-Masti Venkatesha Iyengar
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Summary:
"Ranga's Marriage" by Masti Venkatesha Iyengar is a short story promoolving around Ranganatha,the village accountant's son,who had studied in Bangalore.The story is humourous and it represents the bigger picture of the conflict in our society between traditional thought and modern thought.We need to bring a reconciliation between old and new.
The story begins when Ranga,the village accountant's son,returned from Bangalore after six months of studies to their village Hosahalli.Very lesshad the opportunity to pursue their studies away from home,so Ranga's homecoming had excited the entire village.A large crowd had gathered at Ranga's house to see how he had changed.But the crowd melted away rapidly as they couldn't see much change in him.
The narrator stayed back and exchanged some pleasantries with him and he too left.That same afternoon,Ranga came to the narrator's residence and give him some oranges. They talked for some time and the narrator came to the point. He asked Ranga about his views on marriage.Ranga expressed how he believed in marrying a girl he admires.He desired to marry a girl who was mature enough.
The narrator was dismayed.He was distressed that the boy he thought would make a good husband had decided to remain a bachelor unless he found the girl of his own choice. He, however,decided to make Ranga marry.
Ratna,Rama Rao's niece, who was pretty and wed just 11 had come to stay with Rama Rao. She too was from a big town and mature enough. She had a sweet voice and also sang well. Her parents had died and her uncle had brought her home. The narrator thought that she would make a good wife Ranga.
The narrator stages the entire union of Ratna and Ranga cleverly. The girl had come to Shyama's place (narrator's residence)to fetch the buttermilk.Upon the narrator's request,Ratna sang.Ranga also came at the same time. Seeing Ranga,Ratna abruptly stopped and stood at a distance her head lowered.Ranga inquired about the girl and the narrator tells how the girl is married already.Ranga was disappointed hearing this.
The narrator then manipulated the village Shastri,to tell some things which would compel Ranga to marry Ratna. That afternoon, when the narrator met Ranga and told him to come to the Shastri to know the reason of his discomfort,the Shastri told that the reason was a girl. The girl's name resemble something found in the ocean. The narrator cleverly guesses it to be Ratna but falsely again asserts how she is married. On the we back,they confirmed that Ratna is not married. Renga,upon knowing this,becomes very happy and full of hope.
Finally, both Ranga and Ratna were married. They also had a son who was named after the narrator. Angry,he also tells Ranga,how his name was not a good one.Ratna is also pregnant with another child.
Difficult Words:
1)Mill:To crowd in a particular area without no specific reason.
2)Karigadabu:A South Indian fried sweet filled with coconut and sugar.
3)Annayya:A respectful term for an elder in Kannada.
4)Brahmandhra:A soft part in a child's head where skull bones join later.
5)Courtyard:An unroofed area that is completely enclosed by walls.
6)Black Hole of Calcutta:A dungeon in Fort William where the troops of Siraj Ud- Daulah were prisoned.
7)Janewara:A sacred thread worn by Brahmins.
8)Namaskara:Bowing down to show respect.
9)Troupe:A group of artists who travel showcasing their arts.
10)Shrivelled:To pale down due to disappointment.
11)Shastri(Here):An astrologer.
12)Guru:A planet which can take one to dizzying heights according to astrology.
13)Shani:A malefic planet in astrology.
14)Paraphernalia:Equipment needed for a particular activity.
15)Cowries:Marine molluscs having glossy, brightly patterned domed shell with long narrow opening.
16)Palmyra:A tall fan-leaved tree cultivated heavily in India.
17)Harikatha:A form of Hindu traditional discourse.
18)Pachchi:Small flowerless plants abundantly found in ocean floors.
19)Shastra:Traditional book referred for a particular reason.
20)Madhavacharya:An exponent of Vedantic philosophy from South India.
About Author:
Masti Venkatesha Iyengar(1891-1986)was well-known writer in Kannada language. He was the fourth Kannada writer to be honoured with the Jnanipath award.He is renowned for his short stories.He was also a civil servant.He is popularly known as "Srinivasa".
NCERT Questions:
A)Reading with Insight
1)According to the narrator,during the last decade English language has made inroads into Indian countryside.Now there are many who know English language. One comes across them on every street talking in English. The author describes how native people are bringing in English words even while talking in their native language.The narrator considers this is as disgraceful.
•Ranga,the village accountant son,who had returned after pursuing his studies in Bangalore had also been impacted by western thoughts.He wanted to marry a girl whom he really admires and she must be mature enough.
•The narrator straight up rejected this way of life.
2)The story presents astrologers in a negative light.The story shows how the narrator employs an astrologer to trick an unwilling young man to agree to marry a young girl.He tutors the astrologer everything he wanted him to say.
The narrator took Ranga to the astrologer. The astrologer took out his paraphernalia coma two sheets of paper,some cowries and a book of palmyra leaves.He describes the glory of the science and called it an ancient art. He did some calculations and told that Ranga was disturbed because of a girl. She had the name of something found in the ocean. Ranga was impressed by the science of astrology.
That evening the narrator congratulated Shastri for repeating everything without any suspicion. The narrator also mocked that his science was almost of no use. Shastri didn't like it and asserted how he could have found the same without the narrator's help too. This instance is evident of the fact that how astrologers predictions are based more on hearsay and conjectures rather than what the study of stars.
3)In the past, marriages in India were usually arranged by parents or relatives. The story Ranga's marriage shows how under the influence of western thought,people have started to choose their own partner rather than marrying to somebody who their parents had chosen.With the passage of time, we witnessed certain changes in economic as well as social S
spheres. Education for women and access to jobs have changed the attitude of their male counterparts towards them. Marriageable boys and girls have also more say in the choice of partners. Certain legal frameworks have also been carried out to make marriage legally acceptable.
4)The narrator,Shyama is dark in colour but he has a big heart.He is an elderly gentleman.He keenly observes the people around him. He believes in Indian way of thought and strongly rejects the influence of Western thought processes.He is a conservatist by nature.He is a good judge of human character who has the good of others in his heart.He is equally smart and a good strategist.He plots an entire drama to make Ranga marry Ratna. He is also quite humorous.
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