Welcome dear students! Today we are going to learn about Unit 9 Prose from Class 9 English First Language.
Before we begin our story, let us engage with a warm up activity. I want you to think about two important sayings. The first is, Stars repel, they do not compel. The second is, Man is the maker of his own destiny. Discuss these in your groups. What do they mean? The first saying suggests that celestial bodies may influence our lives, but they do not force us to act in a certain way. We still possess free will. The second saying reinforces this idea: human beings shape their own future through their choices and actions. Life brings changes that are good, changes that test us, and changes that leave us broken. Life often surprises us with unexpected turns. Keep this theme in mind as we read our story today.
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Our story is titled An Astrologer’s Day, written by the celebrated author R K Narayan. Let us begin with the first paragraph. Punctually at midday, the astrologer opens his bag and spreads out his professional equipment. This consists of a dozen cowry shells, a square piece of cloth with obscure mystic charts on it, a notebook, and a bundle of palmyra writing. His forehead is resplendent with sacred ash and vermilion. His eyes sparkle with a sharp, abnormal gleam. This gleam is actually the result of his continual searching look for customers, but his simple clients mistake it for a prophetic light and feel comforted. The power of his eyes is enhanced by their position, placed between the painted forehead and the dark whiskers streaming down his cheeks. The narrator notes that even a half wit’s eyes would sparkle in such a setting. To complete the effect, he wears a saffron coloured turban. This colour scheme never fails. People are attracted to him as bees are attracted to cosmos or dahlia stalks. He sits under the boughs of a spreading tamarind tree flanking a path running through the town hall park. This place is remarkable. A surging crowd moves up and down this narrow road from morning till night. Various trades are represented: medicine sellers, sellers of stolen hardware and junk, magicians, and above all, an auctioneer of cheap cloth who creates enough noise all day to attract the whole town. Next to him in loudness is a vendor of fried groundnut. This vendor gives his ware a fancy name each day, calling it Bombay Ice Cream one day, Delhi Almond the next, and Raja’s Delicacy on the third, and so on. People flock to him. A considerable portion of this crowd also stops before the astrologer. The astrologer conducts his business by the light of a flare that crackles and smokes above the groundnut heap nearby. Half the enchantment of the place comes from the lack of municipal lighting. The area is lit only by shop lights. Some have hissing gaslights, some have naked flares on poles, some use old cycle lamps, and a few, like the astrologer, manage without their own lights. It is a bewildering criss cross of light rays and moving shadows. This suits the astrologer perfectly, because he never intended to be an astrologer when he began life. He knows no more about what will happen to others than he knows what will happen to himself in the next minute. He is as much a stranger to the stars as his innocent customers. Yet, he says things that please and astonish everyone. This is a matter of study, practice, and shrewd guesswork. Still, it is as honest a labour as any other, and he deserves his daily wages.
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Moving to the second paragraph, we learn about his past. He left his village without any previous thought or plan. Had he stayed, he would have carried on his forefathers work: tilling the land, living, marrying, and growing old in his cornfield and ancestral home. But fate intervened. He had to leave home without telling anyone and could not rest until he was a couple of hundred miles away. To a villager, that distance feels like an ocean. In the third paragraph, we see his working method. He has a working analysis of mankind’s troubles: marriage, money, and the tangles of humanity. Long practice has sharpened his perception. Within five minutes, he understands what is wrong. He charges three paise per question. He never opens his mouth until the other person has spoken for at least ten minutes. This gives him enough material for a dozen answers and pieces of advice. When he tells a client, gazing at their palm, that in many ways they are not getting the results for their efforts, nine out of ten agree. Or he asks if there is a woman in their family, perhaps a distant relative, who is not well disposed towards them. Or he gives a character analysis, saying most of their troubles are due to their nature and a rough exterior. This endears him to them immediately, because even the mildest person loves to think they have a forbidding exterior.
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In the fourth paragraph, the nuts vendor blows out his flare and rises to go home. This signals the astrologer to pack up, as he is left in darkness except for a little shaft of green light touching the ground before him. As he picks up his cowry shells and paraphernalia to put them in his bag, the green light is blotted out. He looks up and sees a man standing before him. Sensing a client, he says, You look so careworn. It will do you good to sit down for a while and chat with me. The man grumbles vaguely. The astrologer presses his invitation. The man thrusts his palm under his nose and says, You call yourself an astrologer? Feeling challenged, the astrologer tilts the palm toward the green light and begins, Yours is a nature... The man interrupts, saying, Oh, stop that. Tell me something worthwhile. Our friend feels piqued. He says, I charge only three paise per question and what you get ought to be good enough for your money. The man withdraws his arm, takes out an anna, and flings it at him, saying, I have some questions to ask. If I prove you are bluffing, you must return that anna to me with interest. The astrologer counters, If you find my answers satisfactory, will you give me five rupees? The man says no. The astrologer asks, Or will you give me eight annas? The man replies, All right, provided you give me twice as much if you are wrong. They accept this pact after a little argument. The astrologer sends up a prayer to heaven as the man lights a cheroot. The astrologer catches a glimpse of his face by the matchlight. There is a pause. Cars hoot, jutka drivers swear at their horses, and the crowd’s babble fills the semi darkness. The man sits, sucking his cheroot, puffing smoke, sitting ruthlessly. The astrologer feels very uncomfortable. He says, Here, take your anna back. I am not used to such challenges. It is late for me today. He prepares to leave. The man holds his wrist and says, You cannot get out of it now. You dragged me in while I was passing. The astrologer shivers, his voice shaking. He says, Leave me today. I will speak to you tomorrow. The man thrusts his palm in his face and says, Challenge is challenge. Go on.
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The astrologer proceeds, his throat drying up, There is a woman... The man interrupts, Stop. I do not want all that. Shall I succeed in my present search or not? Answer this and go. Otherwise I will not let you go till you disgorge all your coins. The astrologer mutters incantations and replies, All right. I will speak. But will you give me a rupee if what I say is convincing? Otherwise I will not open my mouth and you may do what you like. After haggling, the man agrees. The astrologer says, You were left for dead. Am I right? The man replies, Ah, tell me more. The astrologer continues, A knife has passed through you once? The man exclaims, Good fellow! He bares his chest to show the scar and asks, What else? The astrologer says, And then you were pushed into a well nearby in the field. You were left for dead. The man exclaims, I should have been dead if some passerby had not chanced to peep into the well. Overwhelmed by enthusiasm, he asks, When shall I get at him? He clenches his fist. The astrologer answers, In the next world. He died four months ago in a far off town. You will never see any more of him. The man groans. The astrologer proceeds, Guru Nayak. The man says, You know my name! The astrologer replies, As I know all other things. Guru Nayak, listen carefully to what I have to say. Your village is two days journey due north of this town. Take the next train and be gone. I see once again great danger to your life if you go from home. He takes out sacred ash and holds it to him. Rub it on your forehead and go home. Never travel southward again and you will live to be a hundred. The man reflects, Why should I not leave home again? I was only going away now and then to look for him and to choke out his life if I met him. He shakes his head regretfully. He has escaped my hands. I hope at least he died as he deserved. The astrologer says, Yes. He was crushed under a lorry. The man looks gratified.
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By the time the astrologer picks up his articles and puts them in his bag, the place is deserted. The green shaft of light is gone, leaving darkness and silence. The stranger has gone into the night, after giving the astrologer a handful of coins. It is nearly midnight when the astrologer reaches home. His wife waits at the door and demands an explanation. He flings the coins at her and says, Count them. One man gave all that. She counts and says, Twelve and a half annas. She is overjoyed. I can buy some jaggery and coconut tomorrow. The child has been asking for sweets for so many days now. I will prepare some nice stuff for her. The astrologer mutters, The swine has cheated me! He promised me a rupee. She looks up and says, You look worried, what is wrong? He replies, Nothing. After dinner, sitting on the pyol, he tells her, Do you know a great load is gone from me today? I thought I had the blood of a man on my hands all these years. That was the reason why I ran away from home, settled here, and married you. He is alive. She gasps, You tried to kill! He says, Yes, in our village, when I was a silly youngster. We drank, gambled and quarreled badly one day. Why think of it now? Time to sleep. He yawns and stretches himself on the pyol. This concludes the narrative portion of the story.
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Now let us review the glossary words. Obscure means difficult to understand. Mystic means spiritual. Prophetic means predictive. Paraphernalia means belongings. Mutter means incoherent or incomprehensible speech. Gratified means thankful. Please remember these exact definitions for your exams. Next, we will work through the comprehension questions. For C1, question one asks what articles the astrologer carried. He carried a dozen cowry shells, a square piece of cloth with obscure mystic charts on it, a notebook, and a bundle of palmyra writing. Question two asks for the different names given by the nuts vendor. He called his fried groundnut Bombay Ice Cream one day, Delhi Almond the next, and Raja’s Delicacy on the third day. Question three asks what kind of life he would have had in his village. He would have carried on his forefathers work: tilling the land, living, marrying, and ripening in his cornfield and ancestral home. Question four asks how much he charged new clients. He charged three paise per question. Question five asks why he remained silent for at least ten minutes initially. He waited so the client would speak enough to provide him with material for a dozen answers and pieces of advice. Question six asks what the signal was to bundle up. The signal was the nuts vendor blowing out his flare and rising to go home. Question seven asks how much he demanded from his new client to answer his question. He initially asked for five rupees, then settled on eight annas, with a condition of returning double if wrong. Question eight asks what he told Guru Nayak to do. He told him to take the next train, go home, rub sacred ash on his forehead, never travel southward again, and he would live to be a hundred.
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Moving to C2. Question one asks why the astrologer had no light of his own. The text states he managed without lights of his own, relying on the bewildering criss cross of light rays from nearby shops and the crackling flare of the groundnut vendor, which suited his purpose of hiding his true identity and lack of astrological knowledge. Question two asks why he closed when the nuts vendor blew out his flare. The flare was his only source of light to see his clients and their palms. Without it, he was left in near darkness except for a stray green shaft, making it impossible to continue his work. Question three asks how efficient he was. He was highly efficient in his trade, not through astrology, but through shrewd guesswork, sharp perception, and psychological insight. He could understand a person’s troubles within five minutes and give answers that pleased and astonished them. Question four has three parts. The question When shall I get him? was asked by Guru Nayak to the astrologer. The speaker I refers to Guru Nayak. He wants to get him to choke out his life and take revenge for the past attack. Question five also has three parts. The speaker You look worried. What is wrong? is the astrologer’s wife. The word you refers to the astrologer. He was worried because he had just realized that the man he thought he had killed years ago was actually alive and had just been sitting before him.
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Now C3. Question one asks why he ran away from his village. He ran away because he had tried to kill a man named Guru Nayak during a drunken quarrel in his youth. He believed he had committed murder and fled to escape the guilt and consequences. Question two asks if he should be punished. This is a discussion question, but for exam purposes, you can argue both sides. Legally, yes, he attempted murder. However, morally, he has lived with guilt for years, changed his life, worked honestly, and the victim survived. The story focuses on redemption and the weight of conscience rather than legal punishment. Question three asks how he felt at the end. He felt a great load lifted from his mind. The guilt that had driven him to flee his village and live in fear was gone because he learned the man he attacked was alive. He felt relieved and peaceful. Question four asks about the role of fate and chance. Fate brought the two men together unexpectedly in a crowded town. Chance played a role in the lighting, the matchlight revealing the face, and the astrologer’s quick thinking saving him. The story shows how chance encounters can resolve past burdens. Question five asks if all astrologers are false. The story does not condemn all astrologers. It shows this particular man is a fraud who relies on psychology and guesswork, but it also highlights his honest labour and human vulnerability. It suggests that many such practitioners use observation rather than supernatural powers. Question six asks how R K Narayan portrayed his attractive appearance. Narayan describes his resplendent forehead with sacred ash and vermilion, sparkling eyes with a sharp gleam, dark whiskers streaming down his cheeks, and a saffron coloured turban. This striking colour scheme and setting made him look prophetic and drew people like bees to flowers.
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Now C4 asks us to arrange sentences in sequential order. The correct chronological order as they appear in the story is: Five, The place was lit up by shop lights. Three, He was as much a stranger to the stars as were his innocent customers. Seven, The nuts vendor blew out his flare and rose to go home. Two, The astrologer pressed his invitation. Four, The astrologer got a glimpse of his face by the matchlight. One, Take the next train and go home. Six, The child has been asking for sweets for so many days. Let us move to the Language Activities. For V1, Word formation, we add endings to root words. Where the combination does not form a standard English word, we mark it with a cross. From Help, we get helped, helping, helper, helpfully, helpful, and helpless. From End, we get ended, ending, and endless, while endly and endful are crossed out. From Hope, we get hoped, hoping, hopeful, and hopeless. From Enjoy, we get enjoyed, enjoying, and enjoyer, but enjoyly and enjoyful are crossed out. From Shape, we get shaped, shaping, shaper, shapely, and shapeless. From Smile, we get smiled, smiling, and smiler. From Run, we get running and runner. Please practice forming these words in your notebooks. For V2, we fill in blanks to arrive at given meanings. Present means gift. Resent means hate. Consent means agreement. Assent means approval.
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For V3, we work with homophones. Peace means freedom from disturbance. Piece means a portion of something. Lone means solitary. Loan means money borrowed. Hour means sixty minutes. Our means belonging to us. Died means ceased to live. Dyed means coloured with dye. Fore means front. Four means the number. Raze means completely destroy. Raise means lift up. Bear means to carry or the animal. Bare means uncovered. Break means to shatter. Brake means to stop a vehicle. Pair means two matching things. Pear means a fruit. Role means a part played. Roll means to move by turning. You must use these in your own sentences. For example, I value peace with my neighbours. She gave me a piece of cake. He lives a lone life. The bank approved my loan. We waited for an hour. Our house is near the park. The old king died. She dyed her hair red. The fore leg of the horse was injured. I have four apples. They will raze the old building. Please raise your hand. The mother bear protected her cub. He walked bare foot. Do not break the glass. Press the brake pedal. I bought a pair of shoes. I ate a juicy pear. She played the role of Juliet. The ball began to roll. For V4, we match phrases with meanings. On account of matches with owing to. To bear with matches with to put up with. In the midst of matches with in the middle of. To be accustomed to matches with to get used to. To take a new turn matches with to begin a new course. Bereft of matches with deprived of. Use these in sentences. For example, The match was cancelled on account of rain. Please bear with me while I find the file. She stood in the midst of the crowd. He is accustomed to waking up early. His career took a new turn after the promotion. The village was bereft of water after the drought.
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Now we study Grammar and Usage, specifically Reported Speech. Reported speech changes direct statements into indirect form. We change pronouns, tenses, and time expressions. For example, Mohan said, I was late yesterday becomes Mohan said that he had been late the day before. Mohan said, I am late today becomes Mohan said that he was late that day. My father is not well, said she becomes She said that her father was not well. I must write to my father, said Alan becomes Alan said that he had to write to his father. Why have you locked the door, the teacher said becomes The teacher asked me why I had locked the door. Note the tense shifts: present to past, past to past perfect, will to would, must to had to. Time words change: today to that day, yesterday to the day before, tonight to that night. Now G1. Complete the sentences. One: He said that he lived in New York. Two: She said that she was going to go shopping. Three: He said that he would see me later. Four: Anu said that she had gone to a movie the previous night. Five: James asked if I wanted to go out that night. For G2, we change sentences into reported speech using given phrases. He welcomed me. He wondered if I had had a good journey. He asked when I had arrived. He inquired if I was all right. He wanted to know if I had had lunch yet. He asked if I wanted coffee. He tried to find out why I had not phoned them.
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For G3, Error Corrections. Part one, punctuate. One: Rashmi said, Yamuna, you are late today. Two: What a beautiful garden it is! Three: People enjoyed the cricket match, didn’t they? Four: Unless he improves his bowling, he cannot be selected for the match. Part two, spot and rewrite errors. One: They are going to the Himalayas. Two: Raju prefers idly to chapati. Three: One of the boys looks sad. Four: Mathematics is my favourite subject. Five: A bunch of keys was found in my room. Six: My neighbour is an honest man. Seven: Rafi wanted a one rupee coin. Eight: Kiran’s brother is an MLA. Nine: Our school bought a lot of furniture. Ten: I met a European. Now for the Listening Skill. Imagine you are at a marketplace. Narrate to your class about the people, location, and goods sold. Then, imagine you are a street vendor. Listen carefully to your teacher’s instructions on how a vendor sells goods, and mime those actions appropriately. Practice this with your classmates. For the Speaking Skill, work with your partner. Note down the time taken by both of you for daily activities. For doing regular exercise, you might take thirty minutes, and your partner twenty minutes. For having bath, you take fifteen minutes, partner takes ten. For dressing for school, you take ten minutes, partner takes eight. For having breakfast, you take twenty minutes, partner takes fifteen. For doing homework, you take one hour, partner takes forty five minutes. Practice asking, How much time do you take to have bath? and answering, I take fifteen minutes.
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Finally, let us learn about the author. R K Narayan lived from 10 October 1906 to 13 May 2001. His full name is Rasipuram Krishnaswami Iyer Narayanaswami. He is an Indian author famous for fiction set in the imagined town of Malgudi. He brought Indian literature in English to the world and is regarded as one of India’s greatest novelists. His works include The Financial Expert, hailed as one of the most original works of 1951. His novel The Guide won the Sahitya Akademi Award. In a writing career spanning over sixty years, he received many honours, including the AC Benson Medal from the Royal Society of Literature and the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second highest civilian award. Dear students, this completes our lesson on An Astrologer’s Day. Remember to revise the vocabulary, practice reported speech transformations, and understand the psychological depth of the characters. These are important for your examinations. Thank you for listening! Keep revising and practicing. Goodbye! [CHAPTER_COMPLETE]