Primary sourceBook
The Cabuliwallah
Rabindranath Tagore
A short story by Tagore about the friendship between a Bengali father and his daughter, and an Afghan street vendor, the Cabuliwallah.
This short story is one of Tagore's own best-known works of fiction, widely taught in schools.
About this source
What it is
The Cabuliwallah is a short story written by Rabindranath Tagore. It opens with the narrator describing his chatty young daughter Mini and introduces themes that lead into the story of her friendship with an Afghan peddler known as the Cabuliwallah.
Why it matters
The story is one of Tagore's most widely read and taught short works, valued for its gentle portrayal of friendship across cultural and generational lines. It reflects Tagore's interest in ordinary human relationships and his skill in short fiction, alongside his poetry and drama.
Look closer
- What does the opening scene with Mini's questions tell you about the narrator's family life?
- Why might Tagore choose a child's innocent curiosity to open a story about an outsider in the community?
- What might this story reveal, or not reveal, about attitudes toward outsiders in Tagore's Bengal?
This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Rabindranath Tagore on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.
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