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Alternate subsections for scenes

Commentators have discussed several scenes in Pather Panchali to demonstrate ray's deftness at mise en scène.

Train sequence

One of the much discussed scenes in the film is the discovery of train sequence where Apu and Durga run through the fields of white kash flower to see a train. First, Durga hears the sound of the approaching train, and then both of them run towards the train tracks. Once the train acomes in its full appearance, Apu and Durga looks at its motion in wonder. That is the first time they see a train in their life.

Commentators have found this scene as a metaphor of progress, adventure and the collision of old and new. The presence of the train may suggest the progressive way of civilization, social transformation and the emergence of industrialization, the changing texture of the future society in Bengal as well as India (which became independent in 1947, a few years before the film's making). A discourse in The Hindu says, "Ray used arresting images to elicit the symbolism of a new nation and Nehruvian industrialism in the background of war. Spectacular scenes of Durga and Apu encountering for the first time a telegraph pole and a train contrast with the death of their old aunt and, a little later, of the girl herself."

Death sequences

One day, on their way back home through the forest, leading the family cow and giggling and tickling each other, the children finds their old Aunt Indir squatted under a bush. Durga kneels down in front of her and bends to catch her eyes, but Indir does not respond. As Durga shakes her, Indir falls down. The children realise their aunt is dead; they flee. The little brass vessel, a possession of Indir, rolls into the water. Both the children for the first time encounters death. Two thematic highlights of the first Apu film come from the train and death sequences, both recurring in each chapter of the trilogy.

The scene of the night of Durga’s death was one of the most revealing. As Durga lies listless in the fever, the thunderstorms howl, candlelight flickers on Lord Ganesha’s (who according to the Hindu religion is thought to protect households and bring luck) idol and dies out. By his sign language, Satyajit Ray demonstrates how the tide of nature and the pull of fate are often stronger than the deepest faith.

Climactic sequence

The scene where Harihar comes to know of Durga's death has been regarded as a major cinematic intervention and discussed in detail by Ray himself. In constructing this climactic tragic moment of the film, Ray demonstrates in striking depth his understanding of what it means to translate a literary narrative into the language of cinema. The whole five-minute sequence consists of several long, medium and close-up shots. All the scenes were shot on cloudy days to indicate the plaintive mood. The long shot of the open field highlights Apu's aloneness. This is used as a sort of mnemonicon — a memory device to remind the viewers of Durga's painful absence in Apu's presence.

First, a long top shot shows Harihar at a distance calling "Apu." Sarbajaya is alerted. A close-up shows Sarbajaya with her palm pressed against her cheek. harihar's voice jolts her stillness, and a slight movement of the hand dislodges her bangle and allows it to slide down an inch or so. Hari rues about the shambles that his house has become; he thinks the damage to the wall is an ultimate calamity. This intensifies the irony of the moment of his arrival. Despite the damages to the house, Harihar is in good spirits. The viewer becomes impatient with Harihar's attempts at starting a conversation, and Sarvajaya's procrastinations and silence.

Hari opens a bundle of gifts and describes in detail the things he has brought for the household. Sarbajaya does not respond yet. He holds out a cotton sari toward Sarbajaya. The close-up shot displays the cotton sari for Durga. Sarbajaya clasps the sari with her palms as the camera tilts, showing bursts of tears on her quickly contorting face. She bites the sari with her teeth and goes down and out of the shot. However, no crying sound is heard. Instead, audience hears the high wistful strains of the Tar Shehnai, a high-pitched controlled instrument. A medium shot shows Sarbajaya weeping; Hari leans toward her anxiously as the Tar Shehnai continues. A close shot follows the couple: Sarbajaya collapses on the floor; Hari touches her shoulders, looking terribly shaken. Sarbajaya moves her head and conveys the tragic news: Durga is no more. When Harihar at last grasps that he has lost his daughter, he collapses over his wife's body and wails his heart out: "Durga! Durga Ma!" A medium shot takes viewers to the stillness of the pond by Harihar's house. Apu stands still and silent near the house, absorbing the sound of his father's agonised cry.

Other scenes

An intriguing scene is the sweet-seller scene where a Apu and Durga yearn to buy sweats from a sweat vendor. Durga sends Apu to their father to ask for money. But Sarbajaya forbids Harihar from giving money to the children. Disappointed, both the children started to follow the sweet-seller; a dog accompanies them. As the procession passes along, it is reflected upside down in the water of a pond. Apu and Durga follows the vendor to their neighbour's house with the hope they could get a share from when the neighbour buys some sweats. The sheer poverty in the life of the family is shown in this scene.

Another one of the many lyrical shots of the film is the onset of the monsoon bringing hope, joy and new life. The first raindrops fall on the shining baldpate of an angler, the water hyacinths in the pond, the trees in the field. the momentum slowly build to attract Durga to dance in the downpour.

Towards the end of the film, after Durga's death, Apu throws the necklace which she stole into the pond and the lotus leaves cover up the place where the necklace enters the water—the burial of a small secret memory in collusion with Nature. The boy buried her sister's little sin in nature's deep waters, and the camera shows lotus leaves (or kochuripana) slowly flowing in to hush up the secret that would now be buried from other people forever.

Proposed subsections for scenes

The train sequence

One of the much discussed scenes in the film is the discovery of train sequence where Apu and Durga run through the fields of white kash flower to see a train. First, Durga hears the sound of the approaching train, and then both of them run towards the train tracks. Once the train acomes in its full appearance, Apu and Durga looks at its motion in wonder. That is the first time they see a train in their life.

Commentators have found this scene as a metaphor of progress, adventure and the collision of old and new. The presence of the train may suggest the progressive way of civilization, social transformation and the emergence of industrialization, the changing texture of the future society in Bengal as well as India (which became independent in 1947, a few years before the film's making). A discourse in The Hindu says, "Ray used arresting images to elicit the symbolism of a new nation and Nehruvian industrialism in the background of war. Spectacular scenes of Durga and Apu encountering for the first time a telegraph pole and a train contrast with the death of their old aunt and, a little later, of the girl herself."

The sweet-seller sequence

An intriguing scene is the sweet-seller scene where a Apu and Durga yearn to buy sweats from a sweat vendor. Durga sends Apu to their father to ask for money. But Sarbajaya forbids Harihar from giving money to the children. Disappointed, both the children started to follow the sweet-seller; a dog accompanies them. Apu and Durga follows the vendor to their neighbour's house with the hope they could get a share from when the neighbour buys some sweats. The sheer poverty in the life of the family is shown in this scene.

Indir's death

One day, on their way back home through the forest, leading the family cow and giggling and tickling each other, the children finds their old Aunt Indir squatted under a bush. Durga kneels down in front of her and bends to catch her eyes, but Indir does not respond. As Durga shakes her, Indir falls down. The children realise their aunt is dead; they flee. The little brass vessel, a possession of Indir, rolls into the water. Both the children for the first time encounters death. Two thematic highlights of the first Apu film come from the train and death sequences, both recurring in each chapter of the trilogy.

Durga's death

The scene of the night of Durga’s death was one of the most revealing. As Durga lies listless in the fever, the thunderstorms howl, candlelight flickers on Lord Ganesha’s (who according to the Hindu religion is thought to protect households and bring luck) idol and dies out. By his sign language, Satyajit Ray demonstrates how the tide of nature and the pull of fate are often stronger than the deepest faith.

Climactic scene

The scene where Harihar comes to know of Durga's death has been regarded as a major cinematic intervention and discussed in detail by Ray himself. In constructing this climactic tragic moment of the film, Ray demonstrates in striking depth his understanding of what it means to translate a literary narrative into the language of cinema. The whole five-minute sequence consists of several long, medium and close-up shots. All the scenes were shot on cloudy days to indicate the plaintive mood. The long shot of the open field highlights Apu's aloneness. This is used as a sort of mnemonicon — a memory device to remind the viewers of Durga's painful absence in Apu's presence.

First, a long top shot shows Harihar at a distance calling "Apu." Sarbajaya is alerted. But she is not shown to respond instantaneously. A close-up shows Sarbajaya with her palm pressed against her cheek. A slight movement of the hand dislodges the bangle and allows it to slide down an inch or so. The slight movement of the bangle indicates that Harihar's voice has jolted her stillness. Hari complains about the shambles that his house has become; he thinks the damage to the wall is an ultimate calamity. This intensifies the irony of the moment of his arrival. In order to delay the onset of the dramatic moment, the shot was extended to about a minute and a half. Harihar moves from the medium shot into the long shot. The viewer becomes impatient with Harihar's attempts at starting a conversation, and Sarvajaya's procrastinations and silence.

Hari opens a bundle of gifts while explaining the reasons for his delay in returning home; he describes in detail the things he has brought for the household. Sarbajaya does not respond. He holds out a cotton sari toward Sarvajaya. The close-up shot displays the cotton sari for Durga. Sarvajaya clasps the sari with her palms as the camera tilts, showing bursts of tears on her quickly contorting face. She bites the sari with her teeth and goes down and out of the shot. However, no crying sound is heard. Instead, audience hears the high wistful strains of the Tar Shehnai, a high-pitched controlled instrument. A medium shot shows Sarvajaya weeping; Hari leans toward her anxiously as the Tar Shehnai continues. A close shot follows the couple: Sarvajaya collapses on the floor; Hari touches her shoulders, looking terribly shaken, asking, as it were, "What happened?" without using words. Sarvajaya moves her head and conveys the tragic news: Durga is no more. The camera tracks toward Hari's face. Hari now knows. Dumbstruck, he tries to get up, slumps on the floor, doubles up and is overcome with sobs. The camera tracks back to its former position. Hari wails his heart out: "Durga! Durga Ma!" A medium shot takes viewers to the stillness of the pond by Harihar's house. Apu stands still near the house.

Other sequences

Another one of the many lyrical shots of the film is the onset of the monsoon bringing hope, joy and new life. The first raindrops fall on the shining baldpate of an angler, the water hyacinths in the pond, the trees in the field. the momentum slowly build to attract Durga to dance in the downpour.

Towards the end of the film, after Durga's death, Apu throws the necklace which she stole into the pond and the lotus leaves cover up the place where the necklace enters the water—the burial of a small secret memory in collusion with Nature. The boy buried her sister's little sin in nature's deep waters, and the camera shows lotus leaves (or kochuripana) slowly flowing in to hush up the secret that would now be buried from other people forever.

Scenes

"Ray had a gift for visual metaphors, for telling a story and striking deep emotional chords without words". One of the much discussed scenes in the film remain the discovery of train sequence where Apu and Durga sees a train, running in the white kaash flowers. Commentators have found this scene metaphoric of progress, adventure and the collision of old and new. Once the train is presented in its full appearance. In the middle of the field Apu and Durga are looking at it in motion in wonder. The presence of the train suggests many things like the progressive way of civilization, social transformation and the emergence of industrialization, the unputdownable changing texture of the future society in Bengal.

The sweet-seller sequence is also very intriguing. The scene starts with Apu and Durga sharing the delicious Tamarind paste secretly and silently, but suddenly Durga hears some faint tinkle of bells belonging to the sweet-seller. Durga recognizing the sweet-seller sends Apu to fetch money from their Harihar. But Sarbojaya who was still around interfered and did not allow Harihar to give the money to Apu, who had to return empty handed. Disappointed, both the children started to follow the sweet-seller, with the faint hope that when Sejobou buys for her children then they would also get something. The sheer poverty in the life of the Ray family is shown in this scene, where, a dog follows the sweet-seller along with the two children.

Another one of the many lyrical shots of the film is the onset of the monsoon bringing hope, joy and new life. The first raindrops fall on the shining baldpate of an angler, the water hyacinths in the pond, the trees in the field help to slowly build the momentum drawing Durga (the sister) to dance in the rain. But as the storm rises in ferocity, it turns destructive and threatens the foundations of their dilapidated house and ultimately Durga’s life.

On their way back home through the forest, leading the family cow and giggling and tickling each other. But here both the children and Apu for the first time encounters death, the death of Indir Thakrun. The old woman sits dead sunk between her knees. Durga without realizing this kneels down in front of her and bends to catch her eyes with Apu. The death has been portrayed by the director in a very subtle way. As the dead Indir dies there dead the music sung by her, calling her Lord to take her up to him, is played in the background when she died. The Little brass vessel rolls into the water when the old lady dies. Two thematic highlights of the first Apu film come from the train and death sequences, both recurring in each chapter of the trilogy.

The scene of the night of Durga’s death was one of the most revealing. As Durga suffers from fever that the monsoon brought and the winds howl, candlelight flickers on Lord Ganesha’s face and dies out. By his sign language, Satyajit Ray demonstrates how the tide of nature and the pull of fate are often stronger than the deepest faith. Ray suggests the power of by showing us a likeness of Lord Ganesha, who according to the Hindu religion is thought to protect households and bring luck.10 The force of the cyclonic wind as envisaged in the scene of the interior of Harihar’s poor house. The shaking of the idol of Ganesha, the outburst of wind through the window, panic-stricken Sarbojaya are very symbolic to the idea that Satyajit wanted to portray and that being that even during the difficult it is the religion that people in India look up to, showing the importance of religion in Indian society.

The scene where Harihar comes to know of Durga's death has been regarded as a major cinematic intervention and discussed in detail by Ray himself. In constructing this climactic tragic moment of the film, Ray demonstrates in striking depth his understanding of what it means to translate a literary narrative into the language of cinema. The whole five-minute sequence consists of several long, medium and close-up shots. All the scenes were shot on cloudy days to indicate the plaintive mood. The long shot of the open field highlights Apu's aloneness. This is used as a sort of mnemonicon — a memory device to remind the viewers of Durga's painful absence in Apu's presence.

First, a long top shot shows Harihar at a distance calling "Apu." Sarbajaya is alerted. But she is not shown to respond instantaneously. A close-up shows Sarbajaya with her palm pressed against her cheek. A slight movement of the hand dislodges the bangle and allows it to slide down an inch or so. The slight movement of the bangle indicates that Harihar's voice has jolted her stillness. Hari complains about the shambles that his house has become; he thinks the damage to the wall is an ultimate calamity. This intensifies the irony of the moment of his arrival. In order to delay the onset of the dramatic moment, the shot was extended to about a minute and a half. Harihar moves from the medium shot into the long shot. The viewer becomes impatient with Harihar's attempts at starting a conversation, and Sarvajaya's procrastinations and silence.

Hari opens a bundle of gifts while explaining the reasons for his delay in returning home; he describes in detail the things he has brought for the household. Sarbajaya does not respond. He holds out a cotton sari toward Sarvajaya. The close-up shot displays the cotton sari for Durga. Sarvajaya clasps the sari with her palms as the camera tilts, showing bursts of tears on her quickly contorting face. She bites the sari with her teeth and goes down and out of the shot. However, no crying sound is heard. Instead, audience hears the high wistful strains of the Tar Shehnai, a high-pitched controlled instrument. A medium shot shows Sarvajaya weeping; Hari leans toward her anxiously as the Tar Shehnai continues. A close shot follows the couple: Sarvajaya collapses on the floor; Hari touches her shoulders, looking terribly shaken, asking, as it were, "What happened?" without using words. Sarvajaya moves her head and conveys the tragic news: Durga is no more. The camera tracks toward Hari's face. Hari now knows. Dumbstruck, he tries to get up, slumps on the floor, doubles up and is overcome with sobs. The camera tracks back to its former position. Hari wails his heart out: "Durga! Durga Ma!" A medium shot takes viewers to the stillness of the pond by Harihar's house. Apu stands still near the house.

The moment, in the last part of the film, after Durga's death, Apu throws the necklace which she stole (and whose hiding spot only Apu knew) into the pond and the lotus leaves cover up the place where the necklace enters the water the burial of a small secret memory in collusion with Nature. The boy buried her sister's little sin in nature's deep waters, where else could he? And the camera shows lotus leaves (or kochuripana) slowly flowing in to hush up the secret that would now be buried from other people forever.

Present version of plot

Set in rural Bengal of the 1920s, Pather Panchali focuses on the lives of Apu (Subir Banerjee) and his family members. Apu's father Harihar Ray (Kanu Banerjee) lives in his ancestral home in the village Nischindipur, with his impoverished family. He earns a meagre living as a priest, but dreams a better career by writing scholarly plays and poetry. But, in reality, he is easily exploited—he even cannot muster the courage to ask his employer for the payment of overdue wages, although his family is in dire need of money towards household expenses.

Harihar's wife, Sarbajaya (Karuna Banerjee) has the responsibility for the care of their two children, Durga (Uma Dasgupta) and Apu, as well as an elderly sister-in-law, Indir Thakrun (Chunibala Devi). With limited resources, Sarbajaya resents having to share her home with the elderly and fragile Indir. Indir is very old, toothless, and bent over at almost a ninety degree angle when she walks. Periodically, she takes refuge in the home of another relative when Sarbajaya either forces her out or becomes overly offensive. Durga, a boisterous girl, steals fruits from the neighbor’s orchard and shares those with aunt Indir, with whom she feels some affinity. Sarbajaya bears the brunt of the neighbour's innuendos blaming her for Durga’s propensity for stealing. Durga cannot afford what her friends enjoy. Once, she even resorts to stealing a beaded necklace from one girl.

Apu and Durga shares an affectionate brother-sister relationship. Durga, as the elder sister, cares for Apu almost with motherly affection, although she does not let go any opportunity to tease him either. They share the simple joys of sitting quietly under a tree, running after the candy man who passes by ringing bells, viewing pictures in a bioscope shown by a travelling vendor, and watching a drama of a travelling acting troupe that comes to their village. In the evenings, they can hear the whistle of trains from far away. Indeed, one day they run away from home to catch a glimpse of the train. The scene of Apu and Durga running through the fields of white kaash flowers to see the train is one of the most celebrated scenes in the film. While playing one day in the bushes, they discover their old aunt, Indir, dead.

Harihar, unable to earn adequately in the village, decides to travel to nearby cities for new vocations. He promises Sarbajaya that he would return with enough money to repair their derelict house. During his absence, he seldom communicates, and the family sinks even deeper into poverty. Sarbajaya grows increasingly lonely and embittered as her sorrows pile up. Monsoon season approaches and storm clouds gather. One day, Durga dances playfully in the downpour for a long time. Soon she catches cold, and develops a fever. With scarce medical care available, her fever continues and eventually on a night of incessant rain and gusty winds, she dies.

Harihar finally returns home and starts to show Sarbajaya what he has brought from the city. But Sarbajaya, who sits still like a stone until then, breaks down at the feet of her husband, and Harihar screams—he discovers that he has lost much more than he has earned. The family decides to leave the village, tearing away roots from their ancestral home. As they start packing, Apu finds the necklace that Durga had earlier stolen (though she denied it). He throws it into a pond as if to preserve her memory from any belated taint. The film ends with Apu and his parents riding a slow ox-cart to their new destination.

earlier version of plot

Set in rural Bengal of the 1920s, Pather Panchali focuses on the lives of Apu (Subir Banerjee) and his family members. Harihar Ray (Kanu Banerjee) lives in his ancestral home in the village, Nischindipur, with his impoverished family. He earns a meagre living as a priest, but dreams to make it big one day by writing scholarly plays and poetry. But, in reality, he is easily exploited and is unable to stand up for himself or his family. He had to forfeit the orchard that his family once owned to his neighbours, as he was unable to repay the debts incurred by his deceased brother. When his wages are overdue for two months, he cannot muster the courage to ask his employer for the payment, although his family is in dire need of money towards household expenses. Even his house badly needs a repair before the monsoon (rainy season).

Harihar's wife, Sarbajaya (Karuna Banerjee) struggles to make ends meet. She has to bear the responsibility for the care of their two children, Durga (Uma Dasgupta) and Apu, as well as an elderly sister-in-law, Indir Thakrun (Chunibala Devi). Sarbajaya bears the brunt of the neighbour's innuendos blaming her for Durga’s propensity for stealing fruits from the neighbor’s orchard. With limited resources, Sarbajaya resents having to share her home with the elderly and fragile Indir. Indir is very old, toothless, and bent over at almost a ninety degree angle when she walks. Periodically, she takes refuge in the home of another relative when Sarbajaya either forces her out or becomes overly offensive.

Durga is an adorable and boisterous girl. She shares the fruits from the neighbor’s orchard with aunt Indir, with whom she feels some affinity. Durga often cannot afford what her friends enjoy. She feels humiliated. Once, she even resorts to stealing a beaded necklace from one girl who is unwilling to let her string any of the beads.

Apu in this film is mainly an observer. He observes everything happening in his surroundings with wide open eyes. Durga and Apu shares a very affectionate brother-sister relationship. Durga, as the elder sister, cares for Apu almost with motherly affection, although she does not let go any opportunity to tease him either. They share the simple joys of sitting quietly under a tree, running after the candy man who passes by ringing bells, viewing pictures in a bioscope shown by a travelling vendor, and watching a drama of a travelling acting troupe that comes to their village. In the evenings, they can hear the whistle of trains from far away. Indeed, one day they run away from home to catch a glimpse of the train. The scene of Apu and Durga running through the fields of white kaash flowers to see the train is one of the most celebrated scenes in the film. Durga and Apu, while playing one day in the bushes, discover their old aunt, Indir, sitting near a bamboo tree. When Durga calls her and finds no response, she inches ahead and shakes her, only to find that she has died.

Harihar, upon facing difficulty in earning adequately in the village, decides to travel to nearby cities. He plans to find some new occupation there, and promises Sarbajaya that he would return with enough money to repair their derelict house. During his absence, he seldom communicates, and the family sinks even deeper into poverty. Sarbajaya grows increasingly lonely and embittered as her sorrows pile up.

Monsoon season approaches and storm clouds gather. One day, during a downpour, Durga dances playfully in the rain for a long time. Soon she catches cold, and develops a fever. With very poor medical care available, her fever continues and eventually on a night of incessant rain and gusty winds, she dies.

Harihar finally returns home and with childish ecstasy, he starts to show Sarbajaya what he has brought from the city. But Sarbajaya, who sits still like a stone until then, breaks down at the feet of her husband, and Harihar screams — he discovers that he has lost much more than he has earned. The family decides to leave the village, tearing away roots from their ancestral home. As they start packing, Apu finds the necklace that Durga had earlier stolen (though she denied it). He throws it into a pond as if to preserve her memory from any belated taint. The film ends with Apu and his parents riding a slow ox-cart to their new destination.

References

• Robinson, A (2005), Satyajit Ray: A Vision of Cinema, I. B. Tauris, ISBN 1845110749.