An Astrologer's Day is a story of an astrologer who conducts his business near a court.
He starts his work almost at midday . He spreads his professional equipment, which consist of a dozen cowrie shells , a square piece of cloth with obscure mystic charts on it,  a notebook and a bundle of Palmyra writing . He's a fine get-up of an  astrologer, with his forehead shinning with sacred ash and vermilion. He has dark whiskers and sparkling eyes. To crown the effect, he wears a saffron-colored turban around his head. He sits at a place which's frequented by all sorts-of people. Many hawkers cry loudly near him. And when its dark he gets light from a neighboring hawker.


             The astrologer was devoid of any professional training. During his youth he used to drink, gamble and quarrel. Once he hit a fellow villager hard on his head and assuming the person dead, he pushed him into a well. To hide himself from the police he ran away and settled as an astrologer in a town. Even though he lacked training, he had all the shrewdness and understanding of human mind and the causes of human worries. Thats why he could answer convincing questions to his clients. 


             Once he had an encounter with a person before winding up his day's work. The man wanted to get satisfactory answer to the question "Whether he'll be able to find his enemy or not. The astrologer recognized him as his enemy in that dim light. He was the person whom he pushed into a well thinking he was dead. The astrologer struck a bargain with him. He gave such convincing answers to his questions that the man was fully satisfied. The astrologer told him that his enemy was crushed under a lorry and now he show never travel southward to avoid anymore trouble in his life. In this way he bade him good bye and got rid of his enemy.

            Reaching home the astrologer told his wife that a great burden was off his head as the person whom he thought to be dead was alive. He narrated the past incident to her. After this, he yawned and stretched himself on the pyol.

--R.K Narayan