English Date: 08 June 2020

Topic: The Postmaster by Rabindranath Tagore

Summary
“The Postmaster,” a story by Rabindranath Tagore, (1861-1941) a gifted Indian writer and
thinker, achieved a world-wide reputation when he was awarded the Nobel Prize. The
Postmaster is a story of a city-bred young man forced to live in a remote village. Necessity
drove him to spend his evenings in the company of a simple orphan girl Ratan.

The Postmaster short story is about an unnamed postmaster who was transferred to a
remote post office in a small rural Indian village. The village was near a factory, and the
owner of the factory where Englishmen. The postmaster was from the huge city of Calcutta
and feels out of place in such a distant rural village. The post office seems to contain only
two rooms: the office itself, and the postmaster’s living quarters made of “thatched shed”
near a stagnant pond circled by thick foliage.

The workers in the nearby factory were so much busy with their work that they have no
time to make friendship with anyone. Besides, they were not good company for “decent
folk.” In addition, people from Calcutta were not particularly good at socializing. They
appear to be arrogant or uncomfortable. In any case, the postmaster had few companions,
and he does not have many activities to keep him occupied.

Occasionally he tried to write a bit of poetry. The rural landscape has inspired the kind of
happy poetry he sought to compose. But the postmaster is uninterested in the landscape
and would be happy if it were replaced by a paved road and numerous tall buildings. His
salary was not great; so, he had to cook his own food and would share his suppers with
Ratan – an orphan girl of the village. She did odd jobs for the Postmaster. In the evening,
when the village was filled with appealing sights and sounds, the postmaster lights his lamp
and called for Ratan.

Ratan, who has been waiting for the nightly call, typically asks whether she has indeed been
called. She then routinely lights the fire needed for cooking. The postmaster tells her to wait
till him smoke his pipe, which Ratan always lights for him. The postmaster used to talk with
Ratan while smoking. He asked Ratan about her early life which She loved to share with
him. The postmaster himself recalls his home, his mother and sister and discuss about them
with Ratan.

She used to call the Postmaster “Dada” meaning ‘elder brother’. She obeyed her master. The
postmaster taught her how to read. Ratan begins to learn about double consonants. They
develop a bond of trust and friendship. They have meals together and Ratan runs small
errands for the postmaster.

One day, postmaster falls ill due to the showers of the season. Ratan took care of him like a
mother when he was sick. She sat beside him the whole night during the time until he was
cured completely. The Postmaster decided to apply for a transfer back to Calcutta. His
application for transfer gets rejected, thus he resigns from the job.

Finally the time came when our postmaster decided to return to his city. Ratan was deeply
hurt but didn’t express it. She asked him to take her with him to his city. He laughed at her
request. While leaving he offered her his entire salary but Ratan denied it and ran away
crying. The kind gesture made her cry! She wandered about the post office with tears
trickling down her cheeks. Poor Ratan! Her affection was not reciprocated. At the end, Ratan
gets heart-broken to know that her master left her forever.

This short story was full of pathos and moves the readers to tears. This story shows the
difficulties which a city person faces when migrate to the remote place and the life of an
orphan girl Ratan whose life is full of numberless meetings and partings. She knew no
philosophy of life. Her fondness for the postmaster may be regarded as a one sided affection
of a thirteen year old girl which indeed was selfless and innocent.

Questions and Answer:

1. Rabindranath Tagore. A prolific writer whose stories are not influenced by any
western writers. The "Kabuliwala" by Tagore deals with the human emotions of
love and friendship. Read any other story by Tagore and write a review based on
following points.
1) Author Biography
2) sketch the characters of story
3) Theme of the story.
4) Summary
5) critical analysis
6) Brief Comparison of the two stories

Answer: Author Biography: Rabindranath Tagore was a Bengali poet, playwright,

artist and novelist par excellence. He was also India’s first Nobel laureate. Most of his
works mirror the misery of the poor and follies of human nature. His works have been
extensively translated and widely printed. He is also known for composing the national
anthems of both India and Bangladesh. Sketch the characters of story: There are two
main characters, the Postmaster and a girl named Ratan who works for him. Once you
read the story, you should be able to write a few points about these two. Theme of the
story: Loneliness and search for meaning Summary: ‘The Postmaster’ is a short story by
Rabindranath Tagore about a young postmaster who has been transferred to a remote
village in Ulapur. The story dwells on ‘longing and separation’ as the postmaster has to
leave his family back in Calcutta. While the postmaster tries to adjust to this quiet
village life, he finds a friend in an innocent little girl named Ratan. Ratan too has lived a
 lonely life and finds a companion in the postmaster. Their unique bond is what forms
the base of the story. A brief comparison of the two stories: The Kabuliwala and The
Postmaster are stories that weave human emotions into a beautiful storyline. While the
former describes a little girl’s joy in her new found Afghani friend, the latter deals with
the intricacies of unspoken love from the point of view of two hearts aching for
companionship. Both the stories have an emotionally overwhelming effect on readers.

2. What was Ratan’s immediate reaction on hearing the postmaster’s decision? Why
do you think she reacted in this way?

Answer: Ratan did not utter even a single word when the postmaster informedher that
he was leaving Ulapur for good as his application for atransfer had been rejected.Being
utterly shocked by her master’s such an apathetic treatment ofher; the poor girl was
rendered speechless.

3. Why do you think Ratan told the postmaster she didn’t want him to speak to his
replacement about her and why did she refuse to accept his money?

Answer: She did so because in spite of her considering her dadababu as hervery own,
she finally realized that the man was but a kind master whohad never thought of her as
her sister. This is the reason why herlittle and inexperienced heart exploded in a kind of
an untold agonywhen the postmaster offered to recommend her to his replacement
alongwith some money, The overwhelming passion of Ratan’s heart has beendescribed
in a most touching fashion by the story-telling genius ofTagore.
“No, no, you mustn't say anything to anyone – I don’t want to stayhere.”
…………..”I beg you, dadababu, I beg you – don’t give me any money.Please no one
need bother about me.”

4. Who does 'they' refer to? What would they talk about?

Answer:They referred to Ratan and the Postmaster. They would talk about Ratan's
family. Postmaster used to ask Ratan if she remembered her matter and their
conversation would start.

5. What happened when it got very late?

Answer: If they got very late the postmaster would feel too lazy to cook and Ratan
would quickly light a fire and toast some unleavened bread. This along with the cold
leftover of the morning meal was enough for this supper.

6. Why was Ratan waiting outside for the call?

Answer: Ratan was waiting outside for the call of the postmaster because postmaster
was teaching her to read and write .The little student was waiting for the call of her
master so that she could start her daily class.
7. How did she respond when he called out to her? What does this tell out about her
nature?

Answer: Ratan thought that the postmaster was asleep. So she tip-toed her way out of
the room, Then she heard him call her.She asked the postmaster if he was sleeping. It
tells us Ratan was introvert and she never stepped into a place where she was not
wanted. She knew her position and never disobeyed her master.

8. How did their routine change due to this?

Answer: Ratan stepped into the role of mother and nursed the postmaster. She called
the village doctor, gave him medicine and cooked his meal .After postmaster
recovered;Ratan once again took up her own place outside the door. But she was no
longer called by the postmaster.

9. What was Ratan no longer called for? What had happened?

Answer: The postmaster had applied for his transfer .He was very eagerly waiting for
a response to his application .So Ratan was not called. Postmaster was highly tensed if
his application would he accepted or not.He was absent minded and spent more of his
time sitting on his chair or lying on his bed.

10. Who did Ratan not question further and why?

Answer: Ratan did not asked any further question to the postmaster because she was
shocked to hear about the final departure of the postmaster from the village. Moreover,
she tried to stay within her limits .As a maid servant it was not possible for her to ask
any further question.

11. Did Ratan get an explanation?

Answer: Yes, Ratan got an explanation .The postmaster of its own accord , went on to
tell her how he had applied for a transfer and his application had resigned and was
going home.

12. What led Ratan to ask this question?

Answer: The postmaster had resigned from his job and was going back home. Ratan
and orphan girl, had started depending on the postmaster and thought herself as a
member of his family .If postmaster leaves,she would become alone again.So, she had
asked this question.
13. What response did she get?
Answer: In response to her question,she was taunted by the postmaster.The
postmaster laughed and said that it was not possible to take her along with him.But he
did not find it necessary to explain to her why it was an impossible idea.

Priyanka
Assistant Professor