Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore, Bengali (born May 7, 1861, Calcutta [now Kolkata], India—died August 7, 1941, Calcutta), Bengali poet, short-story writer, song composer, playwright, essayist, and painter who introduced new prose and verse forms and the use of colloquial language into Bengali literature, thereby freeing it from traditional models based on classical Sanskrit. He was highly influential in introducing Indian culture to the West and vice versa, and he is generally regarded as the outstanding creative artist of early 20th-century India. In 1913 he became the first non-European to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature.
Tagore modernized Bengali art by spurning rigid classical forms and resisting linguistic structures. His novels, stories, songs, dance-dramas, and essays spoke to topics political and personal. Gitanjali (Song Offerings), Gora (Fair-Faced) and Ghare-Baire (The Home and the World) are his best-known works, and his verse, short stories, and novels were acclaimed—or panned—for their lyricism, colloquialism, naturalism, and unnatural contemplation. His compositions were chosen by two nations as national anthems: India's "Jana Gana Mana '' and Bangladesh's "Amar Shonar Bangla ''. The Sri Lankan national anthem was inspired by his work.
About The Home and the World
The Home and the World (in the original Bengali, ঘরে বাইরে Ghôre Baire or Ghare Baire, lit. "At home and outside") is a 1916 novel by Rabindranath Tagore. The book illustrates the battle Tagore had with himself, between the ideas of Western culture and revolution against the Western culture.These two ideas are portrayed in two of the main characters, Nikhilesh, who is rational and opposes violence, and Sandip, who will let nothing stand in his way from reaching his goals. These two opposing ideals are very important in understanding the history of the Bengal region and its contemporary problems.
Beyond a Conjugal Life; Tagore’s
Home and the World: A Gendered perspective
Tagore has viewed the notion of nationalism in general and then tries to find its reflection in the novel.
Whether intentional or not Ghare Baire has questioned the stereotyped mainstream conjugality of the then Bengali society which may be relevant even now. The institutionalized conjugal life may allow couples to stay under the same roof without even knowing each other. The novel in a way tried to construct a new kind of conjugality based on the recognition of equality of men and women. Such a new conjugality was aspired by none other than Nikhilesh in the novel. However, the honest intention behind Nikhilesh’s aspiration didn’t appeal to Bimala initially who were used to thinking in a conventional way of the society. “The first two anniversaries of our married life I spent time in Calcutta, where I went through my examinations. But from the next year onwards, for seven years without a break, we have celebrated our union among the blossoming water-lilies. Now begins the next octave of my life. It was difficult for me to ignore the fact that the same month of August had come round again this year. Does Bimala remember it, I wonder? —she has given me no reminder. Everything is mute about me”. For Bimala, conjugal life was premised on a traditional role played by women while carrying out a selfless service to the family. Furthermore, being highly influenced by her mother’s chastity Bimala wanted to retain the same legacy in her own domestic life. As such initial years of her marriage went away in worshiping her husband, that too in a much institutionalized form. In Fact she wanted to uphold her chastity as the replacement of her beauty which she lacked in the conventional sense. In doing so she was neither true to herself nor to her relationship.
Perhaps Tagore whether consciously or not tried to project that nationalism in whichever form is practiced ultimately lands up in pursuing self interest, be it a nation or an individual. Possibly his disregard for nationalism and strong recommendation in favor of cosmopolitanism finds a latent manifestation through the novel.Tagore’s emphasis upon morality can also be traced even through the female character of the novel. It appears as if the women in the novel were provided with a free space but at the same time it is being limited by some principles of moral conduct beyond which her journey seems to be non-permissible. This becomes evident through Bimala in the novel. Bimala’s exposure to the outer world, her education – all seems to be provided for being a good companion to her husband. Things perhaps went wrong when her subjectivity prompted her to move a step ahead and respond both to the call of nationalism and Sandip.
Even if nationalist call might have been excused, her passionate involvement with Sandip seems to have violated the code of morality.Let what I have had to bear end with this one birth. I could not bear it over again.”Another interesting feature of the novel is that Tagore has created his two male protagonists in sharp contrast to each other. Throughout the novel “Nikhilesh describes his relationship to Bimala and others in a much contemplative, non-masterful, eager to respect the autonomy of others” which is exactly the opposite characterization of Sandip. Sumit Sarkar argues that while projecting Nikhilesh Tagore had actually suggested an alternative conception of masculinity different from the mainstream aggressive one (as projected through Sandip). Further, here it must also be noted that the contrast characterization of Nikhilesh and Sandip however shares a common aspect, if studied carefully. Both tried to construct Bimala thereby ignoring her autonomous subjectivity. It also seems that both forms of nationalism as projected through these characters tried to treat Bimala as their extended colony where each in a way created their own sphere of influence and expected Bimala to act in accordance with their wishes. Whenever such a sphere of influence is likely to be threatened, they either disassociate her (as with the case of Nikhilesh) or dismiss her (as with Sandip) from their lifestyles.
Critics like Krishna Kripalani pointed out the reasons for considering Char Adhyay as a continuation of Ghare Baire. To quote him, “in this short but powerful novel he returns to the theme he had discussed earlier, in a different setting in his novel The Home and The World- human values and political ideals. The setting is the underground revolutionary movement in Bengal, against his heroism and its terrorisms depicted the frustration of love and the gradual debasement of human values. The author’s analysis of the motives that inspire and condition political heroisms is marked by deep insight into the psychology of the characters in this tragic drama of frustrated idealism and is expressed in language of great vigor and beauty. The novel aroused a storm of controversy in Bengal and the author was mercilessly reviled. He had uttered too many home truths”.Infact, to understand Tagore, one needs to understand the time and the cultural context in which he wrote. This we often ignore and thereby interpret very crudely and mechanically. For instance, by the end of the passage Nikhilesh is satisfied that he has at last found the true path in life and that in doing so he has attained freedom, while acknowledging the freedom of others – specifically the world. Michael Sprinker is however critical about it since to him it seems “Nikhilesh discovering the secret of self-liberation discloses that the subject, which is the agent of his own freedom, depends on the world to realize its freedom”.
Sprinker perhaps was very mechanical in arguing freedom cannot be given to one another; one can only achieve it for oneself. It is here that I presume the question of culture becomes significant. The family structure of a Bengali society, the mutual interdependence and social bonding between married couples, their relation with other members of the family and society is very different from that of the west. It was not a customary feature of women of the then society to move out of their ‘andarmahal’ and meet the outside world. Bimala, herself was hesitant to do so because of her socialization but did it on her husband’s insistence. She could not have realized the true spirit of liberty, had she not stepped into the outside world. In this respect Nikhilesh’s cooperation cannot be denied. But at the same time it must also be mentioned that Bimala, once exposed to the outside world, could exercise her liberty perfectly which is revealed through her interaction with both Nikhilesh and Sandip. This freedom she has acquired because of her individual subjectivity. As such, it will not be correct to universalize the nature of the concept of freedom. Hence, when Nikhilesh said, ‘…. I shall allow freedom to others ‘. Perhaps here he tried to mean that he will respect the freedom of others and like other husbands of the then society he would not allow the social norms to dictate the terms and conditions of freedom of others, doesn’t matter even if it happens to be his wife. Thus from the core of his heart he was a liberal humanist in all respects. In fact, this is where I would like to go back to my introductory part on interpretation and add further that there cannot be any ultimate conclusion of a text; all we can suggest are temporal ones.No doubt, Ghare Baire has questioned the nature of conjugality of the Bengali society yet Bimala’s return to Nikhilesh at the end without any outside compulsion is very significant. Bimala, though motivated by Sandip initially, responded to the nationalist call but her dedication to the movement was an honest one and hence cannot be questioned. Her strong passion towards Sandip was revealing and so was her love for Nikhilesh. Her inner conflict has created within her a split personality.
“On the one hand I was eager that my husband would win in an argument and that Sandip’s pride should be shamed. Yet, on the other hand, it was Sandip’s unabashed pride which attracted me. Like Nikhilesh she too suffered from mental agony but unlike her husband her pain cannot afford to receive any sympathy from the readers since she has done something which is regarded as a crime in our society. Hence conflict regarding social values and changing times did not end. It continues even today when women having a dual mind pass through a similar trauma. Her return to Nikhilesh is however crucial since it shows how her self liberated position took her a step ahead towards self emancipation. Self emancipation or ‘Atmamukti’ however utopian it might sound, bears an important stage of salvation of the human soul in Indian philosophy. Tagore, a firm believer of it, did not want to deprive women from such essence of spirituality. As such his creation of Bimala in Ghare Baire tries to achieve this ultimate objective of ‘atma mukti’ nourished and based upon ‘atmashakti’. This in fact confirms and upholds his unbiased position regarding gender.
Furthermore, Bimala’s return to Nikhilesh also indicates the relevance of commitment to one’s own relationship. This commitment is not merely for retaining the relationship, but commitment to discover our true selves, to realize our own self-reliant powers or “Atmasakti” by complementing each other which otherwise goes missing in our everyday thirst for consumerism. This is something which is rooted in our culture, which with changing times changed its form but the underlying philosophy is retained.
Work Cited
Permanent Black, Delhi,.Guha Thakurta Bar nana, 2012 , ‘Gender and Nationalism: Tagore’s Home and the World and Four Chapters’ in R.Basu ed.Women and Tagore Recreating the Space in New Millennium, Abhijeet Publications, New Delhi.
Robinson, W. Andrew. "Rabindranath Tagore". Encyclopedia Britannica, 3 Aug. 2022, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Rabindranath-Tagore.Accessed 19 October 2022.
Rabindranath Tagore – Facts. NobelPrize.org. Nobel Prize Outreach AB 2022. Wed. 19 Oct 2022. <https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/literature/1913/tagore/facts/>
Sarkar Sumit, 2002, Beyond Nationalist Frames-Relocating Postmodernism, Hindutva, History,.
Sprinkers, M. 2002, ‘Homeboys: Nationalism, Colonialism and Gender in The Home and The World’ in P.K.Datta ed. Rabindranath Tagore’s the Home and the World: A Critical Companion, Permanent Black, Ranikhet.
Tagore,Rabindranath.The Home and the World. United States, Dover Publications, 2018
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