Chapter: 3
Character Study
3.1 Introduction
The most important characteristic of a great short story is single impression
(Hudson 339).1 The short story writer interweaves character, setting, conflict, plot and
theme in such a way that it creates a single effect on the reader.
Tagore and
Dhoomketu both have created stories of impression but some of these stories have
created unforgettable characters. Thus, an impressionistic study of the characters of
Tagore and Dhoomketu becomes imperative for developing a holistic framework of
the writers.
The characters of Tagore and Dhoomketu represent universal cycle of
happiness and sorrow in one’s life as for both sukh and duhkh are the favourite
companions of human life. Hence, while projecting reality of life Tagore’s characters
create an ideal image while Dhoomketu’s characters create a real image - real with
human flaws. Thus, Tagore has idealized character while Dhoomketu has realized
characters. Tagore and Dhoomketu experience all the desires, hopes and conflicts of
mankind and add fictional values to reality by using it in creating stories. Tagore
thinks:
The essence of the matter is this: that men are small and their
lives are fleeting, yet the stream of life, with its good and bad
and its happiness and sadness, flows and will eternally flow
with its ancient solemn murmur. On the edge of the town and in
the darkness of the evening that constant murmuring sound can
be heard.
(Radice 17)
Thus, Tagore has chosen characters from real life and with them he has
created a world of happiness and sorrow in which man with his petty selfishness
experiences a tiny world of reality. In this tiny world Tagore’s imagination creates an
ideal human being and thus projects a beautiful world. Remarkably, most of these
characters come across the incidents naturally and on occasions even a small event
could carry a lasting intensive effect. For instance, the characters of Kabuliwala,
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Giribala and Kusum in the stories of Kabuliwalah, Giribala and River Stairs
respectively have the capacity to create a long lasting impression over the minds of
the readers.
On the other hand, the characters of Dhoomketu stand on the rural ground of
harsh reality and there are few who are colored with idealism too. The village people
with their intentions and activities, traditions and customs, superstitions and beliefs,
ideas and thoughts, contradictions and conflicts, pain and suffering, happiness and joy
and faith and trust are depicted realistically in his short stories by Dhoomketu. Despite
being from the lower strata of the society the writer has observed them with being
capable of natural human emotion. The characters of Bhaiya, Ali, Chowkidaar Hasan,
Vaghji Mochi, Jumo Bhisti and Punjo in Bhaiyadada, Post office, Chowkidaar,
Janmabhumi no Tyag, Jumobhisti and Lakhmi respectively - all are from the lower
class of the society. Dhoomketu, very realistically highlights their enlightened inner
self. He has created a song of life in the story Jivansangeet in which the characters of
Sachi and Tushar are perfectly idealized. Thus, Dhoomketu has created a vast variety
of characters.
Significantly, there are certain characters of Tagore and Dhoomketu whose
thought process flow in similar fashion. These characters lose their distinct creators
and become childhood companions. And some of the characters treated by Tagore and
Dhoomketu are so distinct that they successfully leave an individual everlasting
impression on the mind of the reader. An effort would therefore be made to begin
with the remarkable women characters that are strong enough to make a short story of
character.
3.2 Remarkable women characters:
Many of the immortal character creations created by Tagore and Dhoomketu
become Super-humans towards the close of the story. Whether it is Mejo-Bou or
Mallika, or Anila or Ali - all are larger than life. In fact, all are faces in a crowd. It
needs to be remembered that a thematic treatment always provides a platform for
thought on which a character moves. Kusum, in the story The River Stairs by Tagore
leaves an everlasting impression due to her pure emotions. She stands out as an
emblem of innocence and therefore she attracts a detailed study.
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Kusum:
Tagore’s aptitude of observing poetic beauty in day to day life adds poetic
value to the creation of character in the story. For example, the sanctity of the
character Kusum in the short story The River Stairs carries an enthralling effect. The
narration of the story is by the river Ganges, who describes the events occurring on
her stairs. Tagore is filling life in the non-living by making a place a narrator. The
river stairs have been a witness to Kusum’s childhood games and how she turns a
widow at eight. Kusum comes in contact with a young Sanyasi who, according to
village women, has resemblance with Kusum’s dead husband. The Sanyasi delivers
lectures on Bhagvat and Gita. Kusum starts to serve the Monk for a certain period of
time but suddenly she stops coming. The Sanyasi beckons Kusum to know the reason.
The dialogues which take place between the two are remarkable:
With downcast looks, Kusum asked: ‘Master, did you send for
me?
‘Yes, why do I not see you? Why have you grown neglectful of
late in serving the gods?
She kept silent.
‘Tell me your thought without reserve’
Half averting her face, she replied: ‘I am a sinner, Master, and
hence I have failed in the worship.’
The Sanyasi said: ‘Kusum, I know there is unrest in your
heart.’
She gave a slight start, and, drawing the end of her sari over
her face, she sat down on the step at the Sanyasi’s feet, and
wept.
He moved a little away, and said: ‘Tell me what you have in
your heart, and I shall show you the way to peace.’
She replied in a tone of unshaken faith, stopping now and then
for words: ‘if you bid me, I must speak out. But, then, I can not
explain it clearly. You Master, must have guessed it all. I
adored one as a god, I worshipped him, and the bliss of that
devotion filled my heart to fullness. But one night I dreamt that
the lord of my heart was sitting in a garden somewhere,
clasping my right hand in his left, and whispering to me of love.
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The whole scene did not appear to me at all strange. The dream
vanished, but its hold on me remained. Next day when I beheld
him he appeared in another light than before. That dreampicture continued to haunt my mind. I fled far from him in fear,
and the picture clung to me. Thence forth my heart has known
no peace, - all has grown dark within me!’
While she was wiping her tears and telling this tale, I felt that
the Sanyasi was firmly pressing my stone surface with his right
foot.
Her speech done. The Sanyasi said: ‘You must tell me whom
you saw in your dream.’
With folded hands, she entreated: ‘I cannot.’
He insisted: ‘You must tell me who he was.’
Wringing her hands she asked: ‘Must I tell it?’
He replied: ‘Yes, you must.’
Then crying, ‘You are he, Master!’ She fell on her face on my
stony bosom, and sobbed.
When she came to herself, and sat up, the Sanyasi said slowly:
‘I am leaving this place to-night that you may not see me again.
Know that I am a Sanyasi, not belonging to this world you must
forget me.’
Kusum replied in a low voice: ‘It will be so, Master.’
The Sanyasi said, ‘I take my leave.’
Without a word more Kusum bowed to him, and placed the dust
of his feet on her head. He left the place.
(Selected Stories 250-251)
This conversation demonstrates the pure heart dwelling in both the human
beings. Kusum is great because in spite of being a widow she maintains her emotional
purity and sacredness of existence. She feels guilty when she sees the monk in her
dream. On the other hand, the Sanyasi too behaves appropriately. The Sansyasi sticks
to his decision despite knowing that Kusum is his wife. The character of Kusum
becomes exceptional as she voices out her dream and feelings innocently. At the end
of the story the river feels the splash and Kusum dies. Her action gives birth to a
number of questions:
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
Why does she commit suicide?

What was her mental condition?

Was she feeling guilty?
The story The River Stairs presents two personalities - a woman who readily
invites death and annihilates her identity and a man who rejects life in order to
preserve his identity as a Sanyasi. The story flows like the river Ganges but the climax
stuns the mind and our very existence. The feeling of the reader after reading the story
can be expressed through a poem by Tagore:
This morning the rays of the sun
struck at the roots of my being.
I do not know how it happened.
But my life has awakened from its sleep.
The waters surge and swell.
Life’s passion I cannot hold back. (The song of life)
(Ghosh 30)
The story communicates the feeling of aesthetic purity of emotion. Perhaps
Tagore expects his character to carry only pure thoughts because only pure thoughts
can lead to pure actions. In fact, the purity of the character of Kusum paralyses the
heart beat for a moment. The characters of Kusum and the Sanyasi stand out as both
are steadfast in their convictions and they continue to adhere to the ideology they have
willingly chosen. Tagore excellently balances the towering height of both the
characters to suggest the equality that was a dire social need in contemporary times
and at the same time the effort made by Kusum, when coaxed into revealing the man
visualized in the dream, she honestly gives voice to what she actually felt. It is then
left to the Sanyasi to interpret and appropriately decide the next course of action.
Skeleton:
Tagore’s Skeleton, similarly talks about a little freak but outstanding character
of a woman. She remains busy thinking of herself to be a beauty queen as one who
can rule the liveliest of male creatures (Selected Stories 190)5. She is a woman who
thinks of herself as the most important person in her vicinity. A child widow,
condemned as a poison bride, constructs her self-image in such a way that her
rejection by a male becomes unbearable for her. Perhaps that strong self-image
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induces her to kill Shekhar (her brother’s friend) and commit suicide.
She is
remarkable because she lives in a world of her own and remains a queen till she lives.
Besides the character, the narrative technique of the writer is also noteworthy.
The writer adopts a strange methodology of narration where a woman apparition
narrates her tale to a man. The writer has used the first person narration and therefore
the entire story is told from the point of view of a woman. She dies on account of a
man’s fraudulence. But after her death she describes her beauty in front of a man that
suggests her longing to be appreciated by a man. Tagore is pointing towards a wish
lying in the deepest labyrinths of every woman’s heart. The woman describes her
beauty in the following words:
How can I ever make you believe that those two cavernous
hollows contained the brightest of dark, languishing eyes? And
that the smile which was revealed by those ruby lips had no
resemblance whatever to the grinning teeth which you used to
see? The mere attempt to convey to you some idea of the grace,
the charm, the soft, firm, dimpled curves, which in the fullness
of youth were growing and blossoming over those dry old
bones makes me smile; it also makes me angry. The most
eminent doctors of my time could not have dreamed of the
bones of that body of mine as materials for teaching
osteology….
(Selected Stories 189)
This character can be studied from a psychological perspective. Firstly, she is
an emotional being, she longs for someone to share her feelings; it can be in the form
of a family member, friend or relative. She does not get that so she creates a world of
her own and starts living in it. In that confined life she extends the boundaries by
creating her own imaginative world. Secondly, she is a child widow so she has to
confine herself in the boundary walls of her house. Moreover, she has not seen any
man besides her brother. Consequently, she develops self-love. She is so deeply
involved in her beauty that gradually her mind starts to function accordingly and she
starts to honour herself as a beautiful woman who can reject and choose any man on
earth. This is perhaps the outcome of the tag- poison bride - given by her in-laws.
Thirdly, she kills the man (Shekhar, a doctor) whom she loves without knowing
whether he loves her or not. Her action could be the result of her excessive self-love
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and her belief that only she has the right to reject or choose a man, or because she
perceives that Shekhar has betrayed her by not telling her his mind. After poisoning
her beloved, she invites death in a somewhat poetic fashion. She dresses herself in
bridal-robes of silk and gold and puts on all her ornaments. She also puts on the red
mark of wifehood on the parting of her hair. (Perhaps Tagore through his story is
pointing towards a Woman’s social consciousness). Then she prepares her bed under
the tree in the garden and lies down on her bed and fancies thus:
When people came and found me they would see that smile of
mine lingering on my lips like a trace of rose coloured wine,
that when I thus slowly entered my eternal bridal chamber I
should carry with me this smile, illuminating my face….
(Selected Stories 195)
Such expressions should be called but an example of seer madness. This lady
was attracted to herself because she was alone at her home or because she was
suffering from some psychological disorder? The question remains unanswered
because every individual is mysterious.
An analysis of the story brings up the
following questions:

What are the reasons for the woman’s madness?

Why is she referred to as a ‘poison-bride’?

What is the woman’s concept of reality?

Did she actually believe that no man should ever be trusted?

Did she really have a sensitive heart?
The lady’s response opens up a new vista of psychological analysis. Perhaps
her widowhood and the social restraints that accompany this state serves as a catalyst
in opening up hitherto tabooed frontiers of self-expression. That she is self-obsessed
and looks upon herself as a beauty-queen and constantly indulges in having a group of
suitors around her is a pointer to the mental breakdown and peculiarity that come
about in one’s psyche when social codes and restrictions are done away with.
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Mrinmayi:
Mrinmayi of the story Conclusion by Tagore is also an unforgettable creation.
Mrinmayi, with her tomboyish character tries to live a carefree life and enjoys herself
in the company of nature. She had never given a thought to marry but social codes
forced her to imprison herself in familial responsibilities. Tagore constructs Mrinmayi
in the image of a restless girl - one who can create ripples in an otherwise tranquil life
of her locality. Unlike other maidens of her age, Mrinmay’s large black eyes do not
hold shame or fear.
Mrinmay’s first meeting with Apurba provides her ample scope to ridicule the
educated Babu Apurba Krishna. Apurba's uneasy steps on the muddy riverbank and
his subsequent fall are greeted by Mrinmayi's melodious peel of high-pitched
laughter. His conscious decision to marry this unusual Mrinmayi shatters his mother’s
hope for a calm and quite daughter-in-law. Apurba chooses to marry Mrinmayi
probably to tame her otherwise indomitable spirit.
Even after marriage, Mrinmayi retains her strong adherence to her preadolescent self. Her efforts to restore the days of her girlhood come across tough
hindrance. The story explores the tension between the girl’s inner realms where she
constantly struggles with her real self and her new role and responsibilities of a newly
wedded wife and daughter-in-law.
Gradually, Mrinmayi, a stubborn tomboy
transforms herself into a wife, that is appreciated and valued by one and all in the
society.
The girl in the story is untraditional. She embodies free life. A state of mind,
in which, fear and shame do not have to play their conventional role. A female as such
is associated with social virtues like fear and shame, care and responsibilities,
submissiveness and obedience. Mrinmayi was an exception. She was not aware about
all these so called virtues. In fact society has established two different standards for
male and female. Each female must have the above mentioned virtues and if she fails
in inculcating all these virtues she will not be accepted by the society. Perhaps Tagore
is highlighting the completeness of man-woman existence through total understanding
of each other.
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Uma:
Exercise-Book is another striking story by Tagore which explores the mind of
a child wife who was a passionate learner. Uma, the central character of the story was
enjoying the art of learning reading and writing. She used to enjoy her whimsical
writings on the wall, on the new almanac, on her father’s daily account-book, or, even
on her brother’s thesis. But her passion gets crushed after her marriage due to the
conventional and rigid nature of her husband.
Seeing Uma’s passion for learning, Govindlal, her brother, gives her a book.
She loves her Exercise book which has been gifted by her brother. She records her
feelings in it. And thus her Exercise-book becomes a medium to express her feelings.
But she also has to marry Pyaremohan, a man of stupid orthodox thoughts. Thus her
freedom of education and free life gets curbed. On the occasion of Uma’s departure
from her father’s house, she is advised by her mother and brother as follows:
Her mother said ‘Do what your mother-in-law tells you, my
dear. Do the house-work; don’t spend your time reading and
writing.’ And Gobindalal said, ‘Mind that you don’t go
scratching on walls; it’s not that sort of house. And make sure
you don’t scrawl on any of Pyarimohan’s writings.
(Selected Storied 142)
The above excerpt suggests an almost complete obliteration of one’s
individuality and identity. The mother’s advice is a fine example of the rusted
tradition and the complete denial of a woman’s development. While Gobindalal’s
warning is suggestive of male dominance. Uma obediently listens to the advice but
still expects to be provided with the freedom to learn and therefore takes her exercisebook with her to her in-laws. The narrator of the story very accurately states the
importance of the exercise-book in the following words:
That exercise book not only stands for the symbol of education
but also a partner of her life with whom she can share her
feelings- the book was a piece of her parental home: a muchloved memento of her short residence in the house of her birth;
a brief record of her parental affection, written in round
childish letters. It gave her, in the midst of domestic duties that
had come too early, a taste of the cherished freedom that is a
young girl’s due.
(Selected Stories 142)
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At the in-laws’ house, Uma secretly continues her practice of recording her
feelings. She also notes that she wants to go back to her home. But Pyarimohan does
not allow her to go back because he wants her to learn the domestic duties first.
Though he is educated and is writing in the news papers and attracts a large audience
with his subtle and witty thoughts he fails to understand his wife’s feeling and her
love for learning. He is afraid of women’s education. He opines:
Reading and writing, once started, would lead to play- and
novel-writing, and household norms would be endangered. As
he thought further about the matter, he worked out most subtle
theory. Perfect marriage was produced by a combination of
female and male power. But if through women’s education
female power was weakened, then male power would prevail
unchecked; and the clash between male and male would be so
destructive that marriage would be annihilated, and women
would be widowed.
(Selected Stories 143)
Perhaps most of the males have domesticated this subtly illogical thought. And
that is why there is a remarkable gap between male and female sensitive intensity
towards understanding each other.
At the end of the story Pyarimohan asks Uma to give him the exercise book.
Uma for a moment tries to resist but ultimately male dominance prevails. Uma never
gets her book back. Tagore writes:
The girl held the exercise-book to her breast and looked at her
husband, entreating him with her gaze ... She hurled it down,
covered her face with her hands, and fell to the floor.
(Selected Stories 145)
Uma’s only adored thing is snatched away. She could not bear the humiliation
and surrendered to the patriarchal authority. But the same incident would never been
happen to a male-child, and that is why the story ends with this remark:
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Pyarimohan also had an exercise-book full of various subtly
barbed essays, but no one was philanthropic enough to snatch
his book away and destroy it.
(Selected Stories 145)
The final comment is suggestive of sheer irony. A woman cannot even have
her individual space in the form of a book while, on the other hand, everyone has
accepted male’s infinite space in all forms.
Mrinal:
Another outstanding character among Tagore’s unforgettable creations is
Mejo-Bou, delineated in the story A Wife’s Letter (Streer Patra). Though the title
gives an indication of a social tag called wife, the story is the story of a wife
discovering her real self. The title is quintessentially indicative of firstly, the ‘wife’;
secondly, as a wife who ‘thinks’; and thirdly, a wife who thinks ‘unconventionally’!
In fact, Tagore is amazing in voicing out a woman’s inner cry. A Wife’s Letter thus
delineates a radical approach from the protagonist and the writer’s perspective. For
instance, a path breaking radical thought is voiced at the very beginning of the story:
To Thine Auspicious Lotus-Feet:
Today we have been married fifteen years, yet not until
today have I written you a letter. I’ve always been close
by your side. You’ve heard many things from me. And
so have I from you, but we haven’t had space enough to
write a letter.
(www.parabaas.com )
Mejo-Bou was not a submissive girl. She liked to think and behave in an
unorthodox manner that transgressed all defined conventions of a married life. In fact,
the story touches upon the three important phases of Mejo-Bou’s girlhood, wifehood
and motherhood. She questions almost every inhuman condition that a woman
endures in a life-time:
Wasn’t it a matter to be regretted, that I had to go
through all this humiliation just because I was a
woman? Shut up like a thief, even trying to learn was
considered an offense.
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(www.parabaas.com)
Mejo-Bou’s yearning to taste freedom is intensified by the presence of two
suppressed female figures - her sister-in-law and Bindu. Her sister-in-law is an
epitome of an ideal Hindu wife. When her sister-in-law’s orphan sister Bindu
(harassed by her cousin) came to her for shelter she could not accept her (in spite of
her deep willingness as she wanted to be considered as an ideal wife). And that is why
Mejo-Bou says:
She lacked the courage to show her love openly, from the heart,
to her orphaned sister. She is an obedient wife.
(www.parabaas.com)
In fact, Bindu causes an initial stir in Mejo-Bou’s heart. The way Bindu was
being treated in her house was unbearable for Mejo-Bou. She protests and protects
Bindu from all maltreatments. Mrinal’s real self is enkindled by Bindu’s suicide. (As
Bindu had been compelled to marry an insane man, it was perhaps inevitable that the
forced marriage would culminate in her suicide). However, Mejo-Bou interpreted
Bindu’s suicide as freedom from bodily imprisonment as Bindu willingly discards her
body to achieve freedom; implying thereby that a woman cannot attain freedom of life
till she is confined to her body. All the time, Bindu was craving to live but the social
people existing around her forced her to marry an insane as she was an orphan. And
as marriage is mandatory in the society, of which the husband is an inevitable element
(avibhajya anga) in the social life of a woman (though in whatever form he is), Bindu
had no choice whatsoever to exercise upon her unavoidable destiny. However,
ironically, even after her death the so-called well-wishers of the society commented
that it had become a kind of fashion for women to set themselves on fire and kill
themselves. Mejo-Bou’s sarcastically says:
You all said, such dramatics! May be. But shouldn’t we ask
why the dramatics take place only with Bengali women’s sarees
and not with the so-brave Bengali men’s duhtis?.
(www.parabaas.com)
In interpreting Bindu’s self-immolation, a similar realization preoccupies
Mejo-Bou as she speaks of Bindu with a deeper admiration: “There she is infinite.”
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(www.parabaas.com) Mejo-Bou pronounces her self-judgment in the following
words:
But I will never again return to your house at number 27,
Makhan Baral Lane. I have seen Bindu. I have learnt what it
means to be a woman in this domestic world. I need no more of
it.
(www.parabaas.com)
Mejo-Bou chooses a life that would be her own. Instead of searching security
within the confines of four walls, Mejo-Bou tends to justify her position in the vast
cosmos. Her self-realization is complete with the declaration:
How trivial this daily life’s journey; how trivial all its fixed
rules, its fixed ways, its fixed phrases of rote, all its fixed
defeats..
(www.parabaas.com)
Finally, it is this realization that obliterates the obscurity of her identity. The
shell of Mejo-Bou sloughs off leaving Mrinal, radiant with the knowledge of selfdiscovery:
And to preserve, after all, is to be saved. I too will be saved. I
am saved.
(www.parabaas.com)
The story concludes with Mrinal’s resolution to undertake a new journey. But
will that journey secure complete freedom from social boundaries?
A Wife’s Letter is a gist of a woman’s life right from the moment she is shown
to her would-be in-laws as a piece of entertainment; her role as a wife; her delivery
experience; her treatment by in-laws and finally her strong and free self. The process
and speed of the character’s thoughts are very compact and interwoven appropriately.
Giribala:
Tagore brilliantly uncovers many different lids of a woman’s inner world. The
character of Giribala brings out another unfathomable depth of a woman’s self in the
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story Giribala. She has the ability to spellbind the reader with her unconquerable
spirit. Giribala, an incarnation of beauty bears constant neglect by Gopinath, her
husband as he has become blind in the twinkling beauty of Lavanga, a theatre dancer.
Giribala continuously asserts the fact that she is beautiful and she wanted it to be told.
She enjoys the feeling that she is a beauty in incarnation. The author says:
Girbala is overflowing with the exuberance of her youth that
seems spilling over all around her, in the folds of her dress, the
turning of her neck, the motion of her hands, in the rhythm of
her steps, now quick, now languid, in her tinkling anklets and
ringing laughter, in her voice and her swift glances. Often she
is seen wrapt in a blue silk, walking on her terrace, in an
impulse of unmeaning restlessness. Her limbs seem eager to
dance to the time of an inner music unceasing and unheard.
She takes pleasure in merely moving her body, causing ripples
to break out in the flood of her young life. Suddenly she will
pluck a leaf from a plant in the flower-pot, and throw it up in
the sky, and her bangles give a sudden tinkle and careless
grace of her hand, like a bird freed from its cage, flies unseen
in the air. With her swift fingers she brushed away from her
dress a mere nothing; standing on tiptoe she peeps over her
terrace walls for no cause whatever, and then with a rapid
motion turns round to go to another direction, swinging her
bunch of keys tied to a corner of her garment. she loosens her
hair in an untimely caprice, sitting before her mirror to do it up
again and then in a fit of laziness flings herself upon her bed
like a line of stray moonlight, slipping through some opening
of the leaves, idling in the shadow.
(Selected Stories 260)
Giribala had married in a wealthy family and thus she had little work to do.
Consequently, she could collect numerous moments exclusively for herself. Thus she
seems to be accumulating her own self every day. But since the day she was deserted
by her husband in his infatuation for Lavanga, her heart overruled her emotions and
she somehow managed to go to the theatre to see that woman on the stage. When she
saw Lavanga’s entry on the stage with a round of applause and background music the
blood began to throb all over Giribala’s body and she forgot for a moment that her life
was limited to her circumstances, and that she had not been set free in a world where
all laws had melted in music. Gradually the sense of fear also vanished from her and
the play was getting hold on her mind. The play was about Krishna and Radha. The
play goes on. Krishna has given offence to his beloved Radha, and she in her
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wounded pride refuses to recognize him. He is entreating her, abasing himself at her
feet, but in vain. This particular scene of Krishna’s humiliation at the feet of Radha
enkindles the process of realization; she becomes aware of woman’s power. From that
time onwards she becomes a regular visitor to the theatre. But, by and by her
enthrallment of the theatre loses its hold as she could perceive its reality. The painted
vulgarity of the accesses and the falseness of their affectation became more and more
evident, yet the habit grew upon her. Because,
Every time the curtain rose the window of her life’s prisonhouse seemed to open before her, and the stage, bordered off
from the world of reality by its gilded frame and scenic display,
by its array of lights and even its flimsiness of conventionalism,
appeared to her like a fairyland, where it was not impossible
for herself to occupy the throne of the fairy queen.
(Selected Stories 264)
Thus, the theatre helps her to live joyfully in the world of imagination
because real life had given her humiliation only.
The feeling which she could
generate while watching the play was without boundaries. The curtain of the theatre
stands for unveiling the self of Giribala. As soon as the curtain was drawn, a new
world without boundaries used to be in front of her. Thus by using the device of a
play within a story the writer has successfully served the purpose of showing the inner
change of the character.
One day when she sees her husband among the audience shouting in his
inebriated state for a certain actress, she feels an intense disgust, and prays:
A day might come when she might have an opportunity to spurn
him away with her contempt.
(Selected Stories 264)
After some days, when she was decking up herself with diamond jewelry she
is informed by her maid servant that Gopinath, her husband is coming to meet her and
she thinks that finally the day of her longing has dawned. She thinks that her husband
is back. But her heart breaks into innumerable pieces when her husband demands the
key of the treasure box as he wanted ornaments for that theatre dancer.
When
Giribala protested, she was pinned to the wall and he snatched away by force her
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bracelets, necklace and ring and gave her a parting kick and went away. The next day
when she left home, her absence remained unnoticed.
Giribala was not common. She wanted to make her presence felt. She had
become the victim of humiliation and she wanted to assert her importance. The
assertiveness of Giribala is generated in her by the theatre play by which she could
understand the importance of the power of a woman. Tagore has wonderfully used the
technique of play within the story as a device to manifest the grandeur of thought i.e.
strong willingness to win. Thus the theatre plays an important role in the process of
self realization and also gives a platform to Giribala to avenge her humiliation. The
incident which gives an opportunity to Giribala to perform is as follows:
Lavanga, the theatre dancer and beloved of Giribala’s husband, was preparing
for another play titled as ‘Manorama’. During the rehearsal Gopinath used to be
around, and when one day he tried to molest the actress he was arrested by the police.
He wanted to avenge of his humiliation and therefore, on the day of the first show of
the new play he kidnapped Lavanga. But even then the play was a great success.
Gopinath could not resist. He witnessed the performance. No sooner did he see the
main actress dressed in red bridal robes turning her face with majestic pride of her
overwhelming beauty and welcoming waves of applause, he cried out voicing the
name of Giribala. For the first time he realized her beauty and he rushed towards her
like a madman. Due to this act of Gopinath police arrested him.
The character of Giribala can be related to Ms. Kate Hardcastle in ‘She Stoops
to Conquer’ by Oliver Goldsmith. In the play the heroine stoops to win the heart of
the hero while in this story Giribala stoops to conquer a new height of her own self
and to take revenge of her humiliation. Thus, Giribala discards male dominance at the
end of the story.
In the galaxy of Tagore’s women characters in his short stories a few specially
deserve mention. Chandara, in the story Punishment, the young wife, uneducated and
quarrelsome, can go to her death, suffering the extreme penalty for a murder she did
not commit, in order to save her husband’s brother for whom she had no particular
regard. Kalyani in the story Aparichita will not leave her mission in life to be of
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service to the mother land even though she is tempted with the prospect of a happy
marriage and a normal family life. Anila in the story Payla Number creates her
individual identity because she invents an unconventional path for her self.
Anila:
The incidents in the story are few; the central character, Anila, remains almost
unseen. In fact, the main glimpse we have of Anila is through the neighbour’s first
letter:
I have now seen you, the first real vision I have had in the
thirty-two years of my wading life. A veil was drawn over my
eyes: you have removed it with your golden touch. In this new
awakening I have seen you, the marvelous creation of the
Maker, the indescribable you. What I desired to get I have, I
want nothing more. I only want you to listen to my words of
adoration.
(N.Sidhanta 284)
These few lines marvelously describe the character inside out. The woman in
Anila is so pure and beautiful that the neighbour wanted to worship her. The letter
does not have any superficiality; it has depth of life filled with pure feelings. This also
reveals the technique of the writer in describing a character. Nirmalkumar Sidhanta
has put this technique in the following words,
There are two ways of describing the charms of a woman, the
direct one of describing feature, movements, graces and the
more telling one of the effect she produces on impressionable
or even sophisticated persons. Here the latter method is used
with great subtlety and with an unparalleled suggestiveness.
(N.Sidhanta 285)
In his short stories, Tagore has shown an unparalleled understanding of a
woman’s mind. One can feel oneself in the company of these immortal women
characters.
These fictional characters with their real experiences project Tagore’s
sensitive evaluation of the condition of contemporary women. These characters
idealized themselves during the course of time developed during the course of the
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story itself. Tagore houses social constraints over individual endeavour tactfully. In
doing so the writer wins over the sympathetic heart of the readers. These short stories
acknowledge the desire and the urgency to allow contemporary women to keep a
space of their own.
Subhadra:
Similarly, the women characters of Dhoomketu’s short stories have a variety
of expression. Subhadra, a character in the story Kirti no Mugat is remarkable because
of her simplicity. She is such a wife that she never doubts her husband’s integrity.
She just knows that she is a wife and she is supposed to take care of her husband and
child. Chandramohan, her husband is a well-known artist. He used to work so deeply
that he would even forget his surroundings. But as soon as he came back home he
would love and care for his wife and they used to spend time with each other.
Subhadra says,
To help him in forgetting the tiredness of his work and taking
care of him lovingly – are the only two works I do for him.
(Pradeep 8) Translation mine
(એ નો કામનો થાક
ુ લાવી દવો ને એને ેમથી સાચવવા આ બેજ કામ મ
મારા કર રા યા છે .)
After a period another woman (Lajjavati) encroaches upon her peaceful life.
She is educated and is able to appreciate Chandramohan’s art.
Gradually,
Chandramohan develops a kind of attraction towards Lajjavati. Lajjavati is also of the
opinion that she is the perfect match for the great artist as Subhadra is uneducated and
does not know the art of appreciating Chandramohan’s paintings. The closeness of the
two, Chandramohan and Lajjavati creates a big gap between Chandramohan and
Subhadra, but Subhadra never blames her husband. She always thinks that she lacks
in many things and therefore her husband is finding solace in Lajjavati. As a result,
she starts learning to enable her-self in order to appreciate the portraits of her
husband. Everyday on completion of her household duties she would engage herself
in studies till late night. Her child was the only witness of her hard work. Daily, after
completing her study she would enter the art-room of her husband and repeat the same
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question to herself: is she able to appreciate the portrait or not? But she feels that her
knowledge of art-appreciation has not advanced considerably. Her dissatisfaction,
consequently, makes her to start studying the next book. Over a period of time she
becomes a victim of Jirnajvar - tuberculosis. And she dies. Immediately after her
death, Chandramohan and Lajjavati start meeting more freely. But gradually the
emptiness surrounds the artist and he leaves Lajjavti. When Subhadra was alive,
Lajjavati was being considered as a better match by Chandramohan. He was ashamed
of his wife’s simplicity but after the death of his wife he spends the rest of his life in
remembrance of his wife and taking care of his son.
In the story, Dhoomketu critiques the hollowness of the so-called knowledge.
In the quest of spending a knowledgeable life sometimes one fails to enjoy the
simplicity of life. Subhadra was uneducated but she knew how to take care of her
husband and son. Though she was able to appreciate, she lacked the critical acumen
which had nothing to do with the real day to day happenings of life. She also knew
that the portrait must have emotion in it and therefore she used to appreciate the
portrait saying,
How beautiful that woman is! Only wanting life in it!
(Pradeep 19) Translation Mine
(પેલી બાઈ કવી નમણી છે ! મા
ાણ
ુ કવો બાક છે.)
The realization of the importance of simplicity in life emerged very late in the
life of Chandramohan. But he did not fail in living the rest of his life with happiness
and satisfaction because finally he understood that the basis of husband-wife
relationship is love and understanding for each other. To happily accept one in spite
of his/her faults. Subhadra did it well. The character of Subhadra imparts a kind and
loving message – life is enjoyable with all its simplicity!
Champa:
Another remarkable character Champa in the story Gruhtyag by Dhoomketu
represents the many downtrodden women who have suffered throughout their life just
because they were women. Champa leaves her husband’s house because of
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continuous torture and neglect by her husband as her life is confined to domestic work
and beating by her mother-in-law on trivial issues. Champa has no other shelter left
and therefore she spends the rest of her life as a domestic help.
Is this a woman’s life! Women are taught to tolerate everything right from the
childhood. She is told and trained in such a way that her father’s house is not hers
and she is to go to her husband’s house. The in-laws usually consider a daughter-inlaw as an outsider. So which house should we consider as a woman’s house? Where
can she enjoy her freedom of being a human being? Champa leaves her husband’s
house to live as a human being as she was maltreated by her mother-in-law and
husband; secondly, Champa is maltreated by Destiny also? Does it mean that even
nature favours a male body? If she might have been a male would her maternal uncle
tried to sell him off? Due to her illness, she became so ugly that neither her in-laws
nor her husband could identify her when she was working there as a domestic help! It
is really tragic. It also raises a question- Who exactly is she! The following poem is an
endeavour to answer the question:
Woman woman
Burning bright,
In and out always night
Tradition her body,
Sigh, shape
Just a thing, an image!
(Mine)
Other women characters of the stories of Dhoomketu like, Maghi and Lalita of
Lagnajivan are also remarkable. Maghi left her husband because he broke her trust.
Lalita, like other common women, was able to think about space but could not gather
courage to live alone and thus accepts to die each moment. Anandi of Ek J shabdaJivan Droh is also noteworthy because she proves her self as a woman of conscience.
Almost all women characters of Dhoomketu appear crushed under the set patriarchal
tradition. The study of women characters of Dhoomketu substantiates the fact that
they long for a space of their own holding a dignified and respectful life. However,
during their journey they do remember their limits of being a woman.
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Anandi:
Dhoomketu’s women characters start with self consciousness and end with
self realization; they travel through the unknown with the known physical self. In
between a diversion takes place as with the commons, and then they rise due to their
extraordinary understanding. The story Ek j Shabda:Jivandroh introduces again a
nameless character, which perhaps represents all the women in this world. The
thinking of the woman character is revealed by her habit of jotting down her ideas.
The narrator of the story gets that piece of writing and thus reveals before the reader
the inner character of that lady. She writes,
I have learnt a truth due to the wisdom of so many years. To
understand certain words one needs to live for those words;
today I am able to understand the difference between suicide
and soulcide (Aatmghat) …I had to pay a valuable price for it.
One gets the wisdom after seeing her/him flown away
somewhere while tied with a string of sham hope. One gets a
handful of sand after diving into the deep sea of false
admiration. Now I have understood the truth, suicide and
soulcide (Aatmghat) both are totally different things, any
foolish person can commit suicide within a fraction of second,
suicide is the product of anger but for soulcide (Aatmghat)
one needs to have hollow wisdom, this kind of soulcide
(Aatmghat) will not end the life but will curse a person with
death in life, the person will live but die every moment…
(Dhoomketu ni Vartao-3 147) Translation mine
These painful words are the words that are directly spoken from the heart.
That woman suffered because of her lack of understanding in life. She undergoes a
painful journey. But the remarkable thing here is that she did not allow the
circumstances to engulf her life. She stood still and firm against the giant wind of
avarice. She understood her mistake, improved herself and lived the rest of her life in
knowing her self.
The story Ek j Shabda: Jivandroh is about a woman character who was aware
of her outer beauty, and virtues. But she falls and falls from herself. She had been
gifted with natural talents but she misused it by using them to attract a man. At that
point of time she was aware that she exactly did not want that man but the riches he
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owned, and thus she degraded herself in front of things which were valueless. In fact
she invested her time in futile things.
The story presents a process of discovering her real and pure self after
experiencing degradation in life. The process can be understood thus:
 Self-valuation
Self-Examination of Shoonyavkash (vacuum)
 Self-consolation (Quest for solace)
 Self-purification (through penance)
 Self-realization (of Truth)
Thus, Tagore and Dhoomketu both have presented different facets of a
woman’s personality. Kusum, a pure and sacred being; the woman in skeleton spirited
with revenge; Mrinal with indomitable willpower; Uma, a victim of patriarchal social
values; Mrinmayi, a tomboy turning to domicile wife; Giribala, an outstanding
woman having the courage to kick away male dominance. In comparison to these
creations of Tagore we have Dhoomketu who introduces a common wife with
common duties but by performing her role accurately she becomes extraordinary;
Champa, represents the downtrodden class in whom a lot many women can visualize
themselves. For many of these women the common cry is that they are human beings
and they just want to be treated as human beings.
Tagore and Dhoomketu are equally marvelous in penning down male
characters. The following are a few outstanding male characters who have
successfully created an unforgettable impression on the readers’ mind.
3.3 Remarkable Male Characters:
The short story is a real fiction in which a world of reality is created by
utilizing daily experience. Rabindranath Tagore has snapped many male characters in
their different moods and characteristics in his short stories but a few have become
distinguished - some because of their thinking pattern and some because of their
emotions. Tagore has highlighted (socially) typical male characters of contemporary
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times while he has shown a remarkable contrast in typical women characters. The
women characters of Tagore are quite different in comparison to the traditional
outlook of a woman of contemporary times. Thus, Tagore’s women characters are
more interesting.
The male characters of Tagore selected for discussion possess the virtues and
capabilities to be called a ‘hero’. These male characters are remarkable also because
they are central characters in the story in comparison to other stories which are mainly
focused on the woman hero. The character of Tarapada in the story Guest by Tagore
is an outstanding personality; an embodiment of free spirit and extraordinary ability.
Tarapada, the guest:
Tarapada, a boy of fifteen in the story Guest attracts the mind of the reader
because he lives as a free bird. He was a loving son, brother, and neighbour. He was
always welcomed by everyone with open arms though he never liked to be bound in
ties of love. He is described by the author as:
The fair-skinned boy was beautiful to look at. His smile and his
large eyes had the grace of youth. His body – bare except for a
stained dhoti-was free of any excess: as if lovingly carved by a
sculptor, or as if in a previous life he had been a young sage
whose pure religious devotion had removed all grossness,
honed him to gleaming, Brahminical perfection.
(Radice 198)
Tarapada used to do the things clearly and with ease. Nobody could think that
he was assertive in doing things. For example, when he was offered food, he would
eat it as per his need. Even if the host would insist he would not be tempted towards
taking more food by any means.
Tarapada just wants to be a free self. He is attracted by the Sanyasis right
from his childhood. He joins a group to learn something. As soon as he finds that he is
adored by someone in the group, he would leave without saying a single word. In fact,
he left home because he wanted to learn music. The writer describes Tarapada’s
passion for music in the following words:
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Melodies sent a trembling through his veins, and rhythms made
his body swing. Even as a baby he had shown such solemn,
grown-up attention at musical gatherings, sitting and swaying
and forgetting himself, that his elders could hardly restrain
their amusement.
(Radice 200)
Tarapada was a keen observer and also possessed an extremely powerful sense
of perception. He could feel music in the rain drops falling on the leaves; in the
thunder of clouds; in the breeze of the deep jungle; in the call of kites at noon. Thus
his passion for music made him a quick learner of music. As soon as he learned music
from the band of Pacali-singers he left the group.
During his life span he joined many groups and despite these connections, he
was not corrupted by any. He is deep down, entirely detached and free. The foul
language he had heard; the dreadful sights he had seen, had not been allowed to take
root in his mind. They passed him by. He remained unbound by any kind of habit or
custom.
Tarapada was that kind of personality who was keenly interested in learning.
Any work that he did absorbed him. His sight, his hand and his mind were everactive: like Nature herself he was always serene and detached, yet always busy.
People usually dwell in a fixed place, but Tarapada was like a joyous wave on life’s
unending stream; past or future meant nothing; moving forward was the only thing
that mattered. Tarapada reminds us about the sthitprajna state of mind of Bhagvad
Gita,
Prajahati yada Kaman sarvan parth manogatan,
Atmnyevatmana tushtah sthitprajnstadochyate.
(Bagavad Gita: 104 Adhyaya: 2 Shloka 44)
(When a person sacrifices all his desires pertaining to senses,
his purified mind will gain contentment in soul, this contented
state of mind is called a pure, divine sthitaprajna.)
Translation mine.
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Each characteristic of Tarapada gives a jolt to the existence of a common
human being. If we study this character from a modern point of view this kind of
character proves to be an ideal for the growth of the society and nation. Actually we
have bound ourselves in such a big rope that we do not like to live like a free self. We
are so dependent on unnecessary bonds that we become attached to those bonds. We
are dragging our lives like a dog walking under the bullock cart thinking that he is
shouldering the burden. Instead one should prefer to remain serene by keeping
himself detached.
Shashibhushan:
Shashibhushan in the story Cloud and Sun has the feeling of emotional purity
and the innocence of an infant; the story also has the music of water ripples; the
varied colours of a butterfly and the freshness of soft green grass. In addition, the
story takes up incidents of the British Raj in India. In fact, Tagore’s technique in
disclosing the varied prattles of Shashibhushan’s nature wins the heart of the reader.
The development of the character is such that it reveals almost all aspects of the
character - his childlike purity and fiery nature; his sensitive heart and indomitable
spirit; his vocation as a powerful lawyer and a man without vice.
Shashibhushan, an extraordinary M.A.B.L. was untouched by cunningness,
selfishness or any recurring vices found in an ordinary man. He is an uncomplicated
person who prefers to live away from the hustle and bustle of common people. In his
loneliness he gets the company of Giribala - a ten-year old girl and enjoys sharing his
knowledge of great books with her. His is a smooth and transparent personality. He
prefers to stay away from worldly affairs but he is not a coward or an escapist. He
has both courage and strength to fight against the British and the British Raj. The
story narrates two incidents in which Shashibhushan shows his willingness to help
ordinary people residing in Indian territory, who had become slaves of the British and
did not have the courage to fight for their rights; neither had they the courage to stand
with the person fighting for their cause.
The story and the character of Shashibhushan reminds us about those painful
years of slavery before India achieved complete independence. The slavery became
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severe because of the inhuman behaviour of some of the selfish Indians only. Such
Indians sucked the blood of the innocent Indians. Against such a backdrop, someone
like Shashibhushan came up with an indomitable spirit who could not be crushed by
the British. Unfortunately, his efforts were undermined by those very (ordinary)
people whom he was representing against the British regime.
The character of
Shashibhushan embodies a kind of patriotic spirit of one who wanted to provide
direction to the spineless common people. In an environment wherein the majority of
Indians would have adhered to the statement written outside the British offices - Dogs
and Indians are not allowed – only a self-respecting man like Shashibhushan
succeeded in bringing about an end to the British Rule.
Today, even though the Britishers have left India, the legacy of exploitation
and domination still continues. Perhaps, the scenario & the times have changed, but
the mentality of most of the Indians has remained the same. Formerly, they were
slaves of British (white sahibs), now they are slaves of those in Power (brown sahibs).
In fact, most of the people are worried about authority and money, and self-respect
means nothing to them. It is important therefore that the common people of India
should start understanding the value of ethics & principles.
Thus, Tagore has portrayed a variety of males, from the forlorn Postmaster to
the worldly Nandkishore. We have common men hesitating in taking decisions like
the would be husband of Kalyani in the story Aparichita; the husband of Gori, who
suffers from insecurity, in the story Saved; the book-worm Advaitcharan, the husband
of Anila in the story Payla Number and the journalist like Bhupati in the story
Nashtnid - all these male characters of Tagore create a distinct impression on the
readers.
The writer has used different techniques to reveal the characters. They are
revealed sometimes through themselves, sometimes through the writer’s descriptions.
A good many of these stories are narrated in the first person and the narrator has
honestly presented himself for the better understanding of the reader.
In the story, Haimanti, Tagore portrays a man who is nothing but a deaf and
dumb living thing.
Haimanti’s husband silently observes the torture done to
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Haimanti. He never retorted or favoured Haimanti till Haimanti died.
In the story
Aparichita also the central character with whom Kalyani was going to marry was just
a puppet in the hands of the elders of his family. He does not have his own stand or
his own point of view. The reader might get irritated by the apparent helplessness of
the central character. In fact, he is not a hero in any sense of the term.
By studying the character of the bridegroom in the story Aparichita one can
visualize the familial set-up towards the close of the Nineteenth century India where
the youth were in a frozen state of awe in a patriarchal family. However, today as the
familial and social structure has changed drastically such characters are losing their
realistic popularity at a national level.
On the other hand, the stories of Dhoomketu introduce male characters which
are packed with human values and filled with spirited enthusiasm.
Hasan, the chowkidaar:
Dhoomketu’s Chowkidaar Hasan is a living character who feels his existence
and lives like a man of promises and word. He does not behave like a puppet in the
hands of the writer, but his identity flows naturally. As a dignified character he suffers
from poverty but maintains his self-respect. He also successfully fulfils his duty as a
chowkidaar- the watchman.
Right from childhood, Hasan was not able to tolerate any wrong. As a school
boy he had saved his teacher from a mischievous boy, Badshah. Badshah was the
only terror for 350 students in his school. All the teachers and students had accepted
his sovereignty, and no one dared to go against Badshah. After sometime Chandanlal,
a new teacher joined the school and observed the malpractices of Badshah. He tried to
crush the monarchy of Badshah by pounding him in front of all the students and the
teachers. Everybody enjoyed the scene with a mixed feeling of joy and fear. All knew
that the new teacher would be at risk for very quickly Badshah picked up a stone to
strike at the teacher. However, within no time Hasan also threw back a stone towards
Badshah and Badshah was left wounded. Thus as a school boy, Hasan showed his
sincerity and loyalty towards truth. Out of 350 students of the school he was the only
student to help the new teacher because he was able to understand that whatever
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Chandanlal had done is good for the school. He was sincere enough to understand the
gravity of the problem.
Sticking to his ideology of being earnest and honest Hasan performed his duty
of a watchman with responsibility too. He got the job of a chowkidaar, and there too
he implemented his idea that nothing bad must happen till he is guarding his area. So
whatever he was doing, at whatever place, in whatever capacity, he was giving his
best.
However, one day an incident occurred in his routine life; he found a chit in
which an appeal of saving a woman was written. He tried to get the help of Police but
he failed to do so. So he left his job, the only source of his livelihood, in search of that
unknown whom he wanted to save. Eventually his selfless endeavour to save that
woman bore fruit, although he had to face many complications and problems but
finally he saved that woman from the hands of Badshah, now a notorious person. But
then a new problem arose. The husband of that woman refused to accept her as his
wife as she had been captive under a man for quite a few days. So that woman came
to Hasan for shelter. Hasan played the role of a real savior. He gave shelter to that
woman during the night - the night was the longest night for him as the beauty of the
woman was attracting him, but again he realized that he is a guard and that woman
had come under his shelter so his job was to protect her from the outsiders and from
himself too. The next day, the father of that woman took custody of his daughter.
Thus this character leaves a long lasting impression of goodness.
Hasan was a common man, a watchman only. But he was a man of ideals and
therefore he contributed to the service of the society. He was a selfless man and that is
why he left his job. Although he was not sure how he would satisfy his family needs,
he took the risk to help that unknown woman. There are many people who want to
serve the nation and society but they don’t know what exactly they should do. Here
Hasan’s life and ideology can be a guide.
Bhaiyadada:
The character of Bhaiyadada in the story Bhaiyadada is another unforgettable
lively creation of Dhoomketu. In a few pages the character is completely developed
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by the writer. When we meet the character he is 57 years old. Since the last 25 years
he was living in a small room near the railway-crossing. His job was to stop the traffic
by keeping a heavy wood to enable the train to cross smoothly. Bhaiyadada was
doing his job by putting his soul in his work. In addition, he had made the
surroundings of his room beautiful by planting flower plants and creepers. He had
pets like a goat and kittens, and different birds used to visit that place frequently. For
Bhaiyadada those animals and birds were his close relatives. As his only son had died
during plague and the wife of his son had run away, he had developed a close
attachment with the land also. In 25 years his bond with the land had become so deep
that when he was told by the railway-office that he had to leave that place because he
was of age and there would be someone else who would replace him, he lost his soul.
Next day he was found dead in his room.
Bhaiyadada’s soul left his body as the idea of leaving that place was so
tormenting that he could not bear. Bhaiyadada worked for 25 years honestly putting
his soul in his work but even then the administrative set up did not acknowledge it nor
was he rewarded. Instead he was asked to leave the place.
Thus the life of
Bhaiyadada presents the tragic end of a good human being which is equally true in
contemporary times. A good man suffers more than the cunning! If you do well for
an entire life you are not necessarily rewarded for the same. Life is ruled by pathos.
Jumo Bhisti
Dhoomketu is at his best when he portrays the character of Jumo Bhisti in just
a few words. The story is of one and a half page only but Jumo becomes unforgettable
and immortal. He stands for a balanced personality who is not affected by the ups and
downs of life. He had seen golden days in his life but he was still happy with three
huts that he was left with and his male-buffalo, Venu. The reader can feel the intensity
of love of Jumo for his Venu whom he loved as his son. He named him Venu. The
cry at the time of Venu’s death is so natural that one can feel the pain and visualize
the scene portrayed by the writer.
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Vaghji mochi:
Vaghji Mochi in the story Janmabhumi no Tyag has been portrayed by
Dhoomketu with a pen dipped in reality. Vaghji Mochi was a common man enjoying
his day to day life by working hard. He was forcefully removed by the British officer
from the place where he had been working since years. The story is all about the
suffering he goes thorough after leaving that place. The character naturally falls in the
pitiful circumstances and the writer grabs the opportunity to attack human nature by
projecting a comparison. For instance, people are ready to offer costly dry fruits and
food to a Bhattji (Brahmin-Kathakar) but not to the needy. Generally people do not
take pains in looking through the eyes of the needy instead they feel that the needy are
distractions in the process of bhakti. Vaghji Mochi was a person who could run his
house on his daily earnings. He became the victim of the then administrative system
and lost his source of earning. For the first time in his life he begs. Finally feeling
embarrassed, he leaves the town where he used to work but continues to visit his place
of work which he considered as Janmabhumi (native place) where he had spent
precious time with his family and earned his living.
The character of Vaghji Mochi represents a suppressed and crumbled class of
the society who becomes a victim due to the exploitative attitude of the authority.
Vaghji Mochi becomes a memorable creation of Dhoomketu due to his emotional
attachment with the place and the painful journey he goes through.
Dhoomketu has portrayed a range of characters like Sivubha, a teacher; (in
the story Sivubha becomes unforgettable due to his high ambition and great fall);
Ratno Dholi, a fabulous Dhol player, in the story Ratno Dholi; Mahendrapratap, a
royal and honest man in the story Anath bandhu; Nrusinh Bakal in the story Manni
Moj - are remarkable male characters who leave a long lasting impression on the mind
of the reader. They became victims of their weaknesses and consequently endured
disastrous results; but eventually they repented over their deeds and lived the rest of
their life in a better way.
Thus, after having discussed the distinct characters of Tagore and
Dhoomketu, an effort would be made now to study these characters from a
comparative point of view.
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3.4 Characters In Comparison:
The character of Ali, an old man in the story Post office by Dhoomketu and
Kabuliwala of the story Kabuliwala by Tagore shares amazing similarities; the
similarity particularly is in the emotional attachment of a father with his daughter. The
theme of story also shares the painful feeling of separation. Both the stories are
perfect examples of the proper blending of plot, character and setting. Dhoomketu
puts his excellence in story telling and the manner in which he highlights man’s
feeling. He projects the character of Ali in such a way that the description becomes a
tangible fact.
Ali and Rehmun:
Post office narrates a story of an old man Ali and his painful journey of
‘waiting’. Ali was a hunter. He used to hunt innocent birds but after the marriage of
his daughter Mariam he became alone. Secondly he did not get any news from his
daughter for years. Ali waits and waits till he exists, perhaps even after his death.
Before his death he gives 5 guineas to a clerk in the post office keeping the sky as
witness between them, and requests him to deliver his letter (from Mariam) on his
deathbed.
The story shows two main actions, first physical movement- Ali’s slow motion
to the Post office and second, sorting out of the letters in the post office by the clerks
along with ridiculing Ali. Both are closely inter-connected. Ali’s slow physical
movement and its repetition carries a corresponding but quick psychological change.
As Ali’s (hunter’s) aim of life gets changed gradually and he overcomes his nature so
much so that he tolerates the teasing tone of the clerks of the post-office. This
character takes a giant turn by becoming a saint from a sadist. Ali does not create his
circumstances rather he becomes a victim of the circumstances and gradually emerges
a glowing human personality with a human heart purified after a long journey of
untold suffering.
Ali, a common man becomes uncommon due to his devotion for his single
aim. Consequently the post office turns into a temple of feelings for Ali.
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Dhoomketu has skillfully used an incident within the story to intensify Ali’s
grief. The Head postmaster got the news about his daughter’s illness and therefore he
was worried and anxious. After having restlessly passed the night, the postmaster
eagerly waited for the next morning so that he could get the telegram from his
daughter containing news about her health. Thus he could empathise with Ali. Ali
becomes impressive when his anxiety is felt by the head post master. The treatment
given to the character of Ali is marvelous.
The final impression created by the
mingling of the three main components (plot, character & setting) of the story is
unforgettable. The language implemented by Dhoomketu is so powerful that one can
hear the steps of Ali and the thud of his stick leading to the post office.
The only character that matches with the intensity of emotion of Ali is
Rehmun in the story Kabuliwala. Rehmun, a stout character showers his affection on
Mini, a little girl, for whom he used to bring gifts of dry fruits as he is far away from
his own land and his family and therefore he sees his own daughter in Mini. They
share beautiful innocent dialogues with each other; they used to meet everyday and
used to laugh on trivial things. However Mini’s father doubted Kabuliwala’s intention
while Mini with her pure heart used to welcome Kabuliwala by running towards him
saying ‘O Kabuliwala Kabuliwala.’
Rehmun, a soft heart in a stout body, could not bear the lie of his customer
whom he had sold a shawl and therefore he attacked that customer which resulted into
seven years of imprisonment for him. On his release, Kabuliwala, visits Mini’s house
and requests Mini’s father to allow him to see Mini. This shows how emotionally
attached the Kabuliwala was with Mini even during his imprisonment. However,
Mini’s father prevents him from meeting Mini because that day happens to be the day
of Mini’s marriage. The disappointed Kabuliwala pleads with him again as he was
under the impression that Mini is still that small child and he would share those
innocent feelings with her and that is why he in a hesitating voice said:
May I see the little one, sir, for a moment?
(Radice 118)
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The father of Mini told him again that there was ceremony in the house and he
would not be able to see any one on that particular day. But Rehmun was an
emotional man. He started to go back, while going he came close to the father of Mini
and said:
I brought these few things, sir, for the little one. Will you give
them to her?
(Radice 119)
Mini’s father wanted to pay him for the gift he had brought. It was the day of
Mini’s marriage and as a father he was intensely feeling the pangs of separation
(‘vidai’) from his daughter. It is only when he notices the Kabuliwala’s daughter’s
ink-smeared impression of hand on a piece of paper that the pain of separation from
his own daughter is intensified. Instantaneously Mini’s father forgets his social status
and feels Rehmun’s grief as a father.
This is perhaps the comparison of emotional intensity felt by the two fathers,
Ali, the old man and Rehmun, the Kabuliwala. Both are fathers, Ali’s faith turned a
post office into a temple, while Rehmun, the Kabuliwala’s love for his daughter finds
a kind of transcendence for he was surviving with the only piece of paper containing
his daughter’s hand print for the last many years.
Knakalata and kadambini:
There are remarkable similarities in the thinking level of some women
characters of Dhoomketu and Tagore.
Dhoomketu’s Kanaklata, in the story
Kanaklata a widow of a poor and downtrodden family longs to live a free life like a
normal being. Similarly Kadambini in the story Living or Dead also aspires to live a
free life which is absent in her widow identity. Woman is woman later but she is first
- a helpless widow, helpless wife, a daughter, a sister, a mother, a body, and a
machine.
Kadambini was declared dead although she had just lost her consciousness
due to injury. Being a widow she was considered to be a burden by her in-laws and
therefore, nobody took pains to consult a doctor and she was immediately taken to the
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cremation ground. She regained her consciousness there and the next moment she
thought of life - a free life. Her mind was filled with the thought of becoming free
from the imposed limits decided by the patriarchal society. She wanted to enjoy
boundless joy as she thought that she was dead and now she belonged to eternity. The
realization struck in her mind – I am my own ghost - and this moment all ties and all
conventions seemed shattered. It was as if she had weird power, boundless liberty- to
go where she liked, do what she liked, and with the onset of this feeling she dashed
out of the hut like a madwoman; like a gust of wind - ran out into the dark burning
ground with not the slightest shame, fear or worry in her mind. Unfortunately a
woman dares not think of living a life which she desires during her bodily existence
for only death gives her freedom to be herself. Her small wish was to live as she had
lived during her childhood. She wanted to break that iron wall of widowhood and
enjoy the simple joys of life.
Thus Tagore is an idealist in his perception while Dhoomketu observes a
woman from a realistic point of view. The character of Kanaklata embodies reality in
fiction. In the story she is a widow but her desire to live as someone’s wife and enjoy
all the pleasures of life becomes so strong that she forgets that she is a widow.
Perhaps ignorant of male nature and social taboos, she makes a mistake. As a result,
she gives birth to a child. She tries to approach the father of her son but he denies
accepting her as his wife and her son. She repents on her deed and names her child
‘Kanaklatey’ which indicates a solid protest against the male dominated society. She
proves that she does not require any man to support her existence. She brings up her
child till he turns five years old and then commits suicide. She willingly submerges
herself in the river to repent over her deed.
After the death of her husband, Kanaklata wanted to lead a life of dignity. But
the woman in her also wanted to be possessed and to be loved which diverted her
from the right path. Gradually she recovers herself and fights boldly with the set
traditions and customs and performs her duty as a mother, all the while repenting her
deed and eventually committing suicide.
This is the paradox seen in the Indian society. When an individual is
worshipped as a mother it needs to be noted that she should be worshipped in all her
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manifestations. For instance, if a woman gets married and gives birth to a girl child,
she is not respected. However, if she gives birth to a boy-child then she is more
respected. If a woman gives birth to a child without marriage she is condemned! This
means that being a mother is not at all a respectable position for only a socially
wedded woman is qualified to be a mother. The implication is that marriage is a
license for a man and a woman to develop physical intimacy! Which in turn means
that the woman who has been left by her husband is also a widow; a divorcee is also a
widow and a woman without marriage is also a widow! However, this discussion is
not intended to come to the conclusion that woman should go on protesting and
thereby engage herself in unhealthy practices. Neither does it mean to say that
marriage is just a social ritual. Marriage of man and woman provides a feeling of
security, love, care and warmth of relationship and it is a must to build a healthy
society. But the problematic of the institution of marriage is that many have wrongly
interpreted the concept of marriage.
Thus, both the characters depict widowhood. Kadambini wants to live life like
a human being - a free life - of boundless liberty while Kanaklata wanted to live like a
woman but both eventually die.
Pani, Shashi and Masi:
Both Dhoomketu and Tagore are the masters at creating superwomen
characters. The character of Pani in the story Bhabhi of Dhoomketu and the character
of Masi in the story Masi by Tagore carry strong characteristics of a superhuman.
They are ones who live selflessly for others.
Bhabhi sacrifices her whole life to make the life of her brother-in-law,
Laxman a happy one. Laxman was under Panibhabhi’s care since the death of his
mother. The name of Bhabhi is Pani which means water; the elixir of life who
celebrates her womanhood in the real sense. She does her routine work with devotion,
enjoys her life by giving happiness to others. She maintains her relations naturally; as
a wife she is close to her husband; as a bhabhi she wants her brother-in-law to lead his
life with happiness. She treats her brother-in-law as her own son and is ready to do
anything to bring happiness in the life of Laxman. Though she very much wanted her
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brother-in-law to remain in the village and live happily, Laxman refuses to do so as he
was attracted by the showy lifestyle of the city. Pani convinces her husband to
mortgage her ornaments to fulfill the demands of his brother.
When Pani comes to know that Laxman, her brother-in-law has become the
victim of wrong and immoral habits like taking wine; beating his wife for money and
has started gambling too, she can not stop herself. She runs to help Laxman. She goes
to the city and lives with Laxman and his wife Shangar and tries hard to bring him
back on the right track and then convinces him to come back home, to his village.
But cruel destiny! It plays its role. Pani’s husband misunderstands the relation
between his wife and his brother and leaves her. Pani starts to live a life without life
and ends it by committing suicide. In fact, Pani was an incarnation of a true woman
having all the qualities like care, love, affection and selflessness.
Pani was an
illiterate lady but she had firm belief in herself, she says,
“કરમના લેખ ુ ં કર, ગાં ડ ! આપણે સૌ હાથે કર ને આપણા કરમ ઘડ એ
છ એ.
હ તમે આ યા યાર તમાર પાસે પૈસા હતા. પછ
ા ગયા?”
( Dhoomketuni Vartao Vol-2 137)
(The written destiny cannot do anything, silly girl! We
ourselves make our own destiny. When you came here you had
money. Where had it gone?) Translation mine
Pani did not believe in luck or destiny. She thought that man is the maker of
his own destiny. When she was misunderstood by her husband she did not beseech in
front of her husband. In fact, she was shocked to see the lack of trust of her husband.
Therefore she could not continue to live with her husband as she used to.
Pani is different because although she belonged to a small village, she is not
irrational; she does not believe in destiny, and she is ready to fight against destiny if at
all it exists, for the betterment of her brother-in-law’s life. Pani lives and dies for the
betterment of her family. Similarly we can find the same selflessness in the character
of Masi in the story Masi and in the character of Shashi in the story Elder Sister.
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The character of Shashi in Elder sister by Tagore, is marvelously real; a
woman leaves behind her role of a wife and emerges as a solid figure, a saviour of her
brother- Nilmani.
Nilmani was a late born child of Shashi’s mother, and therefore Shashi had to
live with her mother away from her husband. She had to go through hard times of
separation from her husband. When her mother died she had to shoulder the
responsibilities of her brother also. However, she was overcome by the wild tyranny
of her brother. She surrendered herself completely to this wayward little tyrant. Since
the child had no mother his influence over her became greater. Her husband was a
man shrouded with feeling of snatching others property and enjoying the authority.
He wanted to snatch the property of his in-laws and so he wanted to kill the only heir
– Nilmani - the brother of his wife Shashi. Shashi tried hard to save her brother from
the evil designs of her husband; she suffered a lot during that time. Finally she
thought herself incapable of protecting Nilmani and therefore she took help of an
honest officer to guard her brother. She returned home thinking that her husband
would not harm her but within a few days she was killed by her husband.
Masi, a character in the story Masi is another example of the caring woman
who in the real sense celebrates her womanhood. She devotes her everything to her
sister’s son, Jotin.
The story is about Jotin’s incurable illness, and Masi’s selfless service and
care for him. Jotin is a sick boy and is lying on bed. He is suffering from severe pain;
the only relief for him is the momentary restricted appearance of his wife in his room.
His Masi is his only counterpart in his suffering. Masi tries hard to console him and
brings relief to him but he is aware that he will die soon. He wants to see his wife just
for a moment. But his wife does not care for her husband’s deteriorating health. She is
stubborn and insists on going to her mother’s house to attend ‘annaprashan’
ceremony of her new born sister.
Masi entreats in front of Jotin’s wife and tries hard to convince her that she
must not go to her mother’s house. But she refuses and leaves home. Masi hides this
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fact and does not reveal it in front of Jotin as she does not want to increase Jotin’s
pain.
Though Masi is illiterate, she knows life and death closely.
During the
discourse between Masi and Jotin, the character of Masi reveals her attitude towards
life. She had acquired the ability to live in all situations as she was observing Jotin
dying everyday. Masi was attached to Jotin but detached with material pleasure.
When Jotin told her that he had given everything to Mani (his wife), Masi replied,
That you have done, Jotin! More than enough. Haven’t I had
you to fill my lonely house? I must have won that great good
fortune in many previous births! You have given me so much
that now, if my destiny’s due is exhausted, I shall not complain.
Yes, yes! Give away everything in Mani’s name – your house,
your money, your carriage, and your land such burdens are too
heavy for me!
( Selected Stories 174)
This dialogue shows the type of free woman she was! She devoted her entire
life for Jotin selflessly. In return she did not get even the security of life. But even
then she was satisfied with what she had received on account of Jotin.
The women characters of Tagore and Dhoomketu share strong similarities in
their way of thinking though the parameters are different. The male characters of both
the writers are analogous on the emotional intensity they feel during the course of
action in the story. But between the two, Tagore is marvelous in revealing the mind of
a child in his short stories. Quite a few of his stories are led by child characters like
Home coming, My Lord, The Baby, The Castaway, Housewife, The Divide. On the
other hand Dhoomketu has rarely depicted a child’s mind in his stories. Thus there is
remarkable dissimilarity between the two authors in the choice of child characters as
the protagonist of the story.
3.5 Dissimilarity: Child Characters
Tagore’s poetic style of observation in the selection of the characters does
eventually lead up to the child figure. For him children are an essential part of his
stories. He pleaded for women education and child rights through his stories. His
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reformative ideas generated fire in the present minds because many things will prevail
forever. For example the behaviour of elders with the children, depends upon their
mood. Very often elders behave cynically, fanatically and sometimes like mad
persons in front of children.
In The Elder Sister, the innocence and helplessness of the little brother,
Nilamani, are seen in relation to the sister’s dependence on her unscrupulous husband,
Jaygopal. Nilmani had to obey the decision of his sister, Shashi, and has to take
shelter under the officer. A child’s tragedy is the theme of Home-Coming. Phatik,
naughty and uncontrollable, is sent by his mother with her brother to Calcutta: but the
little boy is lost in the city, and his aunt is frigidly indifferent to him. He makes a
desperate attempt to come back home. Due to his love for home he becomes ill and
dies. Perhaps Tagore wants to communicate that each one of us despite their physical
growth longs to be understood. In fact, everybody yearns for sympathy and love.
Tagore’s short stories are the stories of feelings shaded with sheer poetry. He
narrates the reality with poetic sense as we go through the passage in the story The
Castaway:
when with evening the child of want lies down, dirty and
hungry, in his squalid home, and hears of prince and princess
and fabled gold, then in the dark hovel with its dim flickering
candle, his mind springs free from her bonds of poverty and
misery, and walked in fresh beauty and glowing raiment, strong
beyond all fear of hindrance, through that fairy realm where all
is possible.
(Selected Stories 135)
The writer explores the mind of a child; observes the ups and downs of the
vast land of a child’s mind in which sometimes fairy tales quench the thirst and
hunger of a poor child. Next to women, the characters which linger longest in the
memory are those of the children and the adolescent. Rabindranath Tagore was
interested in children and their education; he hated the
prevailing system
of
education and upbringing which cramped their personality and made them slaves of
text-books with the school as their prison-house. He pleaded for the child’s innocent
play; their innocent life and freedom. He wanted the child to be one with mother Earth
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and that is why he appreciated and insisted upon the child’s natural attachment with
nature. As it is noticeable in the story Homecoming that Phatik was happily living a
free life with all his mischief but when he was relocated in a city away from his native
village, he withered away because he had to lead a confined and cramped life.
Tagore has given a perfect concept of study in the form of Tarapada, in the
story Guest. Tarapada does not like to be bound neither emotionally nor physically.
He was after his heart. He does not like a settled life. He is happiest when he moves
from one temporary home to another. He was a passionate learner but he hears the
voice of his heart and acts accordingly. Thus, Tagore advocates for life as a teacher
and the entire earth as a school, where each person has the right to experience and
experiment with different circumstances.
Tagore has very sharply scrutinized a child’s mind in his story My Lord, The
Baby! While enjoying nature at its fullest Anukul (a richman’s) son merges his life
with nature. While Phailna, a sophisticated son of a servant, Raicharan, dramatically
changes his relationship with his father as soon as he finds that he is the son of a
wealthy man and he is prevented from all the riches by his servant. Two contrasting
sides of a relation between father and son is effectively portrayed by the writer.
Tagore has innocently portrayed the character of Mini in the well-known
story, Kabuliwala, in which the child character sees the Kabuliwalah with the eyes of
trust and affection. The writer has used his inward vision to portray Mini’s character.
Housewife is another good story steered by the child characters. The story
narrates the event about the humiliation of a child by a teacher and hurting of the
child’s ego. Tagore lavishes his art especially on children and women and presents
them, not realistically, but sensibly.
Tagore has honestly projected the child’s
innocence, wisdom, fragility and helplessness in his stories.
Dhoomketu has rarely picked the child characters but he has tried to highlight
children’s helplessness in front of the elders in his story Tofan. With simplicity he
brings a child in front of his mother where he is scolded just because he was playing
with the puppies. The child’s mother asks him whether he would play mischief again
or not. The boy is helpless because the word mischief (Tofan) is new to him and
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therefore adopts the trial and error method. When he answers positively he is beaten;
when he answers negatively he is released from the scolding and beating of the
mother. Thus he comes to know what he should do and what he should not. When he
remains inactive and sits quietly he is scolded by his father and when he goes to play
outside he is scolded by his mother.
In this short story the grown up people are targeted. Usually grown up persons
expect that the child should behave in a mature way and thus snatch away their
childhood. Tagore has put the idea of a child playing with dust in a poem:
The child who is decked with prince’s robes and who has
jeweled chains round his neck loses all pleasure in his play; his
dress hampers him at every step.
in fear that it may be frayed, or stained with dust he keeps
himself from the world, and is afraid even to move.
Mother, it is no gain, thy bondage of finery, if it keep one
shut of from the healthful dust of the earth, if it rob one of
the right of entrance to the great fair of common human life.
(Gitanjali 26)
The story suggests that Dhoomketu has peeped into the inner world of children while
Tagore has explored the inner world of a child’s mind. The poetry establishes a
natural relation between innocence of child and love for mother earth.
Conclusion:
Thus, the above study of Tagore and Dhoomketu’s women and male
characters throws light on female thinking and male personalities created by the
writers. It also explores the child’s mind as observed and felt by the authors. Tagore
and Dhoomketu have portrayed their characters in such a way that the characters
reveal themselves through their speech and action. In the limited space the character
has been almost entirely developed. The skillful technique of both the writers emerges
naturally and changes the course of human life.
The characters of Tagore and Dhoomketu sometimes suffer because of rigidity
in the society; illogically established rules and regulations; sometimes due to their
own emotional action and sometimes because of the belief that sukha-dukha is a part
of life. Just as the earth revolves around its axis, so too human beings experience both
happiness and suffering as a part and parcel of their very existence. Thus, the women
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characters of Tagore and Dhoomketu present their points of view and their stand in
contemporary society.
The character of Kusum in the story River Stairs presents a moralistic point of
view where a woman has to be pure and pious. Kusum is a character with a message.
The story River Stairs by Tagore upholds the approach of F. R. Leavis which
emphasizes on promotion of values in life. This kind of work is necessary for the
process of cultural filtering, refining and revitalizing individual values and for
improving a nation’s cultural health. This kind of thought works against the prevalent
forces of materialism and barbarism.
The woman character of the story Skeleton can be studied from a
psychological point of view. Here a child widow is carrying the impression of a
poison-bride which leads her to kill the male character.
The character of Mrinal (Mejo-Bou) in A Wife’s Letter propagates the idea of
space which is equivalent to the concept of ‘gynocentricism’ as outlined by Elaine
Showalter.
The character of Giribala in the story Giribala stands for self- esteem. She
leaves an impression of a firm woman.
The women characters of Dhoomketu like Champa, Maghi, Kanaklata all echo
the same thought - i.e.- we are not only body, we have heart, we have thought.
The prominent male characters of the stories of Tagore and Dhoomketu
promulgate the idea of humanity; while the child characters symbolize the value of
freedom and happiness in nature. Thus, in the world of imagination both the writers
have sketched a reality in such a way that the readers are prompted to follow the
morals and virtues spread by the characters which in turn might help in establishing a
beautiful culture.
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