Advocates of socialism said that Ray was not "committed" to the cause of the nation's downtrodden classes; some critics accused him of glorifying poverty in Pather Panchali and Ashani Sanket (Distant Thunder) through lyricism and aesthetics.
Para advokat sosialisme berkata bahwa Ray tak "berniat" untuk menghiraukan kelas-kelas bawah di negara tersebut; beberapa kritikus meremehkan kemiskinan dalam Pather Panchali dan Ashani Sanket (Guntur Jauh) melalui lirik dan aestiteik.