The Home and the World
This blog is written in response to the thinking activity assigned by Megha Ma'am, teaching assistant at the department of English, MKBU. In this blog I am going to discuss the novel 'The Home and the World' by Rabindranath Tagore. First let's have an introduction of the novelist.
Rabindranath Tagore:
Rabindranath Tagore was a Bengali- Indian poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer, and painter. He was the first Asian to win the Nobel Prize in 1913 for his collection of poems, Gitanjali.
Tagore was born in Kolkata, India on May 7, 1861 and died there on August 7, 1941. He was the youngest son of Debendranath Tagore, a leader of the Brahmo Samaj, which was a new religious sect in nineteenth-century Bengal and which attempted a revival of the ultimate monistic basis of Hinduism as laid down in the Upanishads.
Tagore introduced new prose and verse forms and the use of colloquial language into Bengali literature. His other notable poetry publications include Sonar Tari (1894) and Manasi (1890). He often published first in Bengali, then translated his own work to English.
Tagore was also the man who gave India its National Anthem 'Jan Gan Man'. He established the Kala Bhavana school of art in 1919 at Santiniketan in present-day West Bengal.
His several volumes of poetry are
Manasi (1890) [The Ideal One],
Sonar Tari (1894) [The Golden Boat],
Gitanjali (1910) [Song Offerings],
Gitimalya (1914) [Wreath of Songs]
Balaka (1916) [The Flight of Cranes].
The English renderings of his poetry, which include
The Gardener (1913),
Fruit-Gathering (1916),
The Fugitive (1921),
Gitanjali: Song Offerings (1912),
Tagore’s major plays are
Raja (1910) [The King of the Dark Chamber],
Dakghar (1912) [The Post Office],
Achalayatan (1912) [The Immovable],
Muktadhara (1922) [The Waterfall], and
Raktakaravi (1926) [Red Oleanders].
He is the author of several volumes of short stories and a number of novels, among them are
Gora (1910),
Ghare-Baire (1916) [The Home and the World], and
Yogayog (1929) [Crosscurrents].
THE HOME AND THE WORLD
The novel 'The Home and the World' was originally written in Bengali under the title Ghôre Baire or Ghare Baire (ঘরে বাইরে) which means "At home and outside" in 1916 by Rabindranath Tagore. This novel marks the illustrative battle that Tagore had with himself, between the ideas of Western culture and revolution against the Western culture. These two ideologies are represented through the two 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 contradictory ideologies remain highly important in understanding the history of the Bengal region and its contemporary problems.
The novel was later on translated into English by Tagore's nephew, Surendranath Tagore in 1919. The Home and the World was among the contenders in a 2014 list by The Telegraph of the 10 all-time greatest Asian novels.
The novel is set in the early 20th century in Bengal, India, during a period of significant social and political upheaval. It provides a glimpse into the socio-political climate of the time and the struggles faced by Indians under British colonial rule.
Major Characters:
As per my reading and understanding of the novel, there are three main characters:
Bimala
Sandip
Nikhilesh
Yes, there are other characters who also play pivotal roles in shaping the narrative of the novel. All secondary characters(though in the narrative they contribute a lot) remain the helping characters or I have to say helping characters. Without them, the plot of the novel can't be framed. But these three characters are three pillars of the novel. The Idea that Rabindranath Tagore presents is justified by the strong feelings, personal opinions and personal or collective goals of these characters. Now let's dive into the deep study of all three characters.
Bimala:
Bimala is the main character and the narrator in the novel. She remains the center of action and attraction in the novel. She is the wife of Nikhilesh.
Her feelings make a rapid change with the occurrence of the Swadeshi movement, due to Sandip's radical influence. Sandip is the one who influences her the most. We can also say that Sandip is the one responsible for the social norms and etiquettes which should be understood by an individual no matter which gender one has. Nikhil from the very beginning emphatically tells Bimala to go out and learn new things rather than household duties. He is the one who gives her freedom to live the way she wants. But her attraction towards Sandip as a great leader and spokesperson agitates her inner flame. But at the same time, she is completely unaware of the happenings around her. But Nikhilesh lets her do whatever she wants. Self realization plays a vital role in shaping the character of Bimala. Throughout the Novel, we come to her mental illusions as well as her dilemmas, which compels us, as readers to the story as we also feels the same dilemma as Bimala of the Swadeshi movement's two fold ways: One is like Nikhilesh and another is of Sandip.
At the beginning of the novel, she seems to be confined to the traditional female role, and has no thoughts of entering the real world, even with persuasion from her husband. Bimala is a rare portrayal of womanhood by Rabindranath Tagore because unlike the other female characters in Indian literature, there are two sides of Bimala. She is obligated to serve her husband and take care of the household. She is also willing to overstep these boundaries to speak out for her people. This fact is what makes her a positive representation of women in The Home and the World. Bimala in Tagore’s The Home and the World is perhaps the liveliest character of the story. She is the centre of action as well as the attraction of the novel. She emblematizes love amid the fire and fury of politics, and her psychological intricacy contributes much in making Tagore's novel an interesting study.
“Bimala in Tagore’s The Home and the World emblematizes Bengali womanhood in Tagore’s contemporary society. And at the same time, the subsequent changes in her way of living and thinking make her psychologically, an engaging personality.”
Nikhilesh is a merchant who owns an estate and two marketplaces in Bengal. He is described as educated, gentle, and progressive. Nikhilesh is from a wealthy, aristocratic family of landlords. His family prides themselves on beautiful women, but Nikhilesh married Bimala, a poor woman who was not particularly attractive. He is the head of the household and an emancipated husband. He usually bears financial supervision and decisions because Bimala cannot take economical decisions. He is an enlightened humanist who asserts that truth cannot be imposed. He believes that freedom is necessary for choice, and is critical to individual growth and fulfillment, which he also provides to her wife who constantly confines herself within their home and believes her husband as her lord. But Nikhilesh is not like that. He time and again tells Bimala to come out of the home and explore the world.
When we look at the character of Nikhilesh and his ideologies, we find that he is obviously with the Swadeshi movement. But he is not blindly adhered to the ideology. He time and again looks at the pros and cons of each and every action. When Bimala tries to burn her 'Foreign clothes', he tells her that if she doesn't want the clothes, she can put it aside rather than burning it. He also admits that if an Indian person can't afford Swadeshi things as these Swadeshi things are too costly, they will buy foreign goods(as these are cheap that can be afforded by the poor as well) and there should not be any restrictions over that.
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