Pariksha
(Test) is a short story written by Munshi Premchand. It is an ordinary story
with a strong moral message. The story is all about selecting an honest and
dedicated candidate for the post of Diwan for the state of Devgarh. The current
Diwan, Sardar Sujan Singh, who has already served forty years in the service of
the king, has now grown old. He is to retire soon. But before that, he has to
select the new Diwan as directed by the King.
Following an
advertisement in the country’s leading newspaper about the post, hundreds of
candidates swarmed the palace. It was stated that for the post of Diwan being
graduate was not mandatory, rather the candidate should be well-built,
dedicated, and honest. And people with sick stomach were not allowed.
All the candidates
were arranged to accommodate in the palace where they would stay for a month
under observation. A variety of aspiring candidates poured in since academic
restrictions were off. Some candidates were simple, others fashionable, and
many sophisticated. Even Pandits and Maulvis had come in to try their luck.
They performed their prayers on time and spend rest of the time chanting versus
from their respective holy books. Mostly, candidates were early to wake up,
took interest in gardening, and behaved decently with the servants, and some
who were addicted to smoking didn’t smoke openly. Overall people had put up a
fake face – unreal one to claim their right for the post.
Since there
were many young candidates, so a game of hockey was arranged. The game turned
out a high-spirited one. People played with maximum gusto amid the heat and
dust. While going back to the palace the players were crossing the nala (a
narrow channel). There was no culvert over that nala. A bullock cart laden with
grain sacks was struggling to cross over the upward steep. The man did all
possible tricks to help himself but to no avail. The passing-by players already
worn out by the game knew the situation but still paid no attention to the man.
They had their own reasons to ignore him. However, one young man who had been
hurt in the game was limping slightly. Upon seeing the man’s plight, he offered
him help. The man on the bullock cart had the same voice like the current Diwan
and also resembled a little bit. The young man jokingly asked for the award in
return of his help. The bullock cart owner said that he be selected as the new
Diwan of the state.
When the month
was over, candidates assembled and waited for the result excitedly. The winner
was Pandit Jankinath: the man who helped the bullock cart. He was selected on
the virtues of being courageous despite being in pain. It was assumed that
these kinds of people would never exploit the poor of the state for their
personal benefit.
I like this book
ReplyDeleteWho is the protagonist of this story
ReplyDelete