An Astrologer's Day

An Astrologer's Day Summary | Detailed Summary

The astrologer punctually arrives at his makeshift office, at midday. His office is located under the branches of a tamarind tree in Town Hall Park. It is lighted by the sputtering flare of the vendor next door and the lights of the shops nearby. His office is shared by medicine-sellers, stolen junk vendors, magicians, a noisy cloth seller, and a vendor of fried groundnuts. His office equipment is comprised of a dozen cowrie shells, a piece of cloth painted with obscure mystic charts, a notebook, and a bundle of palmyra writing. His work uniform consists of a saffron-colored turban around his head, beneath which his forehead is painted with sacred ash and vermilion. A dark beard adorns his cheeks and chin.

Despite the enigmatic costume, it is his eyes that draw his customers to him, like "bees are attracted to cosmos or dahlia stalks." They sparkle with an abnormal gleam, which the astrologer's customers mistake for a prophetic light. In reality, it is really just the sharp gaze of another vendor looking for customers.

The astrologer is nothing more than another vendor, and his wares are not prophecies, but merely a mixture of educated guesswork and a shrewd knowledge of what people want to hear. "He knew no more of what was going to happen to others than he knew what was going to happen to himself next minute," and had never intended to be an astrologer, until fate forced the strange profession on him.

The astrologer was born in a small village, destined to till the land, marry, have children and die. This fate was not to be his, however. One day, he leaves the village, without a word to anyone, and travels hundreds of miles to finally settle in this city, under these tamarind boughs, in Town Hall Park.

The trade of astrology had chosen him, not because of any divine insights that he is blessed with, but simply because of his working knowledge of mankind's troubles. These troubles include, among others, marriage, money, and the tangles of human ties. His method is simple. He says not a word until his customer has spoken for at least ten minutes, and based on this monologue, combined with his own astute intuition, he is able to formulate answers, questions and predictions to satisfy the person whose palm he is holding in front of him. His answers include such ambiguous predictions as "In many ways you are not getting the fullest results for your efforts," or "Most of your troubles are due to your nature...You have an impetuous nature and a rough exterior."

When the nuts-vendor blows out the single flare that illuminates the astrologer's workplace, he knows it is time to pack his belongings and head home. As he is packing his cowrie shells, he looks up and sees a man before him. Out of habit, he tries to lure the man in with a promise of telling his fortune. The man scoffs at his attempts, and the astrologer's pride is wounded. A bet is started between the two men. The stranger gives the astrologer an anna, and says that if he is not satisfied, the anna must be returned, with interest. The astrologer accepts, on the condition that if the stranger is satisfied with his answers, then he must pay eight annas, instead of the usual three pies the astrologer charges. The stranger accepts, but counters that if he is not satisfied, he must be paid twice as much. The astrologer accepts, and sends up a prayer. The stranger lights up a cheroot, and by the light of the match, the astrologer catches a glimpse of the stranger's face. For a moment, the world seems to come to a standstill for the astrologer, although the cars that pass them keep honking their horns, people keep talking, and the crowd continues to pass by.

The astrologer tries to back out of the bet at this point, but the stranger won't hear of it. He persists, and will not let the astrologer leave until he has told his fortune. The astrologer finally relents, and begins with the usual lies that he tells his other customers. The stranger stops him and demands that he is told something real. He tells the astrologer that he wants to hear the answer to just one question, whether or not he will succeed in his present search. The astrologer hesitates for a few moments longer, then begins to speak again. He asks first if the stranger was once left for dead. The stranger's interest picks up. He asks if it was a knife that had been the murder weapon, and once more, the stranger answers in the affirmative. He gives further details of the experience, and the stranger is astonished. The stranger asks when he will find the man who tried to kill him, and the astrologer replies that he will see the man in the next world, because the stranger's would-be murderer is dead. The stranger groans in frustration at hearing that he will not be able to avenge his attempted murder, but he is surprised out of his frustration when the astrologer addresses him by name and advises that the man return home to his village, as he foresees great danger for the stranger if he stays in the city. The man agrees that if his enemy is dead, there is no reason for him to be away from home anymore.

The man leaves, giving the astrologer a handful of coins, and the astrologer heads home. His wife is angry, as it is almost midnight when the astrologer arrives home, until she sees all the coins her husband has brought. She makes plans to buy sweets for their child the following day.

After dinner, the astrologer and his wife are sitting on the pyol together, discussing the day's events. He tells her that a burden has been lifted from him that day. He tells her that he thought he had killed a man once, many years ago, and that this is why he had left his village and settled in the city. He tells her that he has now seen the man he thought he'd murdered. He is alive, and thus, the astrologer no longer has the man's blood on his hands. He tells her that the incident had taken place when he had been youngster and hotheaded, a drunken quarrel over a gambling debt taken too far. She is horrified, but he dismisses it, and, possibly for the first time since the incident occurred years ago, lies down to sleep with a clear conscience.