Summary of Ranga’s Marriage
Ranga’s Marriage, written by Masti Venkatesha Iyengar, is a humorous story on how arranged marriages in rural India worked in the past. Arranged marriages form a tradition in the institution of village matrimony in India. The narrator here talks about his village called Hosahalli, which is a part of Mysore. He narrates the story from a first-person perspective, and the main characters of the story are the bride Ratna and the bridegroom Ranga. Ranga is the son of their village accountant who was sent to Bangalore for his studies when people from villages still had their reservations against the modern thoughts and lifestyles of city people. Although Ranga has not changed in his behaviour and attitude towards people and religion, he has developed new notions about marriage that the narrator decides to modify. He takes up Ranga’s marriage as his responsibility and an interesting challenge. He plans and orchestrates a whole act to make Ranga fall for Ratna – a beautiful young girl of eleven years. Read Ranga’s Marriage Summary given below to understand the story in detail. Students can also visit BYJU’S CBSE Summary and CBSE Notes for more information and learning materials on CBSE Class 12 English syllabus.
CBSE Class 11 English Ranga’s Marriage Summary
The narrator starts the story in a cheerful tone by introducing his village and the people who live there. The name of his village is Hosahalli, but it is not mentioned anywhere in history, geography or on any map of India since the British and our geographers have both not made any reference to its presence. The narrator mentions that Hosahalli is as important as the filling inside sweet karigadabu – a sweet component of a traditional festive meal.
Hosahalli is a special village, according to the narrator. He cites some examples to prove his point. He talks about the intolerable sour taste of raw mangoes in Hosahalli. A chutney made from a sour mango once gave him a terrible cough. The leaves of a creeper plant in their village had big leaves on which one could serve meals.
He starts the story of how Ranga got married. He was the village accountant’s son who had gone to Bangalore for his studies. In previous times, very few people knew English, and the village accountant was the first person who had the courage to send his son to Bangalore for his studies. The narrator describes English to be a common language in contemporary times. He finds it disgraceful as well. He recounts a recent incident where Rama Rao’s son asked a woman selling firewood to come later since he had no ‘change’. The term confused both the woman and the narrator. He came to know the meaning of the word later when he asked at Rama Rao’s house. Such incidents show why Ranga’s homecoming was a great deal.
The story is ten years old. People rushed to meet Ranga when he finally returned home. They had expected to see a changed person – heavily influenced by the culture of a city. But they found Ranga’s behaviour in tune with the traditional lifestyle of the village. He was polite to the elders and still had his janewara on him. He had not lost his caste. The narrator also received a namaskara from Ranga, which he found to be highly respectful of the latter, which was quite unlike the case with present-day boys who had no discernible good manners.
Ranga came to the narrator’s house in the afternoon of the same day. The narrator had a nice conversation with him. When he told Ranga about his thoughts on marriage, he got a rather disappointing response. Ranga did not approve of arranged marriages. He pointed out that a man should marry a mature girl – someone with whom he can have a loving conversation. A very young girl could mistake words spoken out of love as words spoken out of anger.
As Ranga left, the narrator decided to get Ranga married. He knew a girl who was just right for him – Rama Rao’s eleven-year-old niece Ratna who had come to stay with her uncle. Ratna was from a big town and knew how to play the harmonium and the veena. She also had a sweet voice. Her parents were dead. The narrator knew she would be a perfect match for Ranga.
The narrator was a regular visitor at Rama Rao’s house, and the next morning, he asked Rama Rao’s wife to send Ratna to his house. The narrator had developed a comfortable relationship with Ratna. The following day was a Friday, and Ratna came in wearing a grand saree that morning. The narrator asked her to sing a song, and in the meanwhile, he sent for Ranga. As Ranga reached the threshold, he stopped abruptly because he did not want to disturb Ratna’s beautiful song, but he tried to peep inside to look at her. Ratna saw him and stopped singing. Ranga entered the house and excused himself for interrupting Ratna’s singing. Ratna ran inside, overcome with shyness.
Ranga wanted to know who the singer was. The narrator replied in a sarcastic manner that it did not matter since he was married and Ranga was not the marrying type. Ranga excitedly wanted to know if Ratna was married. The narrator informed him that Ratna married a year ago. The narrator could see the immediate disappointment on Ranga’s face. The next morning, the narrator went to the Shastri and explained his plan to him. In the afternoon, he met Ranga, who still seemed to be disappointed. The narrator took him to the Shastri on the pretence of helping him with whatever problems he was facing.
The Shastri orchestrated a well-planned act and informed Ranga that he was having some problems with a girl. The girl’s name was something that could be found in an ocean. The narrator pretended to guess several names before he uttered Ratna’s name. Ranga looked both surprised and happy, but the narrator disappointed him again by reminding him that the girl was married. On their way back, they passed by Rama Rao’s house. He went in alone and returned a minute later to inform Ranga that Ratna was not married. Someone had given him false information.
The narrator comes back to his storyline in the present. He tells us that Ranga came to invite him to their three-year-old child Shyama’s birthday. The couple had named their child after the narrator. He finds this a bit odd, but he knows well that naming one’s child after someone one likes is an English custom.
Conclusion of Ranga’s Marriage
Ranga’s Marriage Summary shows us how ideal thoughts do not always work and life can surprise us in many ways. We should be flexible and accepting towards changes and events that occur in our lives. Ranga was sure that he only wanted to marry a mature and older girl whom he could admire and have a loving conversation with. The narrator’s scheme to get him to like Ratna worked perfectly with his clever planning and timely introductions. Ranga’s ideals did not necessarily come into play while deciding his choice of a life partner. The story is also an example of showing that change does not always bring betterment in life. Sometimes, the old ways can also bring solutions to the table. We can see from the beginning of the story that the narrator does not like changes, like the increase in English-speaking individuals in the village. He calls it a big transformation that is ‘disgraceful’.
A detailed understanding of the story can help students critically analyse and appreciate the story. Students can refer to our website for further information and content related to the Class 11 English subject for better understanding and preparation for CBSE board exams. They can also access topics like grammar and writing in English.
