RANGA'S MARRIAGE by Masti Venkatesha Iyengar
Answer the following questions.
1.Who is Ranga ?
= Ranga was the accountant's son who went to Bangalore to pursue his studies.
2. Name the village of the narrator. Where was it situated ?
= The name of the village of the narrator is Hosahalli. It is situated in the state of Mysore.
3. Who was Ratna? Where was she living ?
= Ratna was a pretty girl of eleven and the niece of Rama Rao's. She was living at Rama Rao's house.
4. What musical instrument did Ratna know to play ?
= Ratna knew how to play veena and the harmonium.
5.What was Ranga's view on marriage ?
= Rana was against arranged marriage. He thinks that one should marry the girl whom he knows well. According to him the girl should be mature and must be younger than him so that she may take his words spoken in love and spoken in anger.
6.Describe the quality of the mangoes of Hosahalli village.
= The mangoes of the village Hosahalli had a special quality. The special quality of the mangoes was that they were so sour that they could relieve one from his cough. Once the author made a chutney out of it and ate it, they were recovered from the cough they suffered.
7. Whom did the narrator send for and why ?
= The narrator sent for Ranga the accountant's son because he wanted him to come in contact with Ratna the preety girl.
8. How did Ranga and Ratna react when they saw each other ?
= Before seeing Ratna, Ranga fell in love at her sweet voice. When he saw her, he was overcome with feelings. He repeatedly glanced at her. Ratna also felt something towards Ranga at the first sight. When she saw him, she was overcome by shyness and ran inside.
Q. Who is the narrator of the story ' Ranga's Marriage ' ? Describe his village.
= Masti Venkates Iyengar is the narrator of the story ' Ranga's Marriage ' .
The name of the village of the narrator is Hosahalli. It is a very backward village. It is so backward that there is no mention of it in any geography book and there was not even the shadow of the village on any map. It was situated in the state of Mysore. There are so many mango trees in the village. The village is famous for its mangoes. They had a special quality. They work as the medicine of cough. Just as the mango is special, so as everything else around the village is special.
9. " English was not so widespread in Hosahalli, " - Discuss with help of cited examples.
= This line has been taken from the prose piece " Ranga's Marriage" .
Through this line the author wants to inform us the influence of the English language in his village and its people, and their thinking towards it.
In the village Hosahalli few people knew English. They did not use any simple English word in their conversations. Even, the simplest word like 'change' was not popular among them. There is an instance in the story that once Rama Rao's son had taken a bundle of fire wood from an old lady. Rama Rao's son told her that he had not any change with him to give her and asked her to come next day. The woman did not understand the meaning of the word change and went away muttering to herself. Even the author also did not understand the meaning of the word. Later on he come to know the meaning of the word from Ranga.
The English language had a great impact on the lives of the people of the village Hosahalli. Like the other villages in India, the people of Hosahalli took the English language as the most precious thing. For them the English speaking people are so talented that they know everything . So Ranga's homecoming in the village was a great event. The people wanted to look him who had gone to Bangalore to study English. They also thought that one who receive education in English lost their caste. So people rushed to his door to visit him.
10. Comment on the influence of English- the language and the way of life - on Indian life as reflected in the story. What is the narrator's attitude to English.
= At the outset of the story, ' Ranga's marriage ' we are taken to those times of India when very few people in the villages knew the English language. The time when the English language was considered as the most precious thing among the ordinary people in India. At that time the authors village was not exceptional to it. In the village Hosahalli few people knew English. They did not use any simple English word in their conversations. Even, the simplest word like 'change' was not popular among them. There is an instance in the story that once Rama Rao's son had taken a bundle of fire wood from an old lady. Rama Rao's son told her that he had not any change with him to give her and asked her to come next day. The woman did not understand the meaning of the word change and went away muttering to herself. Even the author also did not understand the meaning of the word. Later on he come to know the meaning of the word from Ranga.
The English language had a great impact on the lives of the people of the village Hosahalli. Like the other villages in India, the people of Hosahalli took the English language as the most precious thing. For them the English speaking people are so talented that they know everything . So Ranga's homecoming in the village was a great event. The people wanted to look him who had gone to Bangalore to study English. They also thought that one who receive education in English lost their caste. So people rushed to his door to visit him.
The attitude of the narrator to English is quite positive. He considers English to be a priceless commodity
11. Describe in your words the narrator's village and its people.
= The name of the village of the narrator is Hosahalli. It is a very backward village. It is so backward that there is no mention of it in any geography book and there was not even the shadow of the village on any map. It was situated in the state of Mysore. There are so many mango trees in the village. The village is famous for its mangoes. They had a special quality. They work as the medicine of cough. Just as the mango is special, so as everything else around the village is special.
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