“Iswaran the Storyteller” short and long summary: “Iswaran the Storyteller” is part of class CBSE 9 English Supplementary Reader ‘Moments’. A Hindi summary is also given here. Click here for more study materials.
Summary of the Story: “Iswaran the Storyteller”
Short Summary
Mahendra and His Adventurous Life as a Junior Supervisor
Mahendra, a young man and junior supervisor in a firm that provides supervisors for construction sites, recounts his diverse and nomadic work experiences. He leads a simple life and is accompanied by his devoted cook, Iswaran, who is known for his culinary skills and storytelling abilities.
Iswaran, the Master Storyteller
Iswaran, Mahendra’s cook, is deeply attached to him and follows him to various work locations. Iswaran possesses a unique talent for weaving captivating stories and anecdotes, often influenced by Tamil literature. He narrates thrilling tales, including an encounter with a wild elephant, and his narratives entertain Mahendra during their time together.
Iswaran’s Supernatural Stories
Iswaran amazes Mahendra with his accounts of supernatural experiences, including ghosts and spirits haunting the factory area, which was once a burial ground. Mahendra dismisses these stories as mere imagination until he has a chilling experience himself, leaving him unsettled and ultimately deciding to leave the haunted place.
An Unexpected Encounter with the Female Ghost
One night, Mahendra hears a mysterious moan outside his window and spots a dark, ghostly figure with a bundle. Initially dismissing it as auto-suggestion, he later realizes the truth when Iswaran confirms the presence of the female ghost. Frightened, Mahendra decides to leave the haunted area promptly.
Mahendra’s Decision to Depart
Haunted by the ghostly encounter, Mahendra’s unease grows, and he avoids looking out his window during full-moon nights. When Iswaran confirms the reality of the ghost, Mahendra decides to quit his job and leave the factory area, putting an end to his adventurous life as a junior supervisor.
महेंद्र और एक जूनियर पर्यवेक्षक के रूप में उनका जीवन
निर्माण स्थलों के लिए पर्यवेक्षक प्रदान करने वाली एक फर्म में एक युवा और जूनियर सुपरवाइजर महेंद्र अपने विविध और खानाबदोश कार्य अनुभवों को याद करते हैं। वह एक साधारण जीवन जीते हैं और उनके साथ उनके समर्पित रसोइए, ईश्वरन भी हैं, जो अपने पाक कौशल और कहानी कहने की क्षमताओं के लिए जाने जाते हैं।
ईश्वरन, मास्टर स्टोरीटेलर
महेंद्र का रसोइया ईश्वरन उससे गहराई से जुड़ा हुआ है और विभिन्न कार्य स्थलों पर उसका पीछा करता है। ईश्वरन के पास मनोरम कहानियों और उपाख्यानों को बुनने की एक अनूठी प्रतिभा है, जो अक्सर तमिल साहित्य से प्रभावित होती है। वह एक जंगली हाथी के साथ मुठभेड़ सहित रोमांचकारी कहानियां सुनाता है, और उसके आख्यान महेंद्र को उनके समय के दौरान मनोरंजन करते हैं।
ईश्वरन की अलौकिक कहानियाँ
ईश्वरन ने महेंद्र को अलौकिक अनुभवों के अपने विवरणों से आश्चर्यचकित कर दिया, जिसमें भूत और आत्माएं कारखाने के क्षेत्र को परेशान करती हैं, जो कभी दफन का मैदान था। महेंद्र इन कहानियों को केवल कल्पना के रूप में खारिज कर देता है जब तक कि उसे खुद एक डरावना अनुभव नहीं होता है, जिससे वह परेशान हो जाता है और अंततः प्रेतवाधित जगह छोड़ने का फैसला करता है।
महिला भूत के साथ एक अप्रत्याशित मुठभेड़
एक रात, महेंद्र को अपनी खिड़की के बाहर एक रहस्यमय कराह सुनाई देती है और एक बंडल के साथ एक अंधेरे, भूतिया आकृति को देखता है। शुरू में इसे ऑटो-सुझाव के रूप में खारिज करते हुए, बाद में उसे सच्चाई का एहसास होता है जब ईश्वरन महिला भूत की उपस्थिति की पुष्टि करता है। भयभीत होकर, महेंद्र ने प्रेतवाधित क्षेत्र को तुरंत छोड़ने का फैसला किया।
महेंद्र का काम छोड़ने का फैसला
भूतिया मुठभेड़ से परेशान, महेंद्र की बेचैनी बढ़ जाती है, और वह पूर्णिमा की रातों के दौरान अपनी खिड़की से बाहर देखने से बचता है। जब ईश्वरन भूत की वास्तविकता की पुष्टि करता है, तो महेंद्र अपनी नौकरी छोड़ने और कारखाना क्षेत्र छोड़ने का फैसला करता है, जिससे एक जूनियर पर्यवेक्षक के रूप में अपने साहसिक जीवन का अंत हो जाता है।
Long Summary
Page 12 – Introduction to Mahendra and Iswaran
The story begins with Ganesh being told a tale by a young man named Mahendra, who works as a junior supervisor in a firm providing supervisors for various construction sites. Mahendra is a bachelor and often has to move to different locations for work. He is accompanied by his cook, Iswaran, who is not only a skilled cook but also a gifted storyteller. Iswaran is deeply devoted to Mahendra and follows him wherever he goes. They form a close bond as Iswaran shares fascinating stories and anecdotes with Mahendra.
Page 13 – Iswaran’s Talents and Adventures
Iswaran’s storytelling talent is extraordinary, and he often weaves suspense and surprise into his narrations. He amazes Mahendra with his ability to conjure up delicious meals even in remote locations with scarce resources. Iswaran tells a thrilling story about an elephant gone wild in his hometown and how he managed to stop it, using an art he read about called Karate or ju-jitsu.
Page 14 – Iswaran’s Supernatural Tales
Iswaran frequently shares stories of adventure, horror, and suspense with Mahendra, often involving supernatural elements. One night, after preparing a special dinner for the spirits of their ancestors, Iswaran frightens Mahendra by describing a female ghost that haunts the area, holding a foetus in its arms. Mahendra dismisses these stories as mere imagination and tries to ignore his unease.
Page 15 – A Night of Fear
Despite his scepticism, Mahendra starts feeling uneasy at night, especially during full moon nights, after hearing Iswaran’s ghost stories. One night, he hears a low moaning sound near his window. Though frightened, he cannot resist looking outside, where he sees a dark form clutching a bundle. Terrified, he convinces himself that it was just his imagination playing tricks on him.
Page 16 – Iswaran’s Revelation
The next morning, Mahendra tries to forget the previous night’s horror, but Iswaran casually mentions the ghost and the moaning sound he heard from Mahendra’s room. This revelation chills Mahendra to the bone, and he decides to leave the haunted place and submits his resignation immediately.
Page 17 – Conclusion
The story concludes with Mahendra deciding to leave the place due to his fear of the supernatural. Iswaran’s storytelling skills had entertained him for a long time, but when his stories started haunting him, Mahendra couldn’t stay any longer. The tale showcases the power of storytelling and the fine line between entertainment and fear that it can tread.
Another Summary
Mahendra, the Junior Supervisor, and His Dependable Cook, Ishwaran
In this story, we follow the journey of Mahendra, a junior supervisor who finds himself constantly on the move due to the directives from the head office. Despite the challenges of relocation, Mahendra is fortunate to have a loyal and expert caretaker named Ishwaran. Ishwaran not only takes care of Mahendra’s domestic needs, such as cooking meals and washing clothes, but also becomes his close companion, engaging in late-night chats with him.
A Friendship Built on Trust and Thrilling Tales
As Mahendra and Ishwaran spend more time together, a strong bond of trust and friendship develops between them. Ishwaran’s spare time hobby of reading Tamil thrillers serves as a source of entertainment for both of them. He uses his vivid imagination to craft original thrillers, which he enthusiastically narrates to Mahendra. The junior supervisor attentively listens to Ishwaran’s stories, never attempting to find any loopholes in his creative narratives.
Ishwaran’s Fascination with Tamil Thrillers and Original Stories
Ishwaran’s passion for Tamil thrillers becomes evident as he frequently includes elements of elephants in his stories. One of his remarkable tales recounts how he managed to paralyze a mad elephant that had run amok, endangering the lives of people nearby. The story involves timber logs, trucks, and the brave actions of a young Ishwaran, who strikes the elephant’s third toe nail, revealing a secret about controlling the giant creature.
Ishwaran’s Astounding Encounter with a Mad Elephant
This heading delves further into the thrilling tale narrated by Ishwaran about the ferocious mad elephant. The narrative unfolds with the elephant’s rampage through a school ground, causing chaos and panic among children and teachers. Amidst the chaos, Ishwaran, in his childhood, fearlessly intervenes and successfully paralyzes the menacing elephant, showcasing his resourcefulness and bravery.
A Haunting Tale of Ghosts and Ancestral Spirits
Apart from thrilling tales involving elephants, Ishwaran also shares stories about spirits and ghosts that add an eerie twist to their late-night conversations. He reveals that the place where they live was once a burial ground, and he has had encounters with ghosts. Despite the chilling nature of these stories, Ishwaran maintains a sense of fearlessness, which intrigues and terrifies Mahendra.
Mahendra’s Terrifying Encounter with the Woman Ghost
One night, Ishwaran narrates a particularly spine-chilling story about a woman ghost who appears exclusively on full moon nights, moaning while cradling a foetus in her arms. The frightening tale deeply disturbs Mahendra, who begins to experience vivid nightmares about the ghostly apparition. To his horror, he even witnesses the ghost outside his window, making him contemplate the reality of the supernatural.
Ishwaran’s Playful Teasing and Mahendra’s Decision to Resign
As the haunting experiences continue to haunt Mahendra, Ishwaran playfully teases him about seeing the ghost himself. Despite Ishwaran’s light-hearted approach, Mahendra is deeply affected and decides to resign from his job and leave the haunted place behind. The fear and uncertainty caused by the ghostly encounters become too much for Mahendra to bear, leading to a significant turning point in their lives and friendship.
