The story "Nimantran" written by Premchand is a satire which revolves around the

social practices and values of the people, particularly caste related custom of food and
compassion of the Brahmins.

The story is centred around Pandit Moteram Shastri, a Brahmin priest who sees
nothing better in life than to be learned and rich. The narrative begins with the
message that the seven Brahmins have been invited for the meal and Rani Sahib of
Muradpur has arranged rich dining. He, smart enough to see an opportunity, seeks
Moteram, who is haughty and ambitious to illuminate his position and make a place
for his family at the feast, and thus smartly manage the social etiquettes. He turns the
situation to his favour and accepts his and his sons' entitlement to attend the feast.
Moteram candidness is visible in his preparations that are taken with much eagerness.

However, his plan is about to be ruined when his friend Pandit Chintamani who is
unplanned made a sudden arrival. Chintamani's fears that Moteram also wants to
attend the same feast cause the latter to feel anxious to get rid of him. This section of
the tale exemplifies the craftiness and selfishness of Moteram in his effort to hide the
original message of the invitation from Chintamani. The way Moteram deals with his
family is characterized by the tendency to act authoritative and dominating. He just
considers himself as captain of a family ship, where he has to make decisions on
behalf of all his family members, including his wife, without caring for their feelings.
This can be observed in the way he intends his wife to attend the feast in disguise and
treating her as a prop in his plot rather than a spouse. The friendship that Moteram and
Chintamani profess is only a smokescreen that gets challenged by the greed that is at
play. If we take the appearance of friendship between the two characters into account,
Moteram's attempts to hide the feast from Chintamani, his fear Chintamani might eat
their food and partake in their prestige, shows his lack of true affection or loyalty in
their relationship. This is definitely the reflection on how one can get so occupied that
they forget about their friends and end up losing respect from other people.

Furthermore, the rivalry between the two friends during the feast, where they both try
to impress and outdo each other in their supposed holiness and virtuousness, helps to
further expose the nature of their relationship to be superficial and hollow. Their
competition and rivalry reflect quite clearly their relationship is quite precarious and
unstable, as the personal feelings and ego may spoil it easily. In fact, the novel shows
these relationships to draw the readers' attention to the flamboyancy and hypocrisy
that can be part of people's interactions with each other, where one's personal gains
often prevail over the truthfulness of human connections. Momentarily, Moteram is
seen as he gets ready his wife and sons ready for the feast as well as disguises his wife
as a man so that she can attend the feast with him as a scholar, Pandit Sonaram
Shukla, due to the scarcity of Brahmins in the area. The plan shows how greedy and
selfish Moteram is as he would do anything to make sure that his son benefit most
from the invitation. Although the dinner is on the menu, the unravelling of Moteram's
deception complicates matters further. The scene takes a comical and chaotic turn as
the sons are trying to remember the false names their father had given them, not
knowing that these were to conceal their identity and the real reason for their presence
at the feast, due to Chintamani's questioning.

In conclusion, the self-deceit and avarice of Moteram expostulate his dissolute

personality and play-acting. The story concludes on the note that the very same
emotions that plagued Moteram, such as quest for possessions and social status, are
what turn him into a mere puppet. "Nimantran" is therefore a satire on the social
pretences which people adopt and their desire to maintain the reputable front while
compromising their moral values and personal relationships.