The story “An Astrologer’s Day” written by RK Narayan, tells about a man who works as an astrologer, though he has no formal education and knowledge of astrology. He relies on his sharp observation skills, understanding of human nature and shrewd guesswork. The story is set in a busy marketplace where a surging crowd always moves up and down. He creates a queer appearance and an illusion of mysticism to attract customers by painting his forehead with sacred ash and vermilion and wearing a saffron coloured turban. He used to sit under a tamarind tree, surrounded by various vendors in the evening. The place is lit up by the light of other shops, as the dim light with moving shadows adds to the mysterious atmosphere he creates.
He knows nothing about astrology. He is a farmer’s son who had to leave his village without telling anyone. Now he tries to solve the tangles of human ties with his prediction. He charges three paisa for each question. At first, he observes the client closely by allowing them to speak for ten minutes. After that, he comments and wins their hearts easily.
One evening, as he was preparing to leave for home, he saw a man standing before him. The stranger challenged his knowledge of astrology. He asked the astrologer only to answer what he wanted. At this, he felt insulted and charged three paisa for each question. The man threw an anna and offered a bet — if the astrologer could predict properly, he would pay him, or the astrologer must return the money with interest. After much hesitation and bargaining, the deal was fixed for a rupee.
The astrologer recognised the man by the light of a matchstick when he lit a cheroot. It was shocking to him that it was Guru Nayak, a person from his village. Years ago, in his native village, when he was a young man, they drank together, gambled and had gotten into a violent fight with Guru Nayak. He thought he had killed him. That was why he had fled the village and started a new life in the city.
Now the astrologer described his past in detail about the stabbing, pushing into the well and leaving him for dead. The description was so accurate that the man was astonished. He also added that his attacker was dead, crushed under a lorry years ago, and warned him never to travel southward again. Gratified to hear his enemy was dead, Guru Nayak paid the astrologer a handful of coins and left the place.
At midnight, the astrologer returned home and expressed to his wife the cause of his relief. He had believed all these years that he was a murderer. Now, knowing the man was alive, he felt free from the burden of guilt he had carried for so long.