Ranga’s Marriage
By- Maasthi Venkatesa Iyengar
Short and Simple Summary of the lesson in English– (Ranga’s Marriage)/ Summary in simple Words/ Critical appreciation of the lesson – (Ranga’s Marriage)
Complete Summary
The narrator is called Shyama. He himself admits that he is like a dark piece of oilcake. He lives in Hosahalli village. He is sad to see that his village finds no mention in any geography book, nor a place in any atlas. But in his opinion, the village has several unique features. There are mango trees and creeping plants in the village pond. The best way to know the village is to visit it.
Shyama proceeds to tell a story that happened ten years ago. In those days, not many people knew English. So when the village accountant sent his son Ranga to Bangalore to study, it became news. Naturally, his homecoming after six months was also a great event. The news spread like wildfire. The villagers flocked to the boy’s house to see him. Shyama was also a part of the crowd. But everyone was disappointed. They noticed no change in Ranga. An old lady even ran her hand over Ranga’s chest. She was happy to note that the boy had not thrown away the sacred thread.
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The crowd melted away soon. Shyama then spoke to Ranga who did a namaskara most respectfully and even touched the narrator’s feet. He got the blessing to get married soon.
That afternoon, Ranga came to Shyama’s house with a couple of oranges. Shyama thought that such a generous fellow must get married, settle down and be of service to the society. He asked Rangappa when he planned to marry. But Ranga declared point blank that he was not going to marry unless he found the right girl. He had his own rigid views about marriage. It was silly to marry a very young and immature girl. Secondly, a man should marry a girl he admires. He was against the arranged marriage. Shyama was a little put out. Nevertheless, he made up his mind right then to find a match for Ranga.
And he didn’t have to wait and seek. Rama Rao’s niece, a pretty girl of eleven, had come to stay in the village. She was from a big town. She could play upon the harmonium and sing in a sweet voice. Her parents had died. The narrator thought that the girl was the most suitable bride for Ranga. She was called Ratna.
The very next morning the narrator called Ratna as well as Ranga to his house. Ratna was wearing a saree. While she was singing, Ranga also arrived. He stood at the door and looked in. Ratna saw a stranger and stopped suddenly. Ranga was disappointed. He glanced at her repeatedly. The shy girl ran inside. Ranga then enquired about her and asked whether she was married or not. Shyama told a lie that Ratna was married a year ago. Ranga’s face contracted like roasted brinjal.
Shyama went to Shastriji next morning and tutored him what he was to say to Ranga. That very afternoon Shyama met Ranga who seemed lost in thought. But both went to see Shastriji who was happy to see the boy. As fixed up already, he took out his astrology books and made some calculations. Then he declared that Ranga was thinking about some girl. She had the name of something found in the ocean. They agreed on Ratna as the right girl for the boy. But Ranga’s happiness was short-lived. Shyama repeated that Ratna was already married.
They left the place together. On the way, Shyama walked into Ratna’s house. He brought happy news for Ranga that the girl wasn’t married yet. And the two were united in marriage before long.
Several years passed. One day, Ranga came to Shyama’s house to invite him to dinner. The occasion was the birthday of his three-year-old son. They had named the child Shyama as a mark of respect to the person who had negotiated their marriage. Shyama went to Ranga’s house for dinner. As a birthday gift, he placed a gold ring on the child’s little finger.
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