Consisting of twelve fully illustrated short stories, the volume looks at the village and the small town in India - focal points offering Premchand a fascinating stage for the interplay of diverse personalities, Human suffering, crushing poverty, and brutal exploitation by landowners and moneylenders, caste snobbery, gender discrimination, the victory of renunciation over selfish temptation, the close comnpanionship of man and animal, the unpredictable nature of
human behaviour - Premchand explores these and much more with his characteristic originality of thought and clarity of vision.