Kafan

Summary: Kafan by Munshi premchand, is yet another story which makes you sad. One will feel wretch for the people in this story. A must read.

The story is about a father and his son. They are from the poor class of society. They are also addicted to consuming alcohol, smoking and drugs. As story proceeds, we come to know they are looking for work, however people know they are addictive to smoking, deinking, also they are very lazy.

The sons wife is pregnant, but they don't have money to pay to maid. She is in tremendous pain, the father question son, why the hell u married, The son replies, u also got married.

In a scene, they rob stuff, justifying it as protecting the dharma of the owner as dog has sniffed the rope. As soon as they sell the robbed stuff, they go to nearest Tadi shop to drink and eat gram  mattar. However, they had bigger plans to eat kabab and kaleji, and drink orange flavoured costly drink.

The pregnant wife hadn't eaten anything for days, she is in tremendous pain. The father and son are praying for her death. If child gets born, they hope they may get some money from people around. The wife is no use to them. The son is not ready to go near his wife as she is in tremendous pain, he can't see her in pain. They chit chat useless stuff about things that the father eat once, meanwhile the wife keeps on shouting in agony. The son doesn't bother to go near her.

Next morning, the pregnant women dies with her child still in womb. They as soon as come to know, they start sobbing. The go and beg for money all round the village, for her dead ceremony they also get some wood to burn the dead bodies. Now, only shroud(kafan) is remaining to buy, they have collected 5 rupees already. 

The price of kafan is 1.02rs for 1 yard. They need 3 yard. They decline considering it as very costly. They argue between themselves as she use to wear torn clothes when alive, now when she is dead what is the point of having this costly kafan(shroud) on her body. That also will be burned with her.

They roam for some while till it's evening, and then they reaches wine shop. Their they buy the expensive orange wine, and then kaleji with the money collected for her death ceremony. Now they discuss, no point in buying shroud and also now we already spent that money. Rich people can buy those stuffs, n do cremations ritual. While drunk, the son questions his father “when we die, will also go their in sky, and there she will ask why I was not given shroud, what will i answer”. His father convinces him that she will get kafan, the dead body when will start to decay, this people who gave us money today, they will pay for her shroud. Wait, I will bring something more to eat, your favorite kaleji. Meanwhile, the father notices a man looking at them. He asks him to join. He also says to him, bless my daughter-in-law as it’s her earning what we are eating now.

--It just so painful, so see how cruel this father and son are. No love for a human being that also one who is pregnant.

--Addiction is worst, they only want to eat and drink, nothing else matter to them.