Amarkant is one of the foremost Hindi story writers. In his stories, one can get a glimpse into the lives of middle-class families. In this story, we can see a touching description of the hunger of a poor middle-class family.
Chandrika Prasad was a clerk in a government office. Due to retrenchment, he was removed from his job. He had three sons – Ramachandra, Mohan and Pramod. His wife was Siddeshwari.
Chandrika Prasad would go around from morning to evening in search of a job. However, it did not seem as if he would find a job. His eldest son, Ramachandra, was studying to become a proofreader. He did not even earn a stipend. The second son, Mohan, wanted to give his high school exams as a private student. He would waste his time roaming around here and there. The third and youngest son was Pramod.
proofreader. He did not even earn a stipend. The second son, Mohan, wanted to give his high school exams as a private student. He would waste his time roaming around here and there. The third and youngest son was Pramod.
Chandrika Prasad arrived quite late. He was very dejected. Siddeshwari tried to cheer up her husband. He ate his lunch and then stretched out on the cot, thinking about something, and fell asleep. Siddeshwari had more or less lost her appetite. She sat down in front of the plate. Only one roti was left and so, she cut it into two parts. One half she saved for her youngest son Pramod, who had cried a lot before falling asleep. As soon as Siddeshwari put a piece of roti into her mouth, tears began to roll down her cheeks.
