Kafan (short story)

"Kafan" (1936) is widely considered Munshi Premchand’s last and most famous short story. Moving away from his earlier idealistic portrayals of village life, "Kafan" is a brutal, cynical, and dark exploration of human psychology under the crushing weight of extreme poverty. It tells the story of two men who have been stripped of their dignity and humanity by a lifetime of hunger and social apathy.The Setting and The "Anti-Heroes"The story introduces us to Ghisu (the father) and Madhav (the son), two members of a lower-caste family sitting outside their hut on a cold, dark night. Inside the hut, Madhav’s wife, Budhiya, is writhing in the agony of childbirth.Ghisu and Madhav are described not as victims worthy of immediate sympathy, but as notorious idlers. In a society where labor is exploited, they have chosen the path of absolute resistance through laziness. They work only when starvation leaves them no choice. If they can get enough food for one day, they will not work for three. "Their reputation was such that if anyone needed a rope made, they didn't go to them... If they had even a handful of grain in the house, they swore off work."As Budhiya screams in pain, the two men peel roast potatoes they have stolen from a field. They are so consumed by their hunger and greed that neither is willing to go inside to check on her, fearful that if one leaves, the other will eat the larger share of the potatoes. Their apathy is chilling. Ghisu remarks that she will likely die, so she might as well "get it over with."The Death of BudhiyaBudhiya, the woman who brought some order to their chaotic lives by grinding grain and cutting grass, dies during the night. The men find her body in the morning, cold and lifeless, with her newborn child also dead.Suddenly, the apathy turns to performative grief. They beat their chests and cry, not necessarily out of love, but out of the sudden realization of the practical problem: The Rite of Death. They have no money, no wood, and no cloth to cremate her.They go to the village landlord (Zamindar), a man who despises them for their sloth. Despite hating them, the landlord gives them two rupees to get them out of his sight. Seeing the landlord give money, the other villagers feel compelled to contribute. Within an hour, Ghisu and Madhav collect a handsome sum of five rupees—a fortune for them.The Search for the ShroudWith five rupees in hand, the father and son head to the market to buy a kafan (shroud) for Budhiya. A shroud is a piece of cloth used to cover the dead before cremation.However, as they wander the market, a strange logic begins to take hold. They look at cloths but find nothing "good enough." They debate the futility of the custom: Why does a woman who didn't have a rag to cover her body in life need a new shroud in death? The shroud will eventually burn away with the body. Who will see it?Slowly, almost magnetically, their feet lead them away from the cloth merchants and toward the local liquor shop.The Feast of the LivingThe climax of the story takes place in the wine house. The money meant for the dead woman’s decency is converted into a feast for the living. They buy bottle after bottle of liquor. They buy fried fish, chutneys, and liver.For the first time in years, their bellies are full. The alcohol elevates them to a state of philosophical grandeur. Ghisu blesses Budhiya. He argues that by dying, she has provided them with this magnificent feast. "She has earned enough merit to go to heaven," Ghisu declares drunkenly. "She fed us in life, and now she feeds us in death."They give the leftovers to a beggar, feeling the generosity of kings. The guilt of spending the shroud money is washed away by the liquor and their twisted justification that the villagers will simply provide money again once they find out the shroud is "missing."The Tragic Conclusion