“The Serang of Ranaganji Summary” is a captivating tale that takes readers on a thrilling journey through the mysterious town of Ranaganji. This engrossing summary delves into the life of the enigmatic Serang, a central character who holds the key to a long-standing secret. Filled with suspense, adventure, and unexpected twists, this summary offers a tantalizing glimpse into the world of Ranaganji and its inhabitants. Read More Plus One English Summaries.
The Serang of Ranaganji is a short story by A. J. Cronin about a voyage from Liverpool to Calcutta during the British rule in India. It tells the story of the narrator, a doctor on the ship Ranaganji, and his friendship with Hasan, the ship’s Indian serang, or quartermaster.
The story begins with the narrator describing Hasan as a squat, ugly man with short legs and a large head. However, the narrator soon comes to appreciate Hasan’s intelligence, kindness, and courage.
The Serang of Ranaganji Summary
The Serang of Ranaganji in English
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A smartly dressed woman, who was a first class passenger on the Ranaganji asked her companion, pointing to a man, if he had seen such an absurdly comic creature. They were standing before me. The Ranaganji is a ship and it was about to sail from Liverpool to Calcutta. I and the lady and her companion were on the ship’s upper deck. Following their gaze, I saw a squat, very ugly native seaman, with short legs and a large disproportionate head. He was the Indian serang, orquarter-master(a small naval officer, in charge of navigational matters) of the ship. He was quietly supervising the crew of lascars (petty naval workers) who were completing the loading of the luggage. The companion of the woman said that the serang looked hardly human. He further added that by seeing the serang, one would think that Darwin was right.
the serang of ranaganji characters
The voyage began in calm, clear weather. We crossed the Bay of Biscay without suffering much from the turbulent waters. Soon we passed through the Strait of Gibraltar, passing through the calm Mediterranean under blue skies. The Ranaganji was a big ship, manned by white officers. The crew was entirely Indian. I was the physician on tie ship.
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The ship was crowded with pleasure seekers and tourists. There was a large number of Anglo- Indian army officers. Many of them were with their wives and families. From the start, there was gaiety on board. The chief among the social promoters was Miss Jope- Smith. She was over 30, but she had a dashing style to look younger. She was snob and a bore. We reached Port Said. Everyone went ashore excitedly. They bought silks, shawls, cigarettes, scent and jewellery. We passed the Red Sea, and the barren rock of Aden. Now we were in the Arabian Sea.
The following morning, the serang, Hasan, came bringing with him two of his lascars (deck hands). He greeted me and then told me that those two men were sick. The seamen did not look well. They complained of general illness, strong headache and severe bone pains. They looked frightened, as I began to examine them. Both had fever. Their tongues were covered with thick sputum. They had dry skin, which is nature’s gravest warning. I then discovered hard little nodules under the wrist skin of each man. It was the sure symptom of smallpox.
I was young and inexperienced in my profession. I had not learned to control my feelings. My expression must have altered visibly. Although the serang said nothing, his face assumed a look of seriousness. I quickly went to the ship’s control room.
Captain Hamble was not there. He was in the chartroom below. He looked up as I burst in. I told him that two of the deckhands had small pox. I saw his lips drawing tightly together. He was a thickset man of 55 and a strict disciplinarian. But he was also a just and fair-minded officer.
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He came close to me and told me that I was in charge of the health of the ship. It was entirely up to me. He could not give me any of his officers as he was overloaded and understaffed. But he would give me the serang, who was the finest man he had. He wanted me to keep the disease from spreading. He also wanted others not to know of the disease as passengers would then get panicky.
I left the chartroom realizing my grave responsibility. We were in the middle of the Arabian Sea with 1500 passengers aboard. There was no way of vaccinating them. Smallpox was the most deadly contagion.
Back in my surgery I found that one lascar was in the grip of violent rigour (rigidity of body) and his body was shaking. I told the serang that we had to isolate these men. There was no sick bay on board and not even an inch was available in the cabin space. Worried.
I looked at the serang. He looked undisturbed and told me that a shelter could be made on the rear-deck. It was very cool there with plenty of fresh air.
In the back part of the ship, he began to work. In an hour he erected a large canvas shelter. Mattresses and sheets were then brought up and the two patients were comfortably installed there.
Our next step was to get the crew for a thorough medical inspection. One of the stokers (people who tend the furnace) who complained of fever and headache showed signs of the rash. He was placed with the other cases. I then asked Hasan who would help me in attending these men. Hasan told me that he would help me. I then told him that he should be careful as the disease was most contagious. Hassan told me he was not afraid.
Hasan and I sponged the patients and gave them medicines. We hung sheets soaked in disinfectant round the shelter. We set up a cooking stove where liquids could be heated and simple meals prepared.
The next day there was fresh cause for worry. Three new cases were found among the deckhands. The segregated men were much worse. The same afternoon 4 more of the crew were sick. We now had ten cases in our small isolated shelter. It was a situation to test the strongest nerves. But the serang was calm and undisturbed. In attending the patients, he seemed untiring. I had to beg him to be careful. I asked him not to go too close to the patients. Smilingly he asked me whether I was careful rrjyself. I told him I was and it was my work.
the serang of ranaganji notes pdf
I was so weighed down by responsibility that I was a bit worried for myself. The ship was going with maximum speed. Colombo was the nearest port and it was still 8 days away. In the course of another 2 days, 4 more stokers became sick. Now there were 14. One of the earlier victims had gone into a coma. He seemed likely to die any time. Under this added worry I could not sleep.
The serang was always there helping me. When he stood in meditation, his long arms folded on his bare chest, motionless as a statue, even I felt comforted. When a sick man made any sound of pain, he would move towards him with help. He would return and then again fold him arms in prayer. The ship was moving forward with speed.
Hasan had no liking for speech. Still I gathered some information about his past history. He was from the Punjab. But his parents had moved into south India. There like many others in the coastal region he had taken to the sea-faring life. For nearly 40 years, he had been travelling in the various oceans of the world. In the Ranaganji he had spent 15 years. He had no place on shore; he had no friends or family. He had never married.
He was a Muslim. All his life he had acquired nothing, neither money nor property. What he had was worth a few rupees and it was in the ship. This thought pained me. In a moment of sympathy, I told him that in that emergency, the company ought to give him extra pay. He was silent for a moment and then asked me what use money had for someone who has all that he needs. He was quite happy with the way he was.
He was sincere and he needed no extra money for his service. He had no respect for money and he despised it. He had courage, self-control and faith. The men among whom he worked lived poor and died poor. It had become his habit not to worry about tomorrow.
Standing with him in the moonlight I felt a strange pain. Beside his simplicity the world’s values seemed worthless. A great party had started in the saloon. I had a passionate desire for success and wealth and I felt ashamed when I compared myself with this serang.
On the next day two patients died. Hassan sewed their shrouds. In his hoarse and low voice he read a short passage from the Ramayana before their bodies. They were wrapped in sailcloth, with a weight at their feet and were thrown overboard at midnight. No fresh cases developed. A week later we reached Colombo. Soon the sick men were taken to hospital. Most patients had passed the crisis. But three were in bad shape with running sores. They were carried in the arms of Hassan. I could see tears flowing through his dark cheeks.
the serang of ranaganji pdf
Our passage through the Bay of Bengal was brief and uneventful. We soon reached Calcutta. Suddenly I heard the voice of Miss Jope-Smith. She was pointing to Hasan and telling her companion Ronnie that the ‘absurd creature’ was there again. Hasan was busy in the procedure of unloading the baggage. Then she turned to me and asked me where I had kept the absurd creature during the entire voyage. Did I keep him in a special cage? I told her that in a way he was in a cage. But all the animals were outside.
At the end of the voyage, the narrator is deeply moved by Hasan’s selflessness and dedication. He comes to realize that Hasan is a true hero, and that his appearance is irrelevant.
The Serang of Ranaganji is a powerful story that teaches us the importance of judging others by their character, not their appearance. It is also a reminder of the strength and resilience of the human spirit.