Munshi Premchand was such a progressive writer that, in his hands Hindi literature achieved new heights. He highlighted the problems of the common man and held up a mirror to the society of his time. His writings had a lasting impact; he took up realistic issues of the time- communalism, poverty, colonialism, corruption etc. He wrote short stories, novels and many essays. His famous works are Panch Parmeswar, Godan, Gaban, Karamabhoomi, and Manorama among the others.

Premchand wrote in a very direct and simple style and his words made their own magic. His protagonists were always the people he observed around him. His knowledge of the human psychology and his appreciation of the ironies of life made him a stellar writer. In keeping with his clean-cut style and lucid manner, reading Premchand is a great pleasure. His prose is precise and his descriptions are succinct.

Premchand lived in an era of great social turmoil for India. He saw traditional village independence being destroyed by the colonizers. He saw how the traditional system of the Indian Undivided Family was falling apart with the pressures of increased centralization of jobs in urban centres. He also noted the fallout of large-scale urbanization and the consequent materialistic and acquisitional tendencies it triggered. His stories and novel faithfully record and analyze these tendencies through the trials and tribulations of his protagonists. The reader feels a part of Premchand`s stories. All his fictional characters are real they are living and breathing.

Premchand observed keenly the psychology of a child, brought up in poverty. In his short story Eidgah, the hero, a small boy from a poor family, goes with his relatively well-to-do friends. He has a very small amount of money to spare. Instead of blowing it on fun and toys, he buys a "chimta" for his old grandmother, who used to burn her fingers on the hot iron "tava". Even his novel "Godan" tells the story of a poor man, bound by the society, exploited by the privileged class and his soul-destroying travails. His protagonists are often exploited, but never unjust themselves, and retain their humanity.

The badi bahuria, in "Bade Ghar Ki Bahu", despite longing to eat a halfway decent meal, gives it to the postman, who is actually the bearer of bad news. When the postman tries to decline, she says that she will eat some bathua saag and manage. The protagonist of "Ghaban" is out to impress his newly wed wife. His tale of plight is told with understanding and empathy.

Each novel, each story of Premchand reassures us that humanity is alive and well. That the circumstances may be grim, but there is a god somewhere, and things are not so bad as they may seem. Premchand saw goodness in every human being, and hence described people aptly. The most mean and vicious character will suffer the occasional qualm of conscience. And the most naive character is not without heroism.