The Postmaster,” a story by Rabindranath Tagore, is about an unnamed postmaster assigned to a post office in a rural village called Ulapur. The postmaster is from the city of Calcutta and feels out of place in such an insignificant village. The workers in the nearby factory have no time to befriend anyone since they are very busy. Besides, they are not desirable company for “decent folk.” Moreover, people from Calcutta are not particularly good at mingling with others and appear arrogant. He tries to write a bit of poetry, but the postmaster is uninterested in nature and would be happy if it were replaced by the city landscape. His salary is small; he does his cooking, but he shares his food with Ratan, an orphan girl of the village, who does odd jobs for him. At night, he asks her whether she remembers her parents, learning that she has fonder memories of her father than of her mother. She can even recall a little brother. Sometimes these conversations last a long time—so long that the postmaster doesn’t cook and Ratan instead hastily prepares a light meal. The postmaster himself talks about his home, his mother and sister, and others whom he misses. Eventually Ratan begins speaking of the members of the Postmaster’s family as if they are members of her own family. One afternoon, he calls Ratan and tells her that he is going to teach her to read. She learns double consonants in a short time. Later, he falls sick in his solitude. Ratan ceases to be a little girl and at