JANUARY NIGHT

By – Munshi Premchand

GNAN SRISHTI SCHOOL OF EXCELLENCE

About the Author
Dhanpat Rai Srivastava, better known by his pen name Premchand, was an Indian
writer famous for his modern Hindustani literature. Premchand was a pioneer of
Hindi and Urdu social fiction. Premchand was born Dhanpat Rai on 31 July 1880 in
Lamhi, a village located near Banaras, and was named Dhanpat Rai ("master of
wealth"). When he was 7 years old, Dhanpat Rai began his education at a madrasa
in Lalpur, Varanasi, located near Lamhi. As a child, Dhanpat Rai sought solace in
fiction, and developed a fascination for books. He heard the stories of the Persian-
language fantasy epic Tilism-e-Hoshruba at a tobacconist's shop. He took the job of
selling books for a book wholesaler, thus getting the opportunity to read a lot of
books.

His notable literary work includes Godan, Idgah, Di bailon ki katha, Nirmala and
many more short stories and novels. Sevasadanam (1938) was made into a film with
M. S. Subbulakshmi in the lead role. A film version of Premchand's novel, Gaban,
was released in 1966. In 1977, Satyajit Ray made a film based on Premchand's short
story "Shatranj ke Khiladi" ("The Chess Players"), which won the
National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi.

GNAN SRISHTI SCHOOL OF EXCELLENCE

 SYNONYMS:

1. calamity – adversity, mishap

2. coax – cajole, tease
3. protracted – continued, lingering
4. torment – anguish, pain
5. resentment – annoyance
6. buffeting – blustering, raging
7. smouldered – blaze

ANTONYMS:

1. coax x repel, discourage

2. torment x comfort
3. resentment – calmness
4. buffeting x blustering, raging
5. intolerable x bearable
6. arrear x benefit

GNAN SRISHTI SCHOOL OF EXCELLENCE

 COMPREHENSION

1. Why did Munni want Halku to pay the landlord only after the harvest?
Ans: Munni wanted Halku to pay the landlord only after the harvest so that they could buy a blanket
with the money they had. The blanket would be useful in the cold January nights.

2. Why did Halku look as though ‘he were tearing his heart out and giving it away’?
Ans: Halku looked as if he was tearing his heart out and giving it away because he had to give the
landlord all the money he had saved pice by pice. This was the money he had hoped to spend on a
blanket.

3. Why did Halku feel proud when he lit the fire?

Ans: By lighting the fire Halku gained victory over the cold night, and he felt proud of this.

4. How did Halku know that there were some animals in the field? How does he react?
When Jabra barked, Halku knew that there were some wild animals in his field. He then heard the
sound of munching. Halku did not want to get up to investigate so he began to convince himself that
there were no animals in the field and there was no need to get up; instead he began to shout. Then
he sat peacefully.

GNAN SRISHTI SCHOOL OF EXCELLENCE

5. The whole field was ruined. How did Halku feel about it? How did Munni feel?
Ans: Since Halku had dozed off, the entire field was ruined. When Munni came in the morning, she
saw that the entire field had been ruined and that Halku had gone to sleep. Her face was shadowed
with grief because she knew that they would not be able to pay off their debts and they would have
no crop for the harvest. Halku, on the other hand, was content because he knew that he could now
work as a hired labourer, pay off his debts and save some money for them to eat.

6. Why did Halku look up to the skies?

Ans: Halku looked at the skies to see how much of the night was left. According to Halku, it would
last another three hours since the dipper had yet to climb half the sky.

7. Why did Jabra probably think he was in heaven?

Ans: When they could no longer bear the cold weather, Halku gently picked Jabra and got him to
fall asleep in his lap. The dog’s body gave off some stink, but Halku, hugging him tight, experienced
happiness he hadn’t felt for months. So Jabra Jabra probably thought he was in heaven.

8. What does Munni mean when she says, “ Fine work, farming someone else’s land’?
Ans: Munni advised Halku to give up the tenant farming because whatever Halku harvests go to pay
up the arrears. If he works as a hired labourer, then some money will remain. So according to
Munni, farming another person’s land is a bad choice.

GNAN SRISHTI SCHOOL OF EXCELLENCE

 REFERENCE TO CONTEXT
1. ‘Tell him we’ll pay him after the harvest, not right now”.

a. Who is speaking and to whom?

Munni is speaking to Halku

b. Who is the ‘him’ the speaker refers to?

The landlord is being referred to as ‘him’.

c. What is the payment the speaker refers to?

The payment is the rent for the land.

2. “This is the reward you get for farming”.

b. Who says this and to whom?

Halku is speaking to Jabra

b. When does the speaker make this statement?

The speaker makes this statement when he and Jabra go to guard the field on a cold January night.

c. What is the reward that the speaker mentions? Students will answer the question.

GNAN SRISHTI SCHOOL OF EXCELLENCE

VALUE ADDED QUESTION

1. The dob Jabra seems to be quite an intelligent animal and ‘displays many
human qualities’. What do you think he thought about everything that
happened in the story.

GNAN SRISHTI SCHOOL OF EXCELLENCE