The story humorously critiques blind reverence (nobody really notices the face of the “holy” man), the pressures of small business, and the ironic twists of fate. It’s a classic Laxman tale—wry, understated, and sharply observant of everyday Indian life.

Here’s a concise summary of by R. K. Laxman (a classic humorous short story from his collection The Man Who Knew Too Much ):

However, after completing the frame, he realizes he has lost the original photograph. Panic-stricken, he searches everywhere but cannot find it. Desperate to avoid the customer’s wrath and the ruin of his reputation, Datta tries a trick: he finds a similar-looking photo of another Swami from a calendar, mounts it in the gold frame, and returns it to the customer.

The story revolves around , a skilled but eccentric owner of a small frame-making shop. A customer brings in a faded, precious photograph of a revered Swami (a spiritual leader) to be mounted in an expensive gold frame. Datta takes the job very seriously.

To his shock and relief, the customer doesn’t notice the switch. He reverently accepts the frame, pays for it, and leaves. But the story ends with Datta’s comedic horror—shortly after, he discovers the original lost photograph stuck to the back of another frame in his shop. Now he has two “Swamis” and realizes the absurdity of his mistake, but he decides to remain silent.