'An Astrologer's Day' and 'Crime and Punishment' by R.K. Narayan

 'An Astrologer's Day' and 'Crime and Punishment' by R.K. Narayan

Introduction :-

'An Astrologer's Day' is a very interesting short story about astrologer's life and some kind of consequences happening in the life. In this short story R.K. Narayan also include the essence of past events which suddenly coming to the present. This short story 'An Astrologer's Day' is pened by R.K. Narayan and this short story published in 1947 into the short story collection. This short story drives the major themes like fate vs. free will, assumption, irony, guilt and redemption, and many more.

About R.K. Narayan :-

R.K. Narayan is one of the most eminent Indian authors of the twentieth century. Born in 1906, Narayan is awarded by National Prize of the Indian Literary Academy, India's chief literary honour. R.K. Narayan was one of the finest Indian authors of his generation writing in English. His first novel, 'Swami and Friends' (1935), is an episodic narrative recounting the adventures of a group of schoolboys. That book and much of Narayan’s later works are set in the fictitious South Indian town of Malgudi.

Now let's discuss in detail some of questions...

Q-1. How faithful is the movie to the original short story?

A-1. As we compare the movie as well original story at that time we find some kind of changes. It is not a two or three hours full movie based on this short story but it is only short video source based on this short story. As we can observe some changes in structure of making, and in the short video we see the name of Astrologer's girl child, but we can't find the Astrologer's child name in the original short story. Quite well understand the concept as well as context of this short story from the short video based on this short story. The short video quite faithful to the original short story.

Q-2. After watching the movie, have your perception about the short story, characters or situations changed?

A-2. After watching this short movie, which is based on this short story, my perception towards the short story was that the short movie quite well explained the original story. In the short movie, we can see some kind of change in characters, situations, and other things, but at the end, all these changes happen to add more delight to the original story. The movie released the name of the girl child and wife of the astronomer. In the movie, we can see the astronomer see the future by understanding the tree, and in the original story, we read that the astronomer sees the future in the light of a groundnut.

Q-3. Do you feel ‘aesthetic delight’ while watching the movie? If yes, exactly when did it happen? If no, can you explain with reasons?

A-3. Yes, I feel 'aesthetic delight' when I watching the short movie. The storytelling through the visual arts and use of relatable music all this equipments make an huge impact on the audience. The cinematographic capture our eyes on certain situations and the story. The visual effects of the story make more clearance on the understanding of actual or original text and beauty of originality.

Q-4. Does screening of movie help you in better understanding of the short story?

A-4. Yes, the screening of the movie which based on this R.K. Narayan's 'An Astrologer's Day' is very much impact on the understanding of the original short story.

Q-5. Was there any particular scene or moment in the story that you think was perfect?

A-5. The realisation of the past events that happened by the astronomer and then the relief from the past guilt. The consequences and the guilt of the past  can be clearly observed through the movie. These scenes are all very perfect and relatable to the story.

Q-6. If you are 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?

A-6. As a director remaking the movie based on R.K. Narayan's "An Astrologer's Day," I would focus on enhancing the story's depth, visual appeal, and emotional resonance. I would expand the backstories of both the Astrologer and Guru Nayak. I would deepen the exploration of themes like fate, free will, and redemption, and highlight cultural nuances to add depth and authenticity. An evocative soundtrack featuring traditional Indian instruments and strategic sound design would enhance the mood and tension. 

Conclusion :-

In the conclusion, we can see the major observations around the lives of astronomers and Guru Nayak and their past actions. This short story, 'An Astrologer's Day', makes the essential beauty of childish innocence, fate vs. reality, believing in certain things, and many more things. The comparison of the short movie and the original short story makes more sense of concept and context.

'Crime and Punishment' 

Introduction :-

'Crime and Punishment' is an very interesting short story which penned by R.K. Narayan. This short story explore the real innocence of children and teacher relationship. The story se in a Indian background.  This short story 'Crime and Punishment' delves into the themes childish innocence, essence of education, beauty of storytelling, role of teacher, role of parents and many more. As we can see throughout the story, it is significant to learn child psychology and behaviour towards children when you are a teacher. The story very much relevance to ongoing situations. Now let's discuss in detail.

Q. Write a blog on Exploring 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.

A. The role of teacher :-

The role of teacher in classroom as well as students life, it make significant impact on it. The students always see the future path through the teacher's point and their guidance. A teacher has, despite their ideal role in students  lives, The teacher's role is not only to teach some books and some subjects in class, but also to create new ideas and new thoughts, encourage students, and teach students the importance of education. The teacher is associated with a lot of inspiration, leadership, knowledge, acknowledgement, and new innovations in teaching, and the teacher also learns from every step to be more delightful.

Role of Student :-

The primary role of student to engage with the educational activity and be a good learner. Students have to be curious about knowledge, about new ideas, and about new learning. The students need to participate in any competition and learn a lesson from every step. In students  lives, classroom results and competition are not significant, but good learning and learning from experience are more important. Students should hunger to gain knowledge. Students must exhibit responsibility in managing their time, and adhering to the rules and regulations of their educational institution. Discipline in their studies and behavior is essential for their personal and academic growth.

Examples :-

The best and remarkable examples like, 'Taare Zameen Par', 'Super 30' etc. In the film 'Taare Zameen Par' we can clearly see that the hard time of student and lot many struggle. In this movie we see that the boy's interest is not in study bu his interest in creative art, creative learning. To encourage his talent by having a good mentor, it's putting more essence into that boy's life as well as that of a that of a student. Student Life is can't be easy, it fulfill with lot many ups and downs, struggle, mental pressure and other lot many things, but the true mentor solve all these questions in certain ways. In this short story, R.K. Narayan very well elaborates the major situations of teacher and student, as well as their parents. Students do not need punishment for certain things; they just need a true atmosphere of learning in their interests and true guidelines.

References :-

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "R.K. Narayan". Encyclopedia Britannica, 21 Jun. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/biography/R-K-Narayan. Accessed 5 July 2024.

TRIVEDI, H. C., and N. C. SONI. “Short Stories of R.K. Narayan.” Indian Literature, vol. 16, no. 3/4, 1973, pp. 165–79. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/24157228. Accessed 7 July 2024.