An Astrologer's Day

This blog is written as a response to a task assigned by Megha ma'am, Department of English MKBU. In the task students are supposed to read story An Astrologer's Day and a short film made on the story. There are some changes that are discussed in the blog. In later part R. K. Narayan's short story 'Crime and Punishment' and related examples also discussed. For further information click here.

How faithful is the movie to the original short story?

There are many differences between the original short story and short film. 

In the short story it is described that the Astrologer does his business with the light of a nut seller that sells nuts beside Astrologer but at night we don't find the same in short movie.

In the short story there is no description about the wife before the last scene but in the short film there is a scene in which Astrologer and his wife talk about the sweet and their child.

In the short story the name of the astrologer's wife is not mentioned but in the short film the name is given, that is Usha.

In the short story R.K. Narayan doesn't mention the gender of the child but in the film it is shown that he has a girl child.

In the story when Guru Nayak meets Astrologer gives ashes to him but in the short film he does Tilak to him.

The major change that we find is that the short story is originally written in English whereas the short film is in Hindi.

At night the green light is missing in the film that is mentioned in the short story.

In the short story astrologer gets anna as a reward but in the film it is in rupees.

The dialogue between and his other customers is added in the short film.

After watching the movie, has your perception about the short story, characters or situations changed?

The setting that described in the short story feels little different from the short story description. Character description and dialogues have some changes but it is improved according to the contemporary setting.

Do you feel ‘aesthetic delight’ while watching the movie? If yes, exactly when did it happen? If not, can you explain with reasons?

Personally, I didn't feel aesthetic delight because before watching a short film I knew the story. I read the short story before so I didn't get that level of delight but it was well made, and watching a visualised version of the short story invoked some emotion. It also gave a better understanding of the story and characters.

Does screening of movie help you in better understanding of the short story?

Yes, It gave me better understanding of characters, plot and setting. 

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

The turning point in the story that occured when an astrologer meets Guru Nayak. That scene is nicely performed in the short film. That shows the facial expressions and heat.of the conversation in the story.

If you are the 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?

I would like to change some scenes and add more background understanding of the characters in the film. 

(2) Crime and Punishment

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.

In the short story written by R.K.Narayan one can find the role of a teacher and a student. In the story it was beautifully portrayed what type of behaviour students and teachers do. In the short story there is the psychology of a child that can be studied. In the story, there is a student who does not like to study. Generally that is the story of most of the children in the world. And children are also not made for that also. They like to play and learning should happen with playing otherwise it would be quite difficult to teach the student. In the story we can also find how parents feel about their child, they want to make children study so many hours a day.

The major theme in the short story that can be observed is the relation between students and children. The same theme we find in various movies. The glorious example is taare Zameen par, in the movie there is a story of a boy who has dyslexia and he was not able to get good marks as his brother. The parents decide that he should be sent to boarding where a strict environment can make him study, but in the boarding school he suffers more. Then the teacher Nikumbh enters the boarding house and saves Ishaan from his loneliness and depression. There one can find the role of a teacher in students' lives. 

Another great example is Anne Sullevan, a teacher of Helen Keller. Helen Keller became blind and deaf at a very young age due to some illness and then Anne Sullevan taught her to read and understand the surroundings. There are various movies that are based on this real life example like Miracle Worker(1962) and in bollywood there is a movie Black(2005) that is also inspired by the life of Helen Keller. 

There is a movie Hichki(2018), that is also about a teacher who suffers from Tourette syndrome, decides to be a teacher. She was rejected by different schools because of her syndrome. Then she got a job in a school in which the class of 9F was very notorious, firstly she failed to gain students’ trust but eventually she succeeded. The movie highlights the bond between the teacher and students. Another movie is The Ron Clark Story(2006) a television movie, starring Mattew Perry. He gets a job at a school where children are not excited for studies and notorious. He gains the trust of the students and makes them all pass with good grades. The movie also portrays the struggle of the teacher. 

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