Story Overview:

The story “Ek Singh Wala Aadmi” (“A Man with a Horn”) centres on an ageing man who, one night, discovers a hard lump emerging from his scalp. This lump gradually grows into a horn, transforming not just his appearance but the course of his life. Initially, the horn brings him confusion and shame, but soon it makes him the centre of unwanted attention in his town. People flock to see him, doctors study him, and he becomes a spectacle rather than a person. Isolated and ridiculed, his business declines, and he withdraws from society, reflecting on the lost prosperity and dignity he once had.

As time passes, the horn becomes a part of his identity, and the initial fascination fades. When an exhibition manager offers to display him for money, the man refuses, unwilling to trade his dignity for profit. In a final twist, after rejecting the offer, he discovers the horn has vanished, leaving the story open to interpretation—was the horn ever real, or merely a symbol of his alienation and society’s cruelty? The story poignantly explores themes of otherness, dignity, and the human longing for acceptance.