RANGA'S MARRIAGE

Short Q & A

How did the narrator carry out his resolve to get Ranga married

to Ratna?

The narrator felt that Ranga and Ratna was a suitable match for

each other. He arranged a meeting in which Ranga could meet

Ratna and get impressed with her quality of singing. He

manipulated things in a clever way and made Ranga fall in love

with her. He finally got them married.

What are the special features of Hosahalli and in what respect

are they so?

In the village of Hosahalli the mango trees produce sour mangoes

whose sourness go straight to the skull bones. There is also a

creeper growing in the ever-so-fine water of the village pond. The

flowers are a feast to behold and the leaves can be used to serve

afternoon meals.
What was special about Rangappa? How did the villagers react

to it?

After his return from Bangalore where he had been studying for

six months, much to everyone’s surprise, he was just the same. His

homecoming became a great event for the villagers. People rushed

to his door step wanting to have a look at him. An old lady even

ran her hand over his chest, looked into his eyes and remarked

that the janewara was still there. He hadn’t lost his caste.

Why does the narrator refer to the Black Hole of Calcutta?

During the British rule, in Calcutta, hundreds of people were

herded together in one room, hence leading to the death of many

due to suffocation. The narrator compares the crowd to the Black

Hole of Calcutta saying that so many people who had come to see

Ranga, would have turned the place into a black hole if they had

all gone inside.

What exactly had happened ten years ago?

Ten years ago, the village accountant’s son was the first one to be

sent to Bangalore to study. At that time, not many in the village

knew English and no English words were used while talking in the

native language.
What does the narrator tell the reader about his village

Hosahalli?

According to the narrator, the village Hosahalli is important to

Karnataka as ‘Karigadabu’ is to a festive meal. It has mango trees

which produce sour fruit. It is a place that has not been mentioned

in any geography book, yet the author is proud of his village.

Who was Ranga? What was special about him?

Ranga was the village accountant’s son who had gone

to Bangalore to study. People thought that city education would

change him, but they were wrong. He still showed respect towards

elders in the village and wore the sacred thread. However, his

views on marriage had changed.

What are the narrator’s views on English Language?

The narrator did not like English Language. English was not

spoken by the villagers. Ranga was the first person to go out of the

village to study English. People felt that he would be a changed

person after getting English education.

What impression do you form of the narrator? How does he add

to the humour of the story?

The narrator appears to be a very talkative man. He jumps from

one topic to another. There are too many digressions in his

narration. He takes a lot of interest in village affairs. He decides to

get Ranga married to Ratna as soon as he realises that they seem

suitable for each other. His narration evokes the humour in the

story when he manipulates the situation in a clever way. The

astrologer’s remarks and the meeting between Ranga and Ratna

add to the humour of the story.

Why is there no mention of Hosahalli in any Geography book?

The village of Hosahalli had not been mentioned in any geography

book. The Sahibs in England, writing in English, perhaps did not

know that such a place existed.

Give an example to show that the narrator is proud of his

village.

The narrator seems to be very proud of his village. He says that

Hosahalli is to Mysore State what the sweet Karigadabu is to a

festive meal.
Why was Ranga’s homecoming a great event?

Ranga’s homecoming was a great event because he had gone

to Bangalore to study. He was the first person in the village to

have done so. His homecoming was a delight for the villagers and

they all thronged to his house to see if city education had changed

him or not.

What were Ranga’s views on marriage?

Ranga was of the view that one should not marry a very young

girl. A person should marry a girl who is mature. According to

him, a man should marry a girl whom he admires.

Did Ranga select his bride according to the views he held about

marriage?

No, Ranga did not select his bride according to his ideas on

marriage. He fell in love with an eleven-year-old girl Ratna and

got married to her.

Why does the narrator compare himself to a he-goat and Ranga

to a lion?

The narrator referred to a story in which a clever he-goat was able

to scare away a lion. Here, he compares himself to the shrewd goat

who has laid a plot for Ranga’s marriage. Just as the lion was
unable to escape the clever moves of the goat, Ranga was also

taken in by his manipulations.

What arrangements did the narrator make with Shastri, the

astrologer?

The astrologer had been briefed by Shyama about what to say. He

acted accordingly. Ranga was already interested in Ratna. He told

her that he could possibly marry the girl he was thinking of

marrying.

This is a humorous story. Which part did you find the most

amusing?

The description of the village of Hosahalli evokes some humour in

the story. The narrator and Ranga’s visit to the astrologer and their

conversation produce a few comic moments in the story.

How did the narrator arrange that Ranga should meet Ratna?

The narrator was a frequent visitor to Rama Rao’s place and Ratna

was quite free with him. On a Friday, he called Ratna to his house

to deliver the buttermilk made by Rama Rao’s wife. He asked

Ratna to sing for him and sent for Ranga at the same time. Ranga

arrived while Ratna was rendering the melodious song. In this

way, Ranga was able to meet her there.

“Words, mere words! The fellow said he would leave but he did

not make a move. How can one expect words to match actions in

these days of Kaliyuga?” Who said these words and in what

context?

The narrator spoke these words when Ranga came to his house

only to find Ratna singing beautifully. Ratna stopped singing

when she saw Ranga watching her. Ranga felt guilty that his

arrival had made her stop singing. It was then that the narrator

spoke these words.

 LONG Q & A

Character sketch of the narrator.

Shyama, the narrator of the story ‘Ranga’s Marriage’ is also the

central character. His style of narration evokes a lot of humour in

the story. He is an elderly gentleman and refers to himself as a

dark piece of oil cake. He is passionately in love with his village

and the villagers and rambles incessantly while describing it. He is

a keen observer of his surroundings and uses a colourful style of

narration. He feels it is disgraceful to use English words in the

native tongue. He is a good judge of people and regards Ranga as

a generous and considerate fellow. He is conservative at heart and

feels unhappy at Ranga’s decision to remain single.

He means well and his intentions are good. He schemes to get

Ranga married. He calls Ranga when Ratna was singing. He also

arranges a meeting with Shastri whom he had tutored thoroughly.

He had decided that Ratna would be a suitable bride for him. He is

a shrewd contriver as he tells Ranga that Ratna was married. This

he does in order to rouse Ranga’s desire for the unattainable.