"Born in a village near Varanasi, Premchand (1880-1936) wrote about things those were very much contemporary. His writing style, his portrayal of characters were so realistic that people can relate to them even now. Losing his mother at a tender age and being abandoned by his post-office-clerk father Premchand had probably seen all forms of exploitation and submission. greed and corruption, straightjacket of poverty and an unyielding caste system.  
He was named Dhanpat Rai (literal meaning 'master of wealth'), but ironically, he waged a lifelong battle against relentless poverty. Acute social awareness and an unerring eye for details made his works literary masterpiece.
Premchand's first collection of short stories, Soz-e Watan (1908) was found to be so provocative that not only did the Government ban it, but also all copies of the book were burnt. But, the undaunted writer kept telling stories of pain and suffering of the toiling masses. Stories like Do Bailon ki Katha and Idgah, are still prescribed in school textbooks. He used 'bad' characters to counter the 'good'. Orphan Hamid had to fight psychologically with his friends for buying a pair of tongs instead of sweets and toys, Jhuri had to fight with his wife for loving his bulls like his own children, Susheela had to fight with her emotions and the community before leaving her house. Stock characters like Dukhi, the tanner; Halkoo, the peasant; Gangi, the untouchable are also very close to the readers.
This anthology highlights the essence of Premchand's stories in its true spirit.
Contents:
The Procession
The Night of The Month of Pausha
Maiku
Salvation
Penalty
The Story of Two Bulls
The Writer
The Thakur’s Well
The Widow and Her Sons
The Ceremonial Feast
Gilli Danda
Idgah
The Intoxication
The Price of Milk
The Elder Brother

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