The Book I Like Most

The book I like most is “KAFAN” (1935). It is one of the famous short stories of Munshi Premchand in which the characters of an intoxicated father and a son have been dealt with superb execution. Though wrapped up in utter poverty, both of them are wont to liquor. Even the money collected for buying the kafan (shroud) on the sad demise of his daughter-in-law was spent for drinking liquor. The presentation of poverty, compulsion and intoxication has been so illustrative and sensitive that the characters themselves as well as the incidents happen to be alive and merge with the readers. And that is why Premchand is often called “magician of the pen”. Throughout the story we see that the author hits upon the evil instincts, malpractices and savagery of human beings by dint of his artistic skill. He has violently attacked the zamindari and feudal systems of the then socio-economic condition of India. I like the book most as it delicately reflects a micro-Indian life, society, culture and economy with easy-to-understand expression and style. Besides, he has shattered and kafanned down the evil practices of the Indian society, though not as an iconoclast as George Bernard Shaw.