Tuesday, 1 April 2025

XI - 1ST SEM : AN ASTROLOGER'S DAY 2025-26

 

R. K. Narayan’s ‘An Astrologer’s Day’

MISC INFORMATION COMPILED BY : BIJAN SIR ( M.A , B.ED )

Lecture no : 1 out of 3  (02/04/2025 : Wednesday , uploaded on  https://bijansir.blogspot.com/ )

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

@Rashipuram Krishna Iyer Ranayanswami.

@(10th Oct, 1906, 13th May, 2001)

@Malgudi Days, Swami and Friends, The Guide

@Malgudi is a fictional town in South India.

@Narayanswami is his Patronymic

@He resembled William Faulkner

@His grandmother gave him the nickname of Kunjappa                                                 #BIJAN SIR#

@She taught him arithmetic, mythology, classical Indian music and Sanskrit.According to Laxman, the family mostly conversed in English, and grammatical errors on the part of Narayan and his siblings were frowned upon.

 

Introduction to “An Astrologer’s Day” by R.K. Narayan

“An Astrologer’s Day” is a captivating short story penned by the renowned Indian author R.K. Narayan, a prominent figure in Indian English literature. The narrative revolves around an astrologer who practices his trade on the streets of an Indian town, offering glimpses into the lives of his clients while harboring a secret of his own.   #BIJAN SIR#

Key characters                 

The Astrologer

 

The Stranger (Guru Nayak)

 

The Astrologer’s Wife:

 

Setting and atmosphere  :

The story is set in a busy town square, likely in Narayan’s fictional city of Malgudi. This location serves as a microcosm/a little world of Indian society, teeming with various vendors, shopkeepers, and pedestrians. The astrologer’s spot is described as being under a large tamarind tree, a common gathering place in Indian towns and villages. This choice of location is significant, as the tamarind tree is often associated with wisdom and spiritual guidance in Indian culture, providing an ironic contrast to the astrologer’s fraudulent practices.

(গল্পটি একটি ব্যস্ত শহরের চত্বরে সেট করা হয়েছে, সম্ভবত নারায়ণের কাল্পনিক শহর মালগুড়িতে। বিভিন্ন বিক্রেতা, দোকানদার এবং পথচারীদের সাথে মিলিত এই অবস্থানটি ভারতীয় সমাজের একটি মাইক্রোকসম হিসাবে কাজ করে। জ্যোতিষীর স্পটটিকে একটি বড় তেঁতুল গাছের নীচে বলে বর্ণনা করা হয়েছে, এটি ভারতীয় শহর ও গ্রামে একটি সাধারণ জমায়েতের স্থান। অবস্থানের এই পছন্দটি তাৎপর্যপূর্ণ, কারণ তেঁতুল গাছটি প্রায়শই ভারতীয় সংস্কৃতিতে জ্ঞান এবং আধ্যাত্মিক দিকনির্দেশনার সাথে যুক্ত থাকে, যা জ্যোতিষীর প্রতারণামূলক অনুশীলনের একটি বিদ্রূপাত্মক বৈসাদৃশ্য প্রদান করে।)                                                                   #BIJAN SIR#

**The chaotic nature of the market provides the perfect cover for his deceptive practices, allowing him to observe and gather information about potential clients without arousing suspicion.

(বাজারের বিশৃঙ্খল প্রকৃতি তার প্রতারণামূলক অনুশীলনের জন্য নিখুঁত কভার প্রদান করে, তাকে সন্দেহ জাগিয়ে সম্ভাব্য ক্লায়েন্টদের সম্পর্কে তথ্য পর্যবেক্ষণ এবং সংগ্রহ করার অনুমতি দেয়)

**As night falls, the atmosphere shifts, becoming more mysterious and tense. This change in ambiance coincides with the arrival of Guru Nayak, adding to the dramatic tension of their encounter. The darkness that envelops the scene mirrors the hidden truths and past secrets that are about to be revealed, creating a palpable sense of anticipation and unease.

( রাত নামার সাথে সাথে পরিবেশ বদলে যায়, আরও রহস্যময় এবং উত্তেজনাপূর্ণ হয়ে ওঠে। পরিবেশের এই পরিবর্তনটি গুরু নায়কের আগমনের সাথে মিলে যায়, যা তাদের মুখোমুখি হওয়ার নাটকীয় উত্তেজনাকে যোগ করে। যে অন্ধকার দৃশ্যটিকে আচ্ছন্ন করে তা লুকানো সত্য এবং অতীতের রহস্যগুলিকে প্রতিফলিত করে যা প্রকাশ হতে চলেছে, প্রত্যাশা এবং অস্বস্তির একটি স্পষ্ট অনুভূতি তৈরি করে।)                #BIJAN SIR#

 

WORD NOTES

*A Cowrie- a small snail commonly found in warm, shallow water of the Pacific& Indian Ocean.                            #BIJAN SIR#

* Obscure- Vague/ Difficult to understand.

* Mystic- Secret meaning

* Palmyra- made from the leaves of Palm tree.                      #BIJAN SIR#

* Resplendent- Lustrous / radiating

* Sacred-holy/consecrate

*Vermilion- a brilliant red pigment made from mercury sulphide (cinnabar).

* outcome-result.

* enhance- increase / to make better as in beauty or value

* whiskers- moustache

*cosmos-flower/universe

*Flanked -  beside    

 surging-growing  

ware-shop

*fancy- novel/ unprecedented

*Flocked - gathered/ thronged    #BIJAN SIR#

*Considerable- enough

dallied- wasted time just by hanging around

*Transacted-

*enchantment- magic/ incantation

*hissing- hissing sound

*flare-                                           

Bewildering-confusing                 

Shrewd- sharp/piercing

*ONE LINERS*

1.The Magician opened his bag at midday.

2. His professional equipment contained a dozen cowrie shells, a square piece of cloth with obscure mystic charts, notebook and a bundle of palmyra writing.

3. His had a "tikka" vermilion & sacred ash.

4. He was searching for his customers but his clients took him as prophetic.          #BIJAN SIR#

5. His appearance, his turban, and moustache enhanced his look.

6. This colour scheme never failed.

7. People were attracted to him as bees to flowers.

8. He sat under the Tamarind tree.

9. He sat beside the road which ran through the town hall park.

10. People of different professions, traders, medicine sellers, sellers of stolen goods, auctioneers of cheap clothes.

11. A man selling groundnuts shouting his trade cry.                                    #BIJAN SIR#

12. He renamed his shop as Bombay Ice , "Raja's Delicacy"

13. The magicians did not have his own lightning.

14. He managed his lights from gaslight, naked flares, old cycle lamps.

15. He did not know what would happen next.

16.He worked on guess and practice.

SELF IMPROVEMENT

1. An Astrologer's Day" is derived from-a) Swami & Friends b) Malgudi Day c) A Day with an Astrologer.        #BIJAN SIR#

2. The shape of the cloth is - a) rectangular b) triangular c) square.

3. His forehead was colored with-a) sacred ash& Vermilion b) Red tikka c) Only ash.

4. His moustache streamed down-a) his cheeks b) his lips c) his beard.

5. The word "Obscure" means-a) Obstinacy b) Obvious c) vague

6. His appearance is enhanced by his - a) moustache b) turban c) professional tools.      7. The word, "resplendent" means-a) random b) lustrous c) reliant.   #BIJAN SIR#

8. The road ran through-a) The National Park b) The Town Hall Park c) The Magical Park

9. A vendor was selling vociferously - old cloth b) auctioneer goods c) groundnut.

------BIJAN SIR* 8373828806-----------

 

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