Hello Everyone,I am a student of the Department of English,M.K.B.U. This blog is based on R.K.Narayan's two short stories 'Crime and Punishment ' and 'An Astrologer’s Day'.
About R.K.Narayan :-
R .K. Narayan, whose full name was Rasipuram Krishnaswami Narayanaswami, was a renowned Indian writer. He was born on October 10, 1906, in Madras, British India (now Chennai, India), and passed away on May 13, 2001, in Chennai. Narayan is widely regarded as one of India's greatest English language novelists.
Narayan's writing career spanned over six decades, during which he wrote numerous novels, short stories, and essays.However, he did write extensively in the genre of fiction, particularly novels and short stories. Some of his well-known works include:
"Swami and Friends" (1935): This novel is Narayan's debut work and introduces readers to the fictional town of Malgudi, where many of his stories are set. It explores the adventures and misadventures of a young boy named Swaminathan and his group of friends.
"The Bachelor of Arts" (1937): This novel follows the life of Chandran, a college student who faces various challenges and dilemmas as he navigates his education, love, and career.
"The English Teacher" (1945): Based partly on Narayan's own life experiences, this novel delves into the themes of love, loss, and spiritual awakening. It tells the story of a young English teacher named Krishna who struggles to cope with the death of his wife.
"The Guide" (1958): Arguably one of Narayan's most famous works, this novel tells the story of Raju, a tourist guide in Malgudi who becomes a spiritual guide for a group of followers. It explores themes of identity, morality, and the nature of success.
"Malgudi Days" (1943-1947): This collection of short stories presents a diverse range of characters and situations set in the fictional town of Malgudi. Each story offers a unique glimpse into the lives of the people who inhabit the town.
1) Crime and Punishment
About the Story :-
'Crime and Punishment' is a short story written by an Indian writer R.K.Narayan. This story is based on a teacher-student relationship. This story is all about the torturing of a teacher by the student.
"Crime and punishment" is a thought provoking short story which keeps its suspense and twist from the beginning to the end. In this story, R K Narayan describes humorously how the surroundings, the parent's mentality and the teacher's attitude influence the personality of a child.
Question based on the story :-
The dynamic roles of teacher and student: 'Crime and Punishment' by R.K. Narayan. Give some suitable examples of movies, novels, short stories, videos, and articles related to the major themes of this story.
The Dynamic roles of the teacher and student.,
The teacher in the story “Crime and Punishment” by R.K. Narayan is a hardworking man. He teaches 6 hours in the school and then he comes to teach the small boy in the nursery for just 30 rupees a month. He has to work for three hours in the nursery teaching a gorilla of a child. This shows the teacher is very poor. Otherwise he would not come to teach such a mischievous imp after his normal school hours.
The teacher suffered at the hands of the parents also. Every day he had to listen to the lectures of the parents on child psychology for half an hour. The father had written a thesis on infant psychology for his M.A. The mother had studied a good deal of it for her B.A. So, both lectured to him on the same lines. It seemed that the parents of the boy thought he was made of thin glass. They pampered him a lot and they wanted the teacher also to be very kind to the boy and not to annoy him in any way.
The teacher found it hard to manage the boy. The boy had a lot of love and money. His parents built the nursery for him. They bought him expensive toys. They even gave him a small pedal motor to move about in the garden. His cupboard was filled with chocolates and biscuits which he could eat whenever he wanted. He was a highly pampered, spoiled child. The teacher could lose his temper when tempted too much. He slaps the boy because the boy persisted in making the same mistake in spite of the corrections so many times. The hard slapping made a red mark on the cheek of the boy. The boy used that mark to blackmail the teacher.
His teacher had to play with the boy acting as a station master. Then the train stops running and the boy wants him to repair it. But the teacher is not at all mechanical minded and he can’t do that. Then the boy makes him tell stories. He tells the story of the tiger and the bison and the story of Ali-Baba and 40 thieves. The boy wants to hear the story of the tiger and bison again. When the teacher refuses the boy runs home, the teacher in hot pursuit. The teacher has good presence of mind.
When the father asks why they are running about, the teacher says they are just playing about to keep up their spirits. The teacher can lie if there is a need! Poor teacher! He has to suffer so much for getting an extra amount of Rs.30 per month! I think he represents many teachers in our society who do not get a decent salary and have to find other ways of making both ends meet.
Example of the Movie .,
Tare Zameen Par :-
Taare Zameen Par" is a critically acclaimed Indian film directed by Aamir Khan and released in 2007. The film explores the life of an 8-year-old boy named Ishaan Awasthi, played by Darsheel Safary, who struggles with dyslexia, a learning disorder that affects his ability to read and write.
In this movie also the teacher plays a vital role. This movie is based on the teacher and student's relationship. In this movie ,the teacher (role played by Aamir Khan) is getting a very low salary as compared to other teachers because he is coming as their temporary teacher. Even when he gets a lower salary he is very faithful about his teaching or his responsibility as a teacher. So, we can compare this movie with this short story.
An Astrologer’s Day :-
About the Story :-
The story revolves around an astrologer who operates on a street corner in a small town in India. The astrologer, a seemingly ordinary man, uses his knowledge of astrology to make a living. One evening, a man named Guru Nayak approaches the astrologer, seeking guidance and advice. Guru Nayak reveals that he is plagued by the fear of a man he once attempted to kill and assumes he has survived.
The astrologer begins analysing Guru Nayak's horoscope and makes predictions that instil fear in him. He convinces Guru Nayak that his enemy is long dead and that he has nothing to fear. Feeling relieved, Guru Nayak thanks the astrologer and offers him money as a token of his gratitude.
After Guru Nayak leaves, the astrologer packs up his belongings and heads home. On the way, he reminisces about his dark past and how he managed to escape a life of crime. It is revealed that the astrologer is the very man Guru Nayak tried to kill years ago.
"An Astrologer's Day" delves into themes of deception, fate, and the power of belief. It showcases Narayan's ability to craft engaging narratives while offering insights into the complexities of human nature.
Questions based on the story :-
How faithful is the movie to the original short story?
A movie conveys the same idea as the story. In some ways the movie is different from the short story. For example., The ending scene, the story ends with a completeness but the original story ends with incompleteness.
After watching the movie, have your perception about the short story, characters or situations changed?
After watching the movie, I have changed my perception for the situation and characters. At the first when gurunayak comes to an astrologer and chellengies him for give a correct answers at that time at first I thought that he has some doubt on an astrologers power of prediction but at the end we can get the idea that gurunayak is connected with an astrologer's past and through the gurunayak's character R.K.Narayan tries to give astrologers background information.
Do you feel ‘aesthetic delight’ while watching the movie? If yes, exactly when did it happen? If not, can you explain with reasons?
Yes, I feel 'an aesthetic delight' while watching the movie when astrologer gives a correct answers of gurunayak's questions.
Does screening of movie help you in better understanding of the short story?
Yes, the movie helps me alot for understanding the short story because through the movie we can get or understand the thing very easily.
Was there any particular scene or moment in the story that you think was perfect?
In this short story,the scene when gurunayak comes to an astrologer was perfect because this scene introduces the real background of an astrologer's life to the audience. It also represents the reason why he is working as an astrologer.
If you are the director, what changes would you like to make in the remaking of the movie based on the short story “An Astrologer’s Day” by R.K.Narayan?
If I am the director,then I will change the opening scene because there is not any kind of introduction of the character and there is not any background information about the characters. If I am the director,I will add some background information of the characters so ,the audience can get the idea of what is the reason behind gurunayak and an astrologer's fighting.
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