नेताजी का चश्मा (Netaji Ka Chashma) is a short story by Swayam Prakash that has become a classic of modern Hindi fiction. It is a story about a small town, a statue, and a lame spectacle-seller whose quiet devotion to the memory of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose teaches the deepest lesson in patriotism. The story is told through the eyes of Haldar Saheb, a company officer who passes through the town regularly and always stops at the square where Netaji's statue stands.
At first the story seems simple, even amusing — a poor spectacle-seller placing glasses on a statue's face. But as the story unfolds, it becomes a moving meditation on how ordinary people keep the flame of a nation's hero alive, on the mockery that sincere patriots often face, and on the hope that the flame passes from one generation to the next. For a Class 10 student, this story combines a delightful narrative with deep emotional and national meaning, and it rewards careful study of its characters, symbols, and message.
The story is set in a small town (कस्बा). At the main square (चौराहा) stands a statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, the great freedom fighter who led the Indian National Army. The statue was put up by the municipality, and over the years it has become a part of the town's daily life.
The chief characters are:
Haldar Saheb: A company officer who travels through the town on business. He is a quiet patriot and a lover of pan. Every time his car reaches the square, he makes the driver stop so that he can look at Netaji's statue. The bare, glassless face of the statue pains him.
The Captain (कैप्टन): A lame (लँगड़ा) man who runs a tiny spectacle shop near the square. He is the true hero of the story. Though he could never join the army, his heart is that of a soldier devoted to Netaji. Everyone calls him Captain because of this devotion.
The Paan-seller (पानवाला): A fat, cheerful, talkative man who sits at the square selling pan. He mocks the Captain and makes the crowd laugh, but beneath his humour beats a genuinely feeling heart.
The Schoolboys: The children of the town who, after the Captain's death, carry on his work in their own small way.
Netaji (Subhas Chandra Bose): The absent hero whose statue is the centre of the story; his memory is the symbol around which all patriotism in the story gathers.
The story opens with Haldar Saheb, a company officer, travelling through a small town. He is a habitual pan-chewer, and his car usually stops at the square so that he can buy pan and, at the same time, look at the statue of Netaji that stands there. Haldar Saheb has deep respect for Netaji and for the martyrs of freedom, and the sight of the statue fills him with emotion.
Soon Haldar Saheb learns the secret of the statue. He notices that sometimes the statue has spectacles on its eyes and sometimes it does not. The person who keeps putting glasses on the statue is the Captain, a lame spectacle-seller whose small shop stands near the square. The Captain's devotion to Netaji is absolute. Seeing the great leader's face without glasses pained him, so he would take one of the few frames from his shop and fit it on the statue. Whenever a customer came asking for a broad frame, the Captain would give the customer the frame from the statue and then place another frame on the statue, so that Netaji's eyes were never left bare for long.
The paan-seller at the square laughs at this devotion. He jokes that a lame man could never join the army and calls the Captain a madman. The crowd laughs along. Yet Haldar Saheb understands what the crowd misses: the Captain's love of the nation is genuine, and his small act is a form of heroism that needs no uniform.
Then comes the sorrow of the story. One day Haldar Saheb passes through the town and finds the statue without glasses. He is disappointed, thinking the Captain has grown careless. When he asks the paan-seller, the paan-seller turns serious, spits out his pan, and says in a shaking voice: "Saheb, the Captain is dead." The news hits Haldar Saheb like a blow. The faithful keeper of Netaji's glasses is gone, and the statue stands bare.
The story does not end in sorrow, however. Years later, Haldar Saheb passes through the town once again. To his surprise and emotion, he finds on the statue a rough pair of glasses made of reed (सरकंडे का चश्मा) — clearly the work of schoolboys who have taken up the Captain's mission with whatever simple material they could find. The sight fills Haldar Saheb's eyes with tears. He realises that the Captain's devotion was not wasted: the flame of patriotism has passed to the young generation. The story closes with Haldar Saheb reflecting on the fate of a nation that forgets or mocks its heroes, and on the hope that lives in new hands.
The central theme of नेताजी का चश्मा is the quiet, everyday patriotism of ordinary people and the continuity of that love across generations. The story shows that patriotism is not measured by a uniform or a position but by the sincerity of the heart. The Captain, a lame spectacle-seller, serves his nation with more devotion than many who claim greater love of country.
The message of the story is threefold. First, it honours the small, selfless acts by which common people keep the memory of national heroes alive. Second, it warns against mocking sincere patriots and forgetting those who gave everything for the country — for a nation that laughs at its heroes cannot long survive with honour. Third, it holds out hope: the reed chashma of the schoolboys proves that the spirit of patriotism, once planted, grows in every new generation. For the reader, the story is a call to be a Captain in our own way — to serve the nation's memory and spirit through small, devoted actions.
Swayam Prakash writes in a simple, flowing narrative style, like a storyteller sharing an experience with a friend. His great skill is the creation of living characters — the lame Captain, the joking paan-seller, the feeling Haldar Saheb — and of a setting (the town square with its statue) that becomes symbolic. The story uses dramatic irony and gentle humour in its early part, which makes the sorrow of the Captain's death and the hope of the ending all the more powerful.
The central symbol is the chashma (spectacles). It stands at once for the dignity of the hero, the devotion of the common man, and the continuity of national feeling. The story also uses contrast skilfully: the mocking crowd versus the devoted Captain; the bare statue in sorrow versus the reed chashma of hope. Local dialect and everyday speech give the town authenticity, and the dominant रस is karun (pathos), beautifully balanced by the laughter of the beginning and the hope of the end.
| Aspect | Detail |
|---|---|
| Title | Netaji Ka Chashma |
| Author | Swayam Prakash |
| Setting | A small town; the square with Netaji's statue |
| Narrator-figure | Haldar Saheb, a company officer |
| Central character | The lame Captain, a spectacle-seller |
| Symbol | The chashma (spectacles) on the statue |
| Turning point | The Captain's death |
| Climax of hope | Schoolboys place reed glasses on the statue |
| Character | Role | What They Represent |
|---|---|---|
| Haldar Saheb | Observer who stops at the square | The feeling, honest middle-class patriot |
| The Captain | Keeps glasses on Netaji's statue | Sincere, uncelebrated patriotism |
| The Paan-seller | Mocks the Captain, grieves at his death | Ordinary feeling hidden under humour |
| The Schoolboys | Place reed glasses after his death | The continuity of patriotism |
नेताजी का चश्मा is a story of remarkable power and tenderness. Through the figure of the lame Captain who devotes his small shop's frames to Netaji's statue, Swayam Prakash shows that the truest patriotism lives in the humble, uncelebrated acts of ordinary people. The story's laughter deepens into sorrow at the Captain's death and then rises into hope with the schoolboys' reed chashma, reminding us that the flame of national feeling passes from hand to hand. For examinations, mastering the characters, the symbol, and the emotional arc of the story will let you answer with both accuracy and heart.