Sahitya AkademiShort Stories of Tagore Author(s): Somnath Maitra Source: Indian Literature, Vol. 1, No. 1 (October 1957), pp. 15-26 Published by: Sahitya Akademi Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/23328606 . Accessed: 07/02/2014 09:09 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. . Sahitya Akademi is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Indian Literature. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 210.212.129.125 on Fri, 7 Feb 2014 09:09:47 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions but what is still more remarkable is that much of this The constant practice of his quantity is of very high quality. Bengali devanagari Rabindranath's masters stories place him among the greatest art in the world. art throughout a long life. on the contrary. script with the major the original press.Short Stories of Tagore Somnath This article Maitra was specially Short text in in all written as Stories Introduction to the Sahitya Tagore A special a glossary Akademi's which edition is also are of in edition being of 21 Select translated of Rabindranath Indian languages. in his illuminating literary criticism. 7 Feb 2014 09:09:47 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions . Rabindranath's range and depth as a writer are but one manifestation of his rich and lofty personality. philosophical and religious subjects. he is hardly less so in his novels. Supreme as a poet. there is not a single mode of literary expression which he has not used with conspicuous success.125 on Fri. in his numerous exquisite letters. be helpful. etc. rough and the nature and range of his achievements. political. The quantity and variety of his output are amazing. resulted.129.212.—Ed. in new creations of rare beauty. But before doing short of the so it is necessary to remind ourselves that the writing of short stories was not the main business of his life. in his essays on social. ii> his delight ful books for children. and it is perfectly This content downloaded from 210. short stories. but it must not be forgotten that he achieved excellence in most other literary forms as well. of the stories it may at the outset a Rabindranath Tagore was one of the greatest literary figures the world has seen. and it would be interesting to examine some of their distinctive aspects. plays social and allegorical in prose and verse. to try to form idea of the personality of their author. It is well known that as a lyric poet he stands unsurpassed in any age or land. Barring the epic. So strong and insistent was the creative urge within him that it refused to be exhausted in more than sixty years of ceaseless literary activity. and that they re present only one of the channels through which his myriad For a proper appreciation featured genius sought expression. therefore. instead of making it thin and jejune. in his autobiographical memoirs. 7 Feb 2014 09:09:47 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions . and entered the world of toil and conflict. rounded whole.125 on Fri. That is why we find him ever moving forward. he is greater even than his own creations. he turned his back on the sheltered peace and comfort of his life the Padma. observing witli tender sympathy the quiet flow of life in the homes where poor men live.212. In his longing to identify himself with the larger world of men and their manifold activities. the East and the national struggle for freedom. for he felt that only in work of real magnitude could a man fulfil himself.129. It is to realize the full measure of his greatness and his significance for our times and for the future. when life was running smoothly along a particular track. he would begin to feel cramped and beside would turn aside to take a new path that led to a larger sphere This happened again and again in his of creative endeavour. unless we relate his multifarious activities to one another and regard his life as one not possible luminous. and filling his days to the brim with every form of literary creation and. allowing ( him hardly any time to linger on the way. like the Emperor Shahjahan of his cele brated poem. But for him that phase could not last. This is only one instance of how. we find him saying that he was taking up work of many kinds. his fight against his part in the injustice and oppression in any shape or form. Through all that he did— his work for Visva-Bharati his writings. complete accord with the nature around him. and the rural reconstruction centre at Sriniketan. It is an error to think of any one manifestation of Rabin dranath's creativeness as isolated. poems and short stories. 1957 true to say of him that.16 INDIAN LITERATURE : OCT. he had with drawn from the eyes of men to lead a sequestered life in the charm in ing setting of a Bengal village on the bank of the Padma. In one of the letters that he wrote at the time. There was a time in his younger days when in the course of managing the family estates. his many travels in This content downloaded from 210. life. his song-compositions. and never resting satisfied with any work done or any success achieved. in particular. and he never hesitated to close one chapter and to begin an other that would give him freer scope for the unfolding of some aspect of his personality unrevealed till then. for there was that within him which was continually goading him on to ever-new activity. that any one observing him was deceived into regarding them as perfectly simple. an unmistakable activities—rang Where that central and fundamental note came from we shall see presently. as I best could. I give a translation of it here: "I have loved this earth. his close association. I have believed in the truth of man embodied in Him who ever resides in the hearts of men. numerous. I have desired liberation—the liberation that comes from the dedication of self to the Supreme Being. at the centre of man's history in every age and land stands his God.212. and reacted with extraordinary sensitivity to each signi ficant movement in human thought and affairs. of pilgrimage. all my work and sacrifice as an offering to the Supreme. It is a rare phenomenon for a single person to be endowed with such manifold gifts. It is astonishing to think of the atmosphere of serenity and leisure that seemed to surround this great man even in the midst of incessant work.SHORT STORIES OF TAGORE 17 West carrying the message of India to the peoples of the world. 7 Feb 2014 09:09:47 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions . here. I have been rewarded I have come to this sacred place by a deep inner satisfaction. diverse and not seldom of impressive magnitude. my literary labours since my boyhood days. He dwelt. The different parts of his being seemed fused and integrated to produce a rounded The tasks that he undertook and ac perfection of personality. in spirit. and rarer still the blended harmony of powers that one saw in him. and have gathered together. not within the narrow bounds of his personal life.129. with men of the highest stature in every land. In a magnificent passage of his Atmaparichaya he has let us into the secret of the faith and ideal which sustained and guided him in life. and with such grace and masterly ease. If I have met with opposition from outside. I have bowed in reverence to greatness. But v/hatever he did was done with so little fuss. complished were. necessitated by his world-position. It is at the foot of His I have gone beyond the sphere of which I had pursued with intense devotion This content downloaded from 210. But his poise and composure remained unruffled. as we have been trying to emphasize.125 on Fri. this earth. unaware that a lifetime of preparation often lay behind them. but always in the universe of man. and countless other note of unity and harmony. and lent such a unity to his varied activities. His mind was open to the whole world— " a mind where the Universe could come together as in a single nest.212. of Rabindranath's It would be labour wasted to try to discover literary sources and influences in their case." Such was the ideal inspiring Rabindranath Tagore in all that he wrote and in all else that he did. Count Hermann Keyserling. he paid his noble tribute to Tagore in the Golden Book of Tagore. engaged.125 on Fri. the most encompassing. his capacity to seize on essentials. when. They yield only to his poetry in exhibiting the characteristic qualities of his genius— his vivid imagination coupled with a penetrating insight into reality. the most complete human being I have known. self-reliance and the fearless pursuit of truth. But his heart was given not only to his countrymen but to all humanity.18 INDIAN LITERATURE : OCT. I quote a few of its memorable words: centuries because "There has been no one like him on our globe for many and many He is the creator of a nation. and in the example of a life of singular beauty and nobility.129." By the greatness of his achievements and the majesty of his personality he dominated his age. and preaching the Religion of Man to a world in danger All this must have been in the mind of of growing inhuman.. to this day. and showed them the path to happiness and fulfilment through work.1 admire my great friend Rabindranath Tagore as I admire no other living man. he is the most universal. To the people of his country he has left the best that he had to give in the priceless legacy of his writings. He was a wanderer on life's ways discovering and singing of beauty in the midst of sorrow and ugliness. He had no forbears in the art in Bengal. and influenced the people of his race in every sphere of their lives. in the difficult attempt to wash myself clean of egoistic pride and the spirit of separatism. In his stories he is absolutely and superbly himself. his abomination of This content downloaded from 210.." It is time now to turn to a consideration short stories. 7 Feb 2014 09:09:47 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions . in 1931. the eminent German philosopher. He strove to rescue them from sloth and self-complacence. 1957 altar that I have sat in silence. . for in his short stories Rabin dranath is like no one else. and he owes no debt to any foreign writer. the next six were published at intervals between 1898 and 1911. sometimes of several years. as he read these stories in later life. a fresh ness of feeling and a directness of observation which their setting and the writer's youth gave them. Of all his stories Rabindranath liked these earlier ones best. and the remaining four belong to the Sabuj Patra period. The biggest later group—of seven in 1914 followed by three in 1917—belong to what is generally considered his supreme crea tive period. the last. moreover. The rest were written at intervals. Shajadpur and others—of which he gives us such delightful glimpses in his Chhinna Patra (Torn Letters). the ideas and feelings that were dominant and the problems that exercised his mind. Patisar.212. and we can trace the beginnings of many of them in these wonderful letters. They have.SHORT STORIES OF TAGORE 19 exaggeration and sentimentalism. he regretted. He felt.125 on Fri. after the monthly magazine of that name of which Rabindranath was the editor. usually referred to as the Sadhana period. when he was contributing most of its matter every month to the magazine of that name The first eleven stories edited by the late Pramatha Chaudhuri. the Sabuj Paira period. It was against the background of this rural Bengal that his earlier stories were written. and which. The three volumes of Galpaguccha in which all but three or four of his stories are collected (I leave out of account the matter of Se and Galpasalpa as too airy. he often asserted. in the present collection belong to the earlier and largest group. sketchy and inconsequential to four of them. his matchless constructive ability. I have referred to that springtide of his life when he was managing the family estates and living mostly in the villages— Shileida. Patra O Patri being published in 1917. as reflecting his surroundings. his intoler ance of wrong and injustice. They are of interest. his wide humanity. gra dually disappeared as he grew older and became burdened with the cares and problems that ever-increasing responsibilities brou ght with them. that there had passed away a glory from this earth.129. at different periods of his life. In a letter on This content downloaded from 210. 1891 and come under the category of short stories proper) contain eighty Over half this number were written between 1895 during his first great creative period. 7 Feb 2014 09:09:47 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions . and to the little unlettered girl. and tended him as a mother does her child. In a letter from dated 25th June.212. fell the task of into a woman She developed nursing him back to health. Ratan in The Postmaster. to laughter or tears. Ratan. they would fully grasp in a moment the truth of my story. The scenes and characters and events that I am now imagining have this sun and rain and river and the reeds on the river-bank. He had watched the drama of these humble lives with infinite sympathy and understanding. That joy runs through these simple. 7 Feb 2014 09:09:47 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions .125 on Fri. of events are such as are normally to be found in the simple annals of the poor." The nature of these earlier stories can be best realized Rabindranath's own account from of their origin. the lights and shadows and colours of my surroundings mingle with my words. almost overnight. if I could convey to them in their entirety this river-bank and the shade of these trees and the peace of this village scene. and without departing one whit from reality he has succeeded in investing them with the power to move us to pity or anger. found some relief in her company from the tedium of his life of exile. postmaster. with the result that my motor-car-riding pen will never again walk along those cool and shady sylvan paths of literature.20 INDIAN LITERATURB : OCT. girl The town-bred for the her own. for her or to call to care no one with of or twelve thirteen. this shady village. the course of his sojourn in the villages—ifien station in life—and the a lowly boys and girls and children. 1B95. Then he fell ill. he writes. posted in the remote hamlet of Ulapur." The characters are mostly such as he had come across in and women. 1957 the subject written in 1932 he says: "When I came face to face with nature in the villages of Bengal my days overflowed with happiness.129. unadorned stories 1 have now come far away from that loving hospitality of rural Bengal. this monsoon sky. did odd jobs postmaster. "As I sit writing bit Shajadpur. Take This orphan village for instance. by bit a story for Sadhana. till This content downloaded from 210. these rain-nourished happy corn-fields to serve as their If I could bring background and to give them life and reality before my readers in the pages of my story the sunlit water of this small stream in front of me on this cloudless day in the rainy season. He was by no means hard-hearted.' Yet it grips us. and scores of others in every rank and class of society. lightly dis missing as absurd her timid request to take her with him. had not secured admis sion into our literature.212. tugs at indifference and RatanV ? The our hearts and gives this homeless waif a secure place among Rabindranath's characters. more especially. and it is noteworthy that nowhere in our literature. The setting is a remote malaria-infested corner of rural Bengal. of materials.129. Very little happens that could be called picture of Ratan's minds. and the hopeless grief becomes imprinted on our These stories compel our admiration for another important Up to their time. But how great was the contrast between his kindly he was able to leave his sick bed. 7 Feb 2014 09:09:47 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions . Nothing more than a perusal of these stories is needed to rebut the imbecile charge sometimes brought against Rabindranath that his writings betray his con cern only for the classes and not for the masses. nothing surely a 'moving accident. the Kabuliwallah from Afghanistan peddling grapes and dried fruits in the streets of Calcutta and the cotton-toll collector at Barich. We find jostling together in his pages such diverse characters as the princess of the proud house of Badraon and the Bengali village girls. It was in Rabindranath's stories that they were given their rightful place. the ordinary man and woman and. for the first time. have they been depicted with greater sympathy or more accurate knowledge. would be considered worth much attention. in fact he was quite kind to Ratan in his own way. The Postmaster is a capital instance of how much can be done by a real artist with a bare minimum There are only two characters neither of whom. The truth and Shahniari and members of the low-caste This content downloaded from 210. deep attachment and unquestioning dependence pathos of her dumb suffering when he finally resigned his post and left for his home in Calcutta. reason. in actual life. the poor and the lowly. and even felt a fleeting pang of remorse at having left her behind.SHORT STORIES OF TAGORE 21 But he had had enough of rustic life. Giribala and Mrinmayee.125 on Fri. and decided to go away for good. not only before but also since his day. in the course of the story. scions of the aristocratic families of Nayanjore Rui family. And then. This is somewhat unusual. for popularity is seldom a guarantee of quality. in spite of every obvious difference. When he came out after several years and went to see 'the little one'. for nothing human was alien to him. her natural gift of friendship with all and sundry.22 INDIAN LITERATURE : OCT. it is her wedding day. As he heard this and saw the paper. being drawn to each other by the bond of a common emotion—for each was a father with a father and the Kabuliwallah—so The Kabuliwallah too had daughter whom he dearly loved.212. he carried with him on a small and dirty piece of paper the impression of a little soot-smeared hand—the touch of his own little daughter. rugged pedlar from the hills of men—Mini's This content downloaded from 210. language. It is not by any means a tragic story.129. and he would come in and sit by her as she began to chatter away. the un lettered Kabuli and the cultured Bengali were one in fundamentals. Mini's father realised that. have humble undisting uished folk been made more welcome in the domain of our literature than in these stories. we repeat. 7 Feb 2014 09:09:47 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions . She would call to him as he leisurely passed by her house selling his wares in the street. and her father refuses at first to let her come out to meet him. representative of the marvellous darling of every home the world over. and year after year as he walked the streets of Calcutta. But never. The five-year Kabuliwallah old Bengali girl Mini had accepted with charming naturalness this great hulk of a man from far Kabul as her friend. And then comes that wonderful description of the two contrasted in race. But Rabindranath's identification in sympathy with the creatures of his imagination—the charming little Mini. with her unceasing babble of talk. They had their own special jokes which did not seem to lose any of their point or grow stale with daily use. is undoubtedly the most popular of all his stories. it is also one of his best. the big. culture and social position. her irrepressible curiosity. and through the long years in pri son.125 on Fri. as he imagined Mini to be still. a daughter like Mini in his own home. 1957 is that he was interested in every kind of person. one day. the Kabuliwallah stabbed a man who had tried to cheat him and was sent to jail—the 'father-in-law's house' of their jokes over which Mini and he had so often laughed together. loving woman is shown with pene trating psychological insight and delightful humour. with the wife dying in the process of a Rabindranath's theatrical self-abnegation. Nature had made him a wayfarer in life. years could looks into the and good possibly possess. to know but he all who came charmed him. incidents connected with the three Englishmen of the story were typical of the woeful state of things in India at the time The (1894) and for many subsequent decades. and its jealousy and uncanny sensing of and unfaithfulness on the other. 7 Feb 2014 09:09:47 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions . though not a very well-knit whole. Dristidan gives a moving and realistic picture of a blind wife's love for her husband with its tenderness and utter depen falsehood dence on the one hand. Each of the stories in the present collection deserves detailed notice. attitude towards racial arrogance and the insolence of power. In Samapti Mrinmayee's change from the wild tomboy that she had been to a tender.SHORT STORIES OF TAGORE 23 Afghanistan with the one soft spot in his nature. In the hands of a lesser writer the story would almost surely have sunk into the mire of sentimentalism.129. At any violation of justice and humanity anywhere. Never was there a more vigilant sentinel of the rights of man. Tarapada could never be drawn into permanent relations with any of them. his heart heavy at the thought of the impending parting with her—and the sheer beauty of his delineation of them. Megh O Raudra. Tarapada in Atithi is one of Rabindranath's unforgettable that a boy of his With every accomplishment creations. a 'guest' This content downloaded from 210. his love for his own daughter which underlies his affection for Mini. unerring sense of proportion has preserved it from such a maudlin finale. has passages of great poetic beauty and incidents of a dramatic It is noteworthy also as exhibiting Rabindranath's character. watching with loving care his beloved child up till she is of age to be married. but considerations of space forbid more than a passing mention of just a few of them. bargain. make the story a masterpiece which it is diffi cult to read without being deeply moved. and Mini's growing father.125 on Fri. Rabindra nath's voice rang out to expose and denounce it to the world.212. 125 on Fri. It is a remark one affect ion and no power on earth could attach where. the former being written in 1901 and the latter in 1911. its loves and cruelties and unsated ruined The scene of the story is an immense passions.212. 1957 tarrying for a while at any place to which he took a passing fancy. before place or person. but never destined to settle down for good anywhere. so delicate. of the Mughal days. portrays the pathetic struggle of an impoverished branch of an aristocratic family to make both ends meet. sensitive yet Of the stories of what may be called Rabindranath's period. remarkable for the vigour of its style. and the poignant tragedy of the death of its only hope—the frail. a touch able There are three stories in the present collection which have of the supernatural: Kshudita Pashan. he quietly love him in impartiality and indifference. It conjures up. knew day no one friendship could conspire to hem Master Mashai. The unbearable love was un passion. Nishithe and The firstis admittedly the finest. middle Chhele. the two greatest are Nashtanir and Rashmanir This content downloaded from 210. and so free from the faintest suggestion of impurity. Nashtanir is a powerful study of the birth and growth of a married woman's love for a cousin of her husband's.129. I Rashmanir Chhele. a vanished age with its limitless luxuries. till it becomes a consuming in its intensity. whose very ^stones seem palace hungry for living flesh. It is a region of half-lights where the past holds commerce with the present—a colourful. 7 Feb 2014 09:09:47 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions . that it was hailed as a love masterpiece by the discerning. and has now come to be regarded as a classic. him permanently to a disappeared and completely. glamorous past with the drab and matter-of-fact present. in passages of acutely visualized description and great poetic beauty. but the treatment of 'forbidden' in it is so restrained. construction of the imagination. consciously fostered by the unthinking neglect of the unworldly husband—a somewhat thoroughly estimable person though obtuse.24 INDIAN LITERATURE : OCT. The story shocked the squeamish. He was truly a child of nature for he had all And her so generosity. 125 on Fri. homes distress him. It is time now to conclude for their full discussion. and social wrongs cried out for redress. the characters were no longer village folk. problems now engaged Rabindranath's mind. they very well speak for themselves. At last. The ugly atmosphere of self ishness. meanness and callousness which passed unchallenged as tradition and was sanctified by custom. and provoke him to ruthless exposure of their wrongs. when she got the chance to escape from that prison of domesticity she found. voices his feelings at the time. sincc This content downloaded from 210. Especially did the plight of woman in Bengal in middle-class brilliance. for the position of women and the disabilities under which they laboured had always been for him matters of deep concern. in language of a dazzling Strir Tatra. was suffo cating to a woman like Mrinal with a spirit that survived all efforts to crush it. In the magnificent stories of the Sabuj Paira period. that she still had a soul to call her own. falsehood and unspeakable meanness which the men of the family had created in their home. Her letter to her husband—for that is the form this story takes ending with the announcement of her resolve never to return to him. 7 Feb 2014 09:09:47 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions . There are variations of this theme in most of the other stories of this time. the iron-willed yet loving Rashmani. admirably. and their background no longer the landscape of rural Bengal. is a trenchant indictment of a whole history of male injustice. no doubt that even in translation something of their unfading beauty will touch the reader's heart with gladness and that.212. Their temper too had changed.SHORT STORIES OF TAGORE 25 trong-willed Kalipada who took after his wonderful mother. Fifteen years of torment and frustration as a wife had helped Mrinal to realize that a woman's fulfilment does not lie in wifehood alone. the short stories of Rabindranath But then. to her unutterable joy and relief. and occupied his thoughts almost constantly at this very incomplete survey of which demand ampler space loathsome this period. published in 1914. his stories really need no can I have introduction.129. and which they compla cently expected their womenfolk to accept as natural. of the auspices the Sahitya Akademi Tiwari. the Notes with trans original in and under in Hindi. readers in the different parts of India will see in these characters — sons and — the familiar lineaments of their daughers of Bengal's soil own kinsfolk.125 on Fri. 1957 everywhere. human nature is much the same IN PRESS EKOTTARSATI One hundred and one poems of Rabindranath literation devanagari Prepared of Tagore. 7 Feb 2014 09:09:47 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions .26 INDIAN LITERATURE : OCT. by Sahitya This content downloaded from 210.129. and published Akademi.212. niketan Hindi by Rampujan Shanti Bhawan.