Book: Chokher Bali
Author: Rabindranath Tagore
Original Language: Bengali
Translated by: Sreejita Guha
Pages: 287
Plot Summary: Binodini is a convent educated young widow left to her own devices when her husband dies soon after they are married. As was the custom in those times, in British India, she returns to her village and lives there for a couple of months until she accepts the invitation of Rajlakshmi to live with her and her son, Mahendra (who had rejected a former marriage proposal with Binodini) in Calcutta. He is newly married to Ashalata (a naive, gentle girl), but soon begins to feel a strong attraction for Binodini.
The story details the relationships of these three and Mahendra's best friend, Bihari, as they deal with issues like distrust, adultery, lies, and problems between the four main characters.
Characters: The four main characters form most of the narrative. There is Mahendra, a slighlty spoilt man from an affluent family. Raised by his widowed mother and widowed aunt, he is self-centered and used to being the center of attention and getting his way. His character is infuriatingly annoying and a pompous fool, so besotted and in love, first with his wife Ashalata and then with Binodini, he frankly deserves neither women. He is not half the man his friend Bihari is.
Bihari is an all round good guy. He is kind and smart and also a part of the Swadeshi movement and a medical student. He is loyal to Mahendra, even when he acting like an ass. I really liked him and enjoyed reading about him.
Then there are the women. Ashalata, an innocent who is young and in love. She trusts people blindly and it's heart-breaking to see her trust Binodini even when Binodini and Mahendra are actively acting inappropriately.
But the star of the book is Binodini. She is a strong female protagonist with shades of grey and very human flaws. She isn't some idealized Indian woman cliche. She has needs and wants and desires and every intention of living a good life. Widowed soon after her marriage, she can't come to terms with her life as a widow. It is a life she feels she deserves. When she is invited to live in Mahendra and Ashalata's home, her cruel fate seems even crueler to Binodini. To make matters worse, Binodini can't help but wonder why this life couldn't have been hers? She was after all supposed to marry Mahendra.
I loved Binodini's character. She seemed so real. The way she thought and acted seemed very much like how a real person would act and react. I can't imagine a different reaction of anything but envy after seeing the happiness and love of a newly married couple when she herself is doomed to widowhood. She is truly a character ahead of her times (I know what a cliche this sounds like!). She also believes she is superior than Ashalata, given Binodini is convent-educated and, back in the day, could read and write in English and held clear and definite opinions about the politics of the day. She was also a great conversationalist who could hold her own against anyone in any sort of a conversation, unlike Asha, who was simple, naive and not even as skilled at domestic chores as Binodini. It is no wonder, then, that the initial bout of envy evolves into stronger and stronger resentment and a sense of entitlement, which led Binodini to believe that Mahen deserved better, that he deserved someone like her and not a simpleton like Asha. She lets her envy, resentment and desires get in the way of her moral compass- she does possess a strong moral compass, which is the only thing, which explains what she chooses eventually.
What I Liked: I loved the characters. Even Mahendra's widowed mother is a great secondary character.
I liked the plot and the many complicated and sometimes overlapping romantic liaisons. Simple things like broken engagements and their long lasting effects and the emotional baggage resulting from these trysts were turned into great tension and conflict points.
I also loved how each character was so beautifully written and conceptualized. In the sense, each of the four central characters were distinct and very memorable.
What I Didn't Like: I wasn't a big fan of the ending. Apparently, even Rabindranath wasn't and his big regret was not giving this story a different ending.
General Thoughts: This was the first Rabindranath Tagore book I read. Which is not such a big deal if you aren't Bengali. But for a Bengali girl/person this is a big freaking deal. Big enough to revoke my Bong card. Seriously! One simply doesn't go this long in life without reading the works of the Great Tagore. But I don't read Bengali and hadn't felt inclined to read one of his works before. I guess being given a shifty look every time I told someone (mostly family/family friends in Calcutta) that I didn't know any Rabindrasangeet was enough to turn me against anything Tagore related.
But I recently re-watched the movie version of this book and wanted to read this ASAP. Luckily, my book buying habit (disease/addiction/sickness) did me some good. I have had this book for over a year and never picked it up. Till I watched the movie and wanted to read the book.
The movie directed by Rituparno Ghosh is sublime and a great take on the book. I recommend it wholeheartedly. It's slightly different than the book but it doesn't really matter.
Will you like it? Well, why not?
Rating: 3.5/5
No comments:
Post a Comment