Brainstorming activities: An Astrologers Day
(A1)
(i) Given below are some descriptions. Discuss them with your partner and find out one word for each of them. An example is given for you.
(a) The scientific study of the universe and the objects in it, including stars, planets, nebulae and galaxies
- Astronomy
(b) The study of the movements of the planets, Sun, Moon, and Stars in the belief that these movements can have an influence on people's lives
- Astrology or (Cosmology or Astrophysics)
(c) A prediction of what will happen in the future.
- Prophecy
(d) Scientific discipline that studies mental states and processes and behaviour in humans and other animals.
- Psychology
(ii) In the story we are told that the Town Hall Park was a remarkable place in many ways for an astrologer to build his business. List the exceptional qualities of the place.
a) A surging crowd
b) A variety of trades and occupations.
c) An auctioneer of cheap cloth creating enough din to attract the whole town.
d) Shouting vendor of fried groundnut.
e) Shops did not have the benefit of municipal lighting.
f) The place was lit up by shop lights.
g) Bewildering crisscross of light rays and moving shadows.
(iii) The astrologer never opened his mouth till the other had spoken for at least ten minutes. Discuss the reasons behind his act.
(a) He is good at reading the people.
b) The information given by people provided him enough stuff for a dozen answers and advices
c) He got a chance to analyze the troubles of his customer.
d) He worked on the policy those who hear a lot learn a lot.
e) He got a way to win the confidence of the customer.
f) He got enough time for searching answers and giving advice.
(A2)
(i) The tactics used by the astrologer to earn his wages are...
a) Analysis of human troubles
b) A good presence of mind, experience and perception
c) Use of equipment and shrewdness.
\d) Comment on the customer's nature, affairs, efforts and fate.
e) Creation of fear in the mind of the customer.
f) Use of general statements to endear the customers and win their hearts.
(ii) An astrologer's appearance helps to create an impression on his clients.Complete the following:
a) The turban on his head b) Sacred ash and vermilion on forehead c) Dark mustachecovering his voice d) |
(iii) Read the following sentences and choose the correct one.
(a) The astrologer says that if Nayak leaves his village again, he would -
(1) return the money
(2) face danger
(3) go back home and stop looking for the man who tried to kill him
(4) not find the killer.
Answer: face danger
(b) According to the narrator the astrologer's success in his profession is primarily due to -
(1) luck
(2) the bargains he drives
(3) his appearance
(4) his understanding of people.
Answer: his understanding of people.
(c) The story suggests that the astrologer's comments and observations please people by -
(1) promising them success and good fortune
(2) proving, as time passes, to have been true
(3) flattering them or supporting their own views
(4) helping them to learn to solve their own problems.
Answer: flattering them or supporting their own views
(d) Guru Nayak consults the astrologer because he wants to -
(1) understand the past
(2) find out who the astrologer is
(3) make some money through a bet
(4) get the answer to a specific question
Answer: get the answer to a
specific question
(e) Guru Nayak is looking for the man who tried to kill him -
(1) to take revenge
(2) to get an apology
(3) to demand an explanation
(4) to prove that the man was unsuccessful.
Answer: to take revenge
(f) The astrologer's remark makes Guru Nayak feel all of the following except-
(1) relieved
(2) suspicious
(3) impressed
(4) disappointed.
Answer: suspicious
(g) Reactions of the astrologer's wife to his news suggest that she -
(1) was unaware of his past
(2) has been worried about his safety
(3) has known him since he was young
(4) is concerned about her future with him.
Answer: was unaware of his past
(iv) In the story, many Indian words are used.
'Cowrie shells'. This is an example of code-mixing.
Find out other such words from the story and write them down.
Examples of code – mixing:-
Raja's Delicacy, Bombay ice cream, Delhi Almond, three pies, eight annas, half annas, jutka drivers, lit a cheeroot etc.
(iv) Read the following sentences and find out True and False sentences. Correct the False sentences.
(a) The astrologer gave a correct prediction to the client about his past that he was stabbed, thrown into a well and left for dead.- True
(b) When the astrologer came to know that the man whom he killed is alive he felt that he was relieved of his guilt. - True
(c) The astrologer tried to back out of the deal and talked about the client's past. – False (The astrologer demanded more money to tell about the client’s past)
(d) The astrologer rescued himself from Guru Nayak's revenge. - True
(e) The moral of the story is that we must be responsible about what we have done and should not run away from our mistakes. - True
(v) The astrologer has changed his appearance and his persona when he arrived in the city. Give specific reasons.
Answer: When astrologer was a silly youngster, he quarreled with Guru Nayak and tried to kill him in wrath. He thought that he had murdered Guru Nayak. So he left the village and settled in the distant city where no one was familiar with him. He changed his attire and also changed the complete appearance and persona so that no one could recognise him and his offence of killing Guru Nayak would not be revealed.
(vi)'The darkness load that was inside the astrologer has disappeared'. Through this sentence, explain the significance of the title 'An Astrologer's Day'.
Answer: An astrologer was living under the burden of thought that he had the blood of man on his hands all those days. But one day he saw a stranger before him. He identified Guru Nayak. When he saw Guru Nayak was alive, he became tension free. The day on which he was relieved from that load, was a special day for him. So that day is called An Astrologer's Day.
(vii) The astrologer feels relieved that Guru is not dead as it relieves a great burden from him. Critically justify the statement and explain it.
Answer: An astrologer was living under the load of thought that he had murdered Guru Nayak. So he felt himself guilty. But one day when he saw Guru Nayak before him alive, he felt relieved from the burden of that thought means he was not dead.
(viii) The astrologer wins/gets the sympathy of criticism of the reader in the end. Express your opinion with the support of the main story.
Answer: The Astrologer gets the sympathy of the readers because he was guilty of his deed and wanted to get away from it. His smartness and the tricks of his trade had saved him from his past crime. He had accepted his mistake and already started living a new life. Acceptance of mistake is a great quality which is difficult to find. His perception, presence of mind, self-confidence and shrewdness helped him to overcome the problem. He had learnt a lesson hence the astrologer got sympathy from the readers.
(ix) If we have to eradicate the superstitions and other ill practices from our society, what steps would you like to suggest?
Answer: I would like to suggest the following steps for eradicating the superstitions and other ill practices from our society.
a) To make the people aware of the things which are good and which are bad for our development and also for the development of our society.
b)To tell them about the ill effects of superstitions on our health.
c)To try to develop the scientific views in the people.
d)To make aware them how common persons are deceived under the names of blind beliefs by some so called Sadhus.
e) To tell the people not to believe in unknown persons who come
to your doorstep and ask you to make double the money or ornaments.
f)To take the help of the organizations who are working in the field of eradication of superstitions. These organizations will arrange programmes to show the ill impacts of superstitions.
g)To try develop scientific thinking within common people through practical experiences.
etc.
(x) In the story, astrologer has a great listening power. Listening helps in developing good relations with people. Express your opinion.
Answer: Yes, listening helps in developing good relations with people.
a) If we listen carefully what the person before us telling, he / she will respect us.
a) If we listen carefully what the person before us telling, he / she will respect us.
b) If we listen someone's agony, we can console him / her. It helps us to build good relationship.
c) Listening also helps us to sort out the misunderstanding.
d) Listening is skill which helps one to communicate successfully.
e) If we don't listen others and speak to the people all the time, they get bored and try to avoid us which affects the relations.
f) A good listener is always alert and can judge things in correct perspective. Such person takes proper steps to maintain the relationship.
A3)
(i) In the story, the following characters reveal their qualities through words and actions. Pick out the words that describe them and write before the characters
Astrologer | Guru Nayak | Astrologer's wife |
(1) shrewd | manipulative | caring |
(2) | ||
(3) | ||
(4) |
Answer
(ii) Match the suffixes with the words and make nouns. One is done for you.
Word | suffix | noun | |
auction | able | auctioneer | |
enchant | ure | ||
know | ment | ||
prepare | eer | ||
proceed | ance | ||
appear | ledge | ||
remark | tion | ||
Answer:- | |||
Word | suffix | noun | |
auction | able | auctioneer | |
enchant | ure | enchantment | |
know | ment | knowledge | |
prepare | eer | preparation | |
proceed | ance | procedure | |
appear | ledge | appearance | |
remark | tion | remarkable | |
iii) Astrologer's Day' has ironic elements where the astrologer pretends to have 'supernatural knowledge' that coincidently turns out to be the truth.
Irony means a situation or statement characterized by a significant difference between what is expected and what actually happens, or between what is understood and what is meant.
Find out the examples of irony from the story and write them down. One has been done for you.
a)He knew no more of what was going to happen to others than he knew what was going to happen to himself the next minute.
b)He had a working analysis of mankind's troubles.
c)Within five minutes he understood what was wrong.
d)Guru Nayak came to the astrologer for help in finding the man who nearly killed him--and the astrologer himself was the very man he was looking for but he couldn’t recognize him.
e)His forehead was resplendent with sacred ash and vermilion, and his eyes sparkled with a sharp abnormal gleam which was really an outcome of a continual searching look for customers, but which his simple clients took to be a prophetic light and felt comforted.
f)Nayak learnt that his attacker was dead. The astrologer learnt that he did not commit murder.
g)The very fact that such pious and sanctimoniously sacrosanct activities are carried out in busy market lanes where day to day businesses are carried out makes quite a few eyebrows to get raised and worry about the real underpinnings of these businesses.
(iv) In the story, many Indian words are used.
'Cowrie shells'. This is an example of code-mixing.
Find out other such words from the story and write them down.
Examples of code – mixing:-
Raja's Delicacy, Bombay ice cream, Delhi Almond, three pies, eight annas, half annas, jutka drivers, lit a cheeroot etc.
Textual Activities given in the margin:
By Prof. Sanjay D. Patil, Dnyandeep Vidya Mandir, Khed Dist. Ratnagiri
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