गुरुजी

Summary

A story is told about an elderly guru who visits the home of a former student, Nandrani, and her family. The guru arrives during a heavy storm and is given a room on the top floor of their new three-story house. He goes to sleep but is awakened in the middle of the night by cold water dripping on him from the ceiling. He moves his bed several times, but the water continues to fall. The bed becomes soaked and unusable. Afraid that the cracked ceiling might collapse, the old man leaves the room. He finds himself alone in the dark, stormy veranda, unable to find any servants. He sits on a bench meant for poor clients, feeling humiliated. He is then attacked by swarms of large mosquitoes. He spends the rest of the night trying to escape them, becoming exhausted and drenched in sweat. He resigns himself to the bites and falls asleep against a wall. In the morning, Nandrani finds him there. She is shocked and ashamed. Investigating the room, she discovers that a piece of ice, tied in a cloth, had been placed above the mosquito net, causing the dripping water. She realizes her son, Lalu, a mischievous boy known for his pranks, is responsible. She furiously orders the servants to find him. Her husband comes down and she shows him the evidence, demanding that Lalu be thrown out of the house. The guru, understanding the situation, laughs at his own foolishness. Lalu is found at his aunt's house and does not return for fifteen days.