A Winters Night and Other Stories - Translated Short Stories Introduction - Puffin Classics

Sep 20, 2026

Uploaded by Finn

Ten classic short stories by Hindi writer Munshi Premchand, translated from Hindi by Rakhshanda Jalil for young readers, portray bitter winter hardship, family cruelty, illness, and economic exploitation alongside moments of kindness, bravery, humor, and small acts of dignity. The collection frames characters such as Halku, Kaki, Shankar, Hamid, Ladli, and Big Brother in realistic moral dilemmas that mirror Indian society and traditions, with an introduction contextualizing Premchand’s life and lasting relevance.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryStory & Novel

FormatPDF

Pages111

Reading Time2 h 51 min

AccessFree to download

Contents

Introduction by Gulzar

1. A Winter ’s Night

2. The Salt Inspector

3. Kaki

4. The Tale of Two Oxen

5. A Quarter and One Ser of Wheat

6. The Price of Milk

7. Big Brother

8. The Shroud

9. The Thakur ’s Well

10. Idgah

Translator ’s Note

Classic Plus

Ten classic stories from the master of Hindi literature Nearly a century after they were written, in Hindi and Urdu, Premchand’s numerous short stories, novels and plays continue to be a mirror to Indian society and its traditions. A Winter ’s Night and Other Stories brings together, for young readers, some of his most powerful short stories. This is a world inhabited by people like Halku, forced to spend the bitterly cold winter night in the open, without a blanket; Kaki, the old invalid aunt, ill-treated by her own relatives; and Shankar, reduced to being a bonded labourer for the sake of a handful of wheat. Premchand describes their plights with unflinching honesty. Yet all is not hopeless in this world. There is also little Hamid, who buys tongs for his old grandmother rather than toys for himself; Ladli, who saves her share of puris for her blind aunt; and Big Brother, trying in vain to remember the strange names of English kings and queens. Greed, dishonesty, cruelty abound in this world, as do kindness, bravery and humour. These ten stories are an ideal introduction to Premchand and his concerns and ideas that remain relevant to this day. CLASSIC PLUS: FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR, HIS WORK AND HIS WORLD TRANSLATED FROM THE HINDI BY RAKHSHANDA JALIL PUFFIN CLASSICS Cover illustration by Harshvardhan Kadam Fiction/Translation [www.penguinbooksindia.com](www.penguinbooksindia.com) PUFFIN BOOKS UK | Canada | Ireland | Australia New Zealand | India | South Africa Penguin Books is part of the Penguin Random House group of companies whose addresses can be [found at](found at global.penguinrandomhouse.com)[ ](found at global.penguinrandomhouse.com)[global.penguinrandomhouse.com](found at global.penguinrandomhouse.com). This collection published 2007 Copyright © Penguin Books India, 2007 The moral right of the author has been asserted ISBN: 978-0-143-33038-7 This digital edition published in 2011. e-ISBN: 978-81-84-75069-0 This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher ’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. Contents Copyright Introduction by Gulzar 1. A Winter ’s Night 2. The Salt Inspector 3. Kaki 4. The Tale of Two Oxen 5. A Quarter and One Ser of Wheat 6. The Price of Milk 7. Big Brother 8. The Shroud 9. The Thakur ’s Well 10. Idgah Translator ’s Note Classic Plus Introduction Munshi Premchand, one of India’s most loved and admired writers, died on 8 October 1936, succumbing to the stomach ulcers that had troubled him for some time. He was only fifty-six. I have often wished that he had lived longer, for I was destined to meet him in more ways than one. At that time of course, I was just two and lived in Dina, a distant town in a part of Punjab which now falls in Pakistan. The fact is that he is one of the authors of whom I have a distinct memory from a very early age. I must have been nine or ten then and that’sa very impressionable age. I can’t say that my impressions had only to do with what he wrote. In fact, it was a more intimate connection. His stories were a witness to what I saw around me as a child, a part of my earliest experiences and so they seemed a part of me. At the time of my first encounter with him, I was in the fifth standard at school. I read ‘Hajj-e-Akbar’, a very heartrending story and cried everytime I re-read it. One day I saw my father sniffling as he read out something from a book to my mother. As I went up to them, I saw that he was reading the same story from my textbook. Another time, my mother asked me to read out the same story to her, for she didn’t know Urdu and I did. She began to sob even before I could finish the story. So did I. We never managed

FAQs

What kind of stories are included in A Winter ’s Night and Other Stories?

The book brings together ten powerful short stories by Munshi Premchand, written in Hindi and Urdu, focusing on everyday struggles and moral choices.

Who translated the collection into English?

The text states it is translated from Hindi by Rakhshanda Jalil.

What does the introduction emphasize about Premchand?

The introduction by Gulzar recounts personal early impressions of Premchand’s stories and highlights their emotional impact on both children and adults.

Sep 20, 2026

Uploaded by Finn