhov – Detailed Summary

The story opens at a banker’s house during an evening party. The guests are discussing capital punishment. The banker strongly argues that death penalty is more humane than life imprisonment, since a quick death ends suffering immediately. A young lawyer at the party disagrees. He insists that life, no matter how painful, is better than death.

He argues passionately:

> “To live anyhow is better than not at all.”

This debate leads to a dramatic wager. The banker bets two million rubles that the lawyer cannot endure fifteen years of voluntary solitary confinement. The lawyer accepts the challenge, not for money, but to prove his belief in the value of life.

The Confinement

The lawyer is imprisoned in a small lodge in the banker’s garden. He cannot leave or have human contact. He may request books, food, wine, and writing materials.

In the early years, he suffers loneliness, depression, and aimless reading. He plays the piano, reads light novels, and drinks wine.

Later, he immerses himself in deeper studies: philosophy, history, science, literature, and finally theology. He masters several languages and reads the Bible extensively. His mind becomes vast and profound, though his body weakens.

Transformation

Over the years, the lawyer outgrows worldly desires. He loses interest in material wealth, fame, and pleasures. He finds solace in knowledge, spirituality, and a broader understanding of life. He begins to despise greed and the superficiality of society.

The Banker’s Fear

Meanwhile, the banker faces financial ruin due to reckless speculation. If the lawyer wins, paying him two million rubles will bankrupt him. On the last night of the fifteenth year, the banker secretly goes to the lodge intending to kill the lawyer to escape payment.

But what he finds shocks him.

The lawyer has written a letter declaring that he renounces the bet. He explains that he has come to see the emptiness of wealth and the futility of worldly pursuits. He will voluntarily leave the lodge just a few hours before the fifteen years are completed, proving his victory over material desire.

The Ending

At dawn, the banker kisses the lawyer’s head in relief and shame. The lawyer, thin and frail, slips away quietly into the darkness, leaving behind his note. The banker weeps, realizing how small and selfish he has been compared to the moral and spiritual triumph of the lawyer.

✨ Themes

1. The meaning of life – Is survival itself valuable, even in isolation?

2. Materialism vs. Spirituality – Wealth is fleeting; wisdom endures.

3. Human weakness – The banker’s greed and cowardice contrast with the lawyer’s hard-earned enlightenment.

4. The price of knowledge – True wisdom often comes at the cost of suffering and detachment.

Grateful thanks to CHATGPT for summary of the short story and Wikimedia Commons for the image of Anton Chekhov 

IN THE NEWS

STORY OF THE DAY

Rabindranath Tagore in Calcutta 

Author:  Generalstabens litografiska anstalt

Public domain 

Via WIKIMEDIA COMMONS 

KABULIWALA 

RABINDRANATH TAGORE 

Introduction:

Rabindranath Tagore, India’s Nobel Laureate in Literature, crafted stories rich with empathy and human connection. The Kabuliwala is a shining example—an emotionally resonant tale of friendship, distance, and the bond between father and child.

Summary:

Rabindranath Tagore’s The Kabuliwala is a tender tale that blends innocence, friendship, and the universal bond of parental love.

The story unfolds in Calcutta, where a five-year-old girl, Mini, lives with her father, the narrator. Mini is full of life and chatter, often speaking without pause. One day, she encounters a tall, bearded fruit-seller from Afghanistan—the Kabuliwala, who roams the city selling dry fruits. Though his rugged appearance might frighten others, Mini feels no fear. Very soon, a warm and unusual friendship blossoms between them.

The Kabuliwala treats Mini with affection, often slipping her nuts and raisins from his bag. In return, he enjoys her endless stream of questions and her innocent laughter. To him, Mini is not just a little girl in a faraway land—she reminds him of his own beloved daughter left behind in Afghanistan. The bond they share bridges age, culture, and distance, and becomes a source of quiet joy in both their lives.

However, fate intervenes when  the Kabuliwala is arrested after a violent quarrel with a debtor. He is sentenced to years in prison. During this time, Mini grows up, leaving behind her childhood innocence.

When the Kabuliwala is finally released, his first thought is of Mini. He goes to visit her, only to find her transformed into a young bride on her wedding day. She no longer recalls their friendship of years past. The Kabuliwala  realizes that just as Mini has grown up, his own daughter too must have changed in his long absence.

Deeply moved by  the Kabuliwala’s yearning to see his child, the narrator—Mini’s father—helps him with money so he can return to Afghanistan. The story closes on a bittersweet note: the Kabuliwala leaves with the hope of reuniting with his daughter, while the narrator sacrifices part of his own daughter’s wedding expenses to enable another father to meet his child.

Themes and Significance:

Innocence and Childhood: Mini’s friendship with the Kabuliwala is pure and free from prejudice.

Fatherhood and Longing:The Kabuliwala’s love for Mini reflects his longing for his daughter, showing the universality of parental affection.

Change and Time: While Mini outgrows her childhood bond, the Kabuliwala clings to memories, highlighting how time alters relationships.

Human Connection Beyond Borders: Despite differences of culture, language, and class, shared emotions unite people.

✨ The Kabuliwala remains one of Tagore’s most beloved stories because it is at once simple and profound. It reminds us that love, friendship, and the bond between parent and child are universal truths that transcend distance, time, and circumstance.

Grateful thanks to ChatGPT for beautifully summarising the touching story of Rabindranath Tagore so that I could use it in my blog, THE WORLD OF SHORT STORIES and Generalstabens litografiska anstalt and WIKIMEDIA COMMONS for the image.

STORY OF THE DAY

Public domain 

Via WIKIMEDIA COMMONS 

VANKA 

Short story by ANTON CHEKHOV 

Summary

“Vanka” is a touching short story by Anton Chekhov about a nine-year-old orphan boy named Vanka Zhukov, who works as an apprentice for a Moscow shoemaker. He is poorly treated—beaten, overworked, and given little food. On Christmas Eve, while others are celebrating, Vanka sits alone and writes a letter to his grandfather, Konstantin Makarich, a night watchman in a village.

In the letter, Vanka pours out his misery: he describes the cruel master and mistress, his hunger, exhaustion, and constant beatings. He recalls fond memories of village life with his grandfather, the freedom of the countryside, and the warmth of simple joys like sledding and caring for dogs.

Vanka begs his grandfather to take him away from Moscow, promising to work hard and be obedient if only he can return to the village. He addresses the envelope simply: “To Grandfather in the Village”, without a proper address. After dropping the letter in the mailbox, he falls asleep with hope in his heart, dreaming of a better life.

The story ends poignantly: while Vanka believes his grandfather will receive the letter and rescue him, the reader realizes the letter will never reach its destination — symbolizing the hopelessness of his situation and the innocence of childhood hope amidst harsh reality.

Grateful thanks to ChatGPT for the summary and Wikimedia Commons for the image