• facebook
  • twitter
  • whatsapp
  • telegram

Films and Theatre 

Rendezvous with Ray 


Learning Objectives: 
By the end of the section you will be able to know..
1. The theme of Rendezvous with Ray.
2. What was Ray searching for.
3. The prepositions following adjectives and verbs.
4. Write discourses essay and profile.
5. The word formation through roots.
6. The structure of simple past and past perfect tense.

 

GIST:
   The frontline magazine interviewed Gaston Roberge about the feelings and association with Ray, with his experiences. Roberge acquainted with works of Satyajit Ray through the "Apu Triology". It was infact Roberge's first portal to West Bengal and its people.
   Roberge does not endorse the accusation of Ray's detractors that the master director made his reputation selling India's poverty to west. Roberge was much attracted by the works of Ray.
   It took him nine years to master up the confidence to meet Ray in person.
"Although I wanted to meet him right away, I didn't want to just go and see him like he was a living museum piece. I wanted to prepare myself, get to know his works more, so that when we met there could be a worthwhile dialogue", he said. When they finally met, it was the beginning of a close friendship that lasted 22 years until Ray's death in 1992.
   Manikda was a shy person and always very discreet about displaying his emotions. He was in reality a very simple and unassuming man with a subtle sense of humour. He was shy of receiving compliments. Ray strode his time like a colossus like Rabindranath Tagore.
   During their association, they discussed a lot about the pictures, share their ideas with others, took advices from them. Ray's best films were Ganashatru, Shakaprashaka, Agantuk and Pater Panchali. Lent his name as co-founder for Chitrabani a communication and film institute, which was founded by Roberge.

 

Glossary:
Rendzvous (n) = An arrangement to meet somebody at a particular time and place
Intimidating (adj) = Frightening in a way which makes a person feel less confident
Stride (v) = Walked with long steps in a particular direction
Colossus (n) = A person or a thing that is extremely important or large in size
Didactic (adj) = Designed to teach people, especially a moral lesson
Verbose (adj) = Using or containing more words than are needed
Subtle (adj) = Not very noticeable

 

Structures of Simple Past and Past Perfect Tense
Simple Past: Subject + V2
e.g.: They started acting.

      He came late.
 

Past Perfect Tense: Sub + had + V3
e.g.: They had gone.

      He had finished his work.
e.g.: The power went off after the musician had landed on the cables.
e.g.: They started acting as the director had asked them to.

 

PREPOSITIONS 

   It is a word used before a noun or pronoun to show its relation to some other word in the same sentence.
e.g.: They are in the garden.

 

Types of Prepositions:
1. Preposition of time: at, on, in, by, since, for, from
     1) He gets up at 6 O' clock.
     2) I will meet you on monday/ 15.12.2014.
     3) He got married in may/1998.
     4) He will have finished the work by tomorrow.
     5) I have been waiting for you since 9 O' clock.
     6) He has been teaching English for three years.
     7) Our examination will commence from tomorrow.

 

2. Prepositions of Position: at, in, between, among, above, over, below, under
     1) I will meet you at home. (shows an exact point)
     2) He lives in Chennai. (larger place)
     3) Divide this apple between the two girls.
     4) He shared his property among his five children.
     5) Clouds are above the hills. (higher than)
     6) The fan is over table. (vertically above)
     7) The valley is below the hill. (lower than)
     8) The cat is under the table. (vertically below)

 

3. Prepositions of Direction: if, towards, into, at, off, from, upon
     1) I am going to college.
     2) They are going towards east.
     3) He jumped into the river.
     4) He is aiming at first rank.
     5) He slipped off the motorcycle.
     6) They started from Delhi.
     7) The cat sprang upon a tree.

 

Words not followed by Prepositions:
     1) Enter
     2) Discuss
     3) Order
     4) Investigate
     5) Sign
     6) Resemble
     7) Attend
     8) Await
     9) Accept
     10) Comprise

 

The correct use of some important confused Prepositions
I. Beside (by the side of), Besides (in addition to)
    1) I know English besides telugu.
    2) My house is beside the temple.
II. At (smaller places), In (larger places)
    1) I live at Dilsukhnagar in Hyderabad.
III. In (inside), Into (motion)
    1) We are in the class room.
    2) The boys jumped into a well.
IV. On (position), upon (motion)
    1) They are sitting on the bench.
    2) The lion jumped upon a goat.
V. Since (point of time), for (period of time)
    1) Mr.Reddy has been teaching Botany since 1990.
    2) We have been living in Hyderabad for 5 years.

 

Prepositions following the adjectives and the verbs:


 

One word substitutes:
1) A short stay between two places in one's journey - Pathbreaking
2) A person who brings out new books - Publisher
3) A group of three films that has the same characters or subject - Triology
4) An impressive entrance to a building - Portal
5) A person who tries to make something less good by criticising it - Detractor
6) A person who is extremely important or large in size - Colossus
7) A person who is responsible for a problem or a crime - Culprit
8) A hand written document - Manuscript
9) A statement that expresses something people believe is true and is to be followed - Philosophy
10) Using more words than needed - Verbose
11) Something designed to teach people some moral - Didactic
12) A person who is not sure about the existence of God - Agnostic
13) A branch of philosophy that studies the principles of beauty in art - Aesthetic
14) A result of a situation or of an action - Token
15) A film that gives facts about something - Documentary.

 

Reading Comprehension and Grammar Vocabulary
   In present new system there are no direct questions even under grammar and vocabulary. There are passages under Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary, Grammar sections in both papers. Moreover Second Paper is completely Text Independent.
   Hence go through all the lessons read and re-read till you understand the content in detail, which makes you answer any question.
   The Comprehension passages help the students to develop reading skills viz skimming, scanning and detailed reading. In order to answer the questions for the comprehension the passages. You have to look for details and re-read the passages several times to confirm facts.
   In second paper you have the passages of text independent under sections Reading comprehension and grammar vocabulary. You ought to study them carefully and write the answers to different questions. 
   Your answer should be in accordance with the instructions given for the passages.

 

I. Read the following excerpt from "Rendezvous with Ray".
   "The Apu Trilogy was, in fact, my first portal to West Bengal and its people," he told Frontline. In his youth, all he knew of Bengal was through Mircea Eliade's La Nuit Bengalie, some of Tagore's poems, and a Reader's Digest article on Mother Teresa. If the harsh image of poverty brought out by the article on the "Saint of the Slums" haunted him, Apu's world came as a reassurance. "No. Apu, Sarbajaya, even Harihar did not need my help-but how not to love them? I thought it was fortunate that, I would soon be among them," he wrote.
   Roberge does not endorse the accusation of Ray's detractors that the master director made his reputation selling India's poverty to the West. "What struck me most was not the material poverty depicted in the films, but the enormous spiritual poverty of some rich people is much more deplorable than material poverty, " he said.
   Roberge does not speak with the arrogance of the West. "I was here on a quest to know the world and in the process know myself. I did not come here to convert. In fact, I am the one who got converted," he said. But it took him nine years after reaching Calcutta (now Kolkata) and joining St. Xavier's College, to muster up the confidence to meet Ray in person. " Although I wanted to meet him right away, I didn't want to just go and see him like he was a living museum piece. I wanted to prepare myself, get to know his works more, so that when we met, there could be a worthwhile dialogue," he said. When they finally met, it was beginning of a close friendship that lasted 22 years-until Ray's death in 1992.

 

Now, choose the right answer from the options given and write in your answer script.                                                                                                             (4 × 1 = 4 marks)
1. Now Calcutta is called as .......................
a) Kolkata      b) Coal cutta       c) Kolikatha      d) Hugli
2. Ray was died in ...............
a) 1991      b) 1992      c) 1993      d) 1994
3. The narrator know about Bengal through an article on Mother Teresa in ..............
a) Frontline      b) Reader's Digest     c) Manohar publications      d) La Nuit Bengalie
4. Which of the following words given in the passage means 'an entrance'
a) Path breaking      b) En-route     c) Compilation      d) Portal
Answer in one or two sentences in your own words.                   (3 × 2 = 6 marks)
5. Did Roberge agree to detractors accusation on Ray?
6. "I am the one who got converted" who said these words?
7. How many years it took to muster up the confidence to meet Ray in person?

 

II. Read the following excerpt from "Rendezvous with Ray"
   Like Rabindranath Tagore, Ray strode his time like a colossus. Roberge writes, "It is as if all Bengal was in Manikda: the rich and the poor, the powerful and the humble, the peasants and the city persons, children, teenagers, adults and old people, men and women."       
   Philosophically too, Roberge feels, Ray took off where Tagore signed out. If one compares the last major prose piece by Tagore, "Shabhyatar Sankat" (Crisis of Civilization), which he wrote at the beginning of the Second World War, which contains his immortal dictum that in spite of what was happening it would be a sin to lose faith in Man, and the last three films of Ray - Ganashatru, Shakha Prashakha, and Agantuk - the analogy becomes clear. 
   "In these three films Ray was at his most personal and when some critics saw the films as didactic and verbose, he felt deeply hurt. For, in these last films, Satyajit was directly talking to us, conveying his personal message on society and civilization. If the impulse that motivated his earlier films was aesthetics, in the last three it was self-expression. And there we were denying him his right to speak. As the saying goes, no one is a prophet in one's own country," said Roberge. An agnostic throughout his life, it is possible, Roberge feels, that in the face of death Ray was searching for an answer. This was suggested by some of the music that he used in Shakha Prashakha.
   The last time the two friends met, Ray was in hospital, on his deathbed. It was a Sunday and Roberge, true to habit, arrived on the dot at 9 a.m. "He had grown so weak that he looked frail as a child. I did not stay long, and as I was leaving, Manikda said, 'Bhalo laglo' (it was nice). Those were his last words to me," said Roberge.

 

Now choose the right answer from the options given and write in your answer script.                                                                                                              (4 × 1 = 4 marks)
1. Whom like, Ray strode his time like a colossus ...............
a) Rabindranath Tagore      b) Mircea Elidae     c) Gaston Roberge      d) Mother Teresa
2. Who wrote "Shabhyatar Sankat"
a) Rabindranath Tagore      b) Ray     c) Gaston Roberge      d) Mircea Elidae
3. Who was Manikda .................
a) Rabindranath Tagore      b) Ray     c) Gaston Roberge      d) Mircea Elidae
4. Where did Roberge meet Ray last time .............
a) at hospital      b) at home     c) at auditorium      d) at a function

 

Answer in one or two sentences in your own words (3 × 2 = 6 marks)
5. Which were the last words to Roberge by Ray?
6. Write the last three films of Ray?
7. What is meant by line "Ray took off where Tagore signed out?"

 

III. Read the passage carefully. Each number indicates some error in the sentence. Edit the passage by making necessary changes and write in your answersheet.                                                                                             (5 × 1 = 5 marks)
   It was a very quiet friendship that developed over the years. (1) Manikda was a "Shy person and always very discreet displaying his emotions," said Roberge. (2) Though outsiders, Ray's massive stature - physical and intellectual might have made him come across as cold aloof and even intimidating, he was in reality a very simple and unassuming man with a subtle sense of humour. (3) It was an unspoken arrangement the two of them to meet on sundays at 9 am at Ray's residence on Bishop Lefroy Road Kolkata. (4) Ray would invite Roberge over private screenings of his latest films and welcomed comments on them. (5) But this happened only the friendship had cemented, for in the early days of their dialogue Ray's shyness prevented him from talking about his own films.

 

IV. Read the passage carefully. Each number indicates some error in the sentence. Edit the passage by making necessary changes and write in your answer sheet.
   The last time the two friends met (1) Ray was in hospital, his death bed. (2) It was a sunday and Roberge, true to habit, arrived the dot at 9 am. (3) He had grown so weak that he looked frail a child. (4) I did not stay long, and I was leaving, manikda said, "Bhalo laglo" (it was nice). (5) Those were his last words me", said Roberge.

 

V. Write an essay about your favourite Director.
 

VI. Write a profile of Satyajit Ray.
Note: You have text independent questions on discourses.
Discourse:
The major activity of a student after post reading is construction of discourse. He must know about the features and content of a discourse, and aware of the obstacles which they face while writing discourse.
Important features of Essay:
1. Title (sometimes followed by an introduction)
2. Thesis statement, body and conclusion
3. Appropriate paragraphing with main ideas
4. Supporting details and examples
5. Organisation of ideas
6. Maintaining coherence - using cohesive devices (such as pronouns, linkers)
7. Presenting ideas without digression.

 

KEY 
I. 1–a; 2-b; 3-b; 4-d.
5. No, he did not agree to detractors accusation on Ray
6. Gaston Roberge said.
7. It took 9 years to muster up the confidence to meet Ray in person.
II. 1-a; 2-a; 3-b; 4-a.
5. "Bhalo laglo" (it was nice) were the last words of Ray to Roberge.
6. The last three films of Ray were
     * Ganashatru
     * Shakha prashaka
     * Agantuk
7. Ray has his own style film making, but he bounded to some extent. Tagore depicted about crisis of civilization at the beginning of the second world war, which containing immortal dictum that inspite of what was happening it would be sin to lose faith in man. Ray included all these in his triology.
III. 1) about 2) to 3) between 4) for 5) after
IV. 1) on 2) on 3) as 4) as 5) to

 

Writer: V. Satyanarayana Rao 

Posted Date : 18-03-2021

గమనిక : ప్రతిభ.ఈనాడు.నెట్‌లో కనిపించే వ్యాపార ప్రకటనలు వివిధ దేశాల్లోని వ్యాపారులు, సంస్థల నుంచి వస్తాయి. మరి కొన్ని ప్రకటనలు పాఠకుల అభిరుచి మేరకు కృత్రిమ మేధస్సు సాంకేతికత సాయంతో ప్రదర్శితమవుతుంటాయి. ఆ ప్రకటనల్లోని ఉత్పత్తులను లేదా సేవలను పాఠకులు స్వయంగా విచారించుకొని, జాగ్రత్తగా పరిశీలించి కొనుక్కోవాలి లేదా వినియోగించుకోవాలి. వాటి నాణ్యత లేదా లోపాలతో ఈనాడు యాజమాన్యానికి ఎలాంటి సంబంధం లేదు. ఈ విషయంలో ఉత్తర ప్రత్యుత్తరాలకు, ఈ-మెయిల్స్ కి, ఇంకా ఇతర రూపాల్లో సమాచార మార్పిడికి తావు లేదు. ఫిర్యాదులు స్వీకరించడం కుదరదు. పాఠకులు గమనించి, సహకరించాలని మనవి.

ప్రత్యేక కథనాలు

మరిన్ని
 
 

విద్యా ఉద్యోగ సమాచారం