what does the writer say about alien influence on Indian culture? Ranga's Marriage
Answers
The story 'Ranga's Marriage' is set in a village Hosahalli, which was in the erstwhile Mysore state. In those days, there were very few people in Hosahalli who knew English. Like today, even during those days, English occupied a very prominent place in the hearts and the minds of people. The village accountant mustered enough courage to send his son, Ranga, to Bengaluru for higher studies. When Ranga returned home, it became almost a festive occassion for the entire village. People had a lot of respect for Ranga because he knew English, which was a very precious commodity, but very few people in the village knew English. Even a simple word in English like 'change' was not heard of. When Rama Rao's son uses this word, even the narrator could not understand. He had to ask Ranga the meaning of the word. The author, in his narration, shows that he has a positive attitude towards English, but he also asserts that learning a foreign’ language or .knowing it need not affect our tradition and culture. This is evident by the emphasis on Ranga wearing the sacred thread and doing 'namaskars' to the elders.
Answer:
The main character of "Ranga's Marriage" is the son of the village accountant who was sent to Bangalore for higher studies. He returned home with the knowledge of English which was a big achievement for someone in their village. "Alien influence" here means the influence of the western language and culture, the Britishers' influence on the Indian people.
Explanation:
An accountant of a small village in Mysore had sent his son, Ranga to Bangalore for higher studies. When he returned home, he was grandly welcomed, with everyone praising his knowledge and experience of life outside of their village. For the simple villagers, the very word "change" in English was hard to understand so they had to ask Ranga to explain or translate it for them. For his simple knowledge of a language they don't know, the villagers hold him in such high regard and respect.
Then the narrator mentions that though Ranga had learnt English and had experienced a life outside of theirs, he still hold his traditional beliefs and values important and had not left them. He still has his sacred thread that his mom had made him wear and still does things the traditional way. The narrator then says that he holds the English language in high esteem and that there is nothing bad in learning the language English. Learning a foreign language won't destroy our traditional beliefs and values. '
The narrator then emphasized that there may indeed be alien influence on the people of India. But that alone is not bad, as long as we don't get swayed away by it from our traditions.