While some books are work of fiction, Aruna Chakravarti’s Jorasanko is a stark reflection of reality in the Tagore family. As a literary enthusiast, I have always had much appreciation for Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore. Not for once would I have ever thought that his life would have been full of familial and financial struggles! It is possible that the immense suffering provided a source of depth and pain to some of his stories.
About the author:
Aruna Chakravarti is one of those rare writers who writes history as if it were unfolding right in front of you. Best known for translating the works of literary giants like Sarat Chandra and Sunil Gangopadhyay, she creates a vivid world of Bengal at the heart of the cultural Renaissance. Both her works, Jorasanko and the Daughters of Jorasanko, focus on the women of the Tagore family, giving a raw and layered account of their lives and struggles. In every paragraph, one can see her detailed research and masterful storytelling !
Plot:
Although written as semi-fiction, one is completely drawn into Thakur Badi(Tagore House) to experience life from Dwarakanath to Rabindranath’s time. The series follows the timeline from 1864 to 1944, almost the entire lifeline of Robi Babu. Issues right from external political turmoil, freedom struggle, women’s liberation, creation of Brahmo Samaj to the internal family issues which included bullying the new daughter-in-law, separation of the Thakur Badi into the Brahmos wing and Hindu wing, financial crumble of the house and the eventual downfall of the once great and Regal Thakurs of Jorasanko is explicitly showcased. When I started reading this series, I could imagine myself growing up with the characters only to be teary eyed at the end of it.
In this and the next blog post, I will be focusing on the character sketch of some impactful characters which makes this series a birds eye view into the world of Bengali Renaissance at it’s very epicenter, Jorasanko!
Dwarkanath Tagore:
The patriarch of Thakur Badi, Dwarkanath Tagore was referred to “Prince”. He singularly brought up the status of his huge family, by getting accolades and reverence in the society. It was during this time that the family’s pursuit in art and literature brought a lot of name and respect to them, making them “ The First Family” of Bengal.
Digambari Devi:
Dwarkanath Tagore’s wife and Debendranath’s mother, Digambari Devi had a very strong faith in Hindusim. She followed the path of religious duties and didn’t let her husband stay in the house when he refused to undergo purification after his oversea’s visit.
Debendranath Tagore:
The oldest son of Dwarkanath, Debendranath was a complete contrast to his father. He was immersed in his spiritual practice and was revered as Maharishi by all and sundry. Initially, he believed that only spirituality was needed to live life. But as he went through tough circumstances, he learnt that a fine balance has to be established between spirituality and materialism.
He was a headstrong patriarch who glued Thakur badi together for a long time. When his brother Nagendranath died childless, he didn’t let his sister in law adopt one of her nephews, for he feared that his family would receive less share of money. Until her last breath, Nagendranath’s wife Tripura Sundari held the animosity against him and swore never to eat from Jorasanko ever again, fearing being poisoned.
He was also a staunch follower of Brahmo Samaj. His fanaticism lead to the split of the Thakur badi into the Hindu side and Brahmos side. Although his family pleaded against this separation, he was relentless. His control on the household was so strong that it made his daughter-in-law Jnanadanandini rebel and travel abroad and grand daughter Sarala Devi defied his advice and moved to Mysore to teach. At the end of his life, Debendranath wanted peace, away from his family and he spent his last days in Almora where he eventually passed away.
Sarada Devi:
The wife of Debendranath, Sarada was a very devoted wife. She bore him 10 children and died at the age of 45. She was responsible for tormenting her daughters-in-law Jnandanandini and Prafulla Devi. She couldn’t bear it when her husband split the household into two. Although she worshipped her husband, she was guilty of leaving her religion and tradition.
Satyendranath:
The first Indian Civil Servant in British India, Satyendranath was a man of modern outlook. Right from the moment he married Jnandanandini, he ensured that she completed her education and took her away to England, when it was forbidden for women to cross seven seas. Under his revolutionary stance, Jnandanandini grew to be a strong empowered, influential woman, inspiring generations of womenkind.
Jnanadanandini:
A powerful woman in the history of Indian feminist movement, Jnanadanandini got married into Thakur Badi at a young age of 9. Initially, she was subjugated to a lot of mistreatment from her mother-in-law. But she quickly learned the ropes of family politics and made her way out of Jorasanko. She was supported by her husband in moving abroad with him and when they relocated to Kolkata they moved into their own independent house, away from Thakur Badi. She inspired the modern Indian saree draping style. In the first book Jorasanko, you will see her grow from a young girl into the strong and principled woman. Whereas in the second book, Daughters of Jorasanko, one gets to see her as a loving aunt to the motherless children of Robi Babu. She lived a long life and yearned to see the freedom but unfortunately died just 6 years short of Independence.
Jyotirendranath:
A connoisseur of art and drama, Jyotirendranath believed that he was a big businessman. He invested a log of Tagore family money into multiple businesses which never prospered. Due to this, Debendranath was always worried about the financial health of the family. Although he was married to Kadambari, he never spent time with her or showed any form of affection. In his eyes, Jnanadanandini was the perfect wife and Kadambari could never come close.
Kadambari:
The muse of Robi Babu and a great poet herself, Kadambari was a gentle soul. She was introverted and enjoyed living in her own world. She was oppressed by the women of the house and Gurudev was her only companion. She often yearned for her husband’s love but was eluded of it. She shaped Rabindranath’s writing from being idealistic & romantic to profound intensity and sensitivity. The sorrow which flows in some of his works is all credited to Kadambari who made him look inwards. After her tragic death, Robi Babu was in agony and missed his muse for years to come.
Mrinalini:
She was a completely family-oriented wife in contrast to the Regal Jnanadanandini or poetic Kadambari. Although Rabindranath struggled to relate to her, he immensely missed her care and concern when she died.
Rabindranath Tagore:
I had previously read Sunil Gangopadhyay’s Those Days(Sei Somoy) and First Light(Prothom Alo) which describe the life of Rabindranath Tagore very briefly. But this series goes into great depth. In the first book, Robi Babu grows from a baby in the hands of Jnandanandini to Kadambari’s playmate. He metamorphosed to a young dreamy poet mentored by Kadambari and then ironically became a source of his father’s financial burden when he left his law studies incomplete.
He was devastated at the death of Kadambari and was dissatisfied with his wife. Though Mrinalini did all the duties of an ideal wife, she could never become his consort. He was shown as a young father, excited at the birth of his daughters and sons as well as in pain at the early child marriage of his own daughter and the untimely death of his youngest son and wife.
A very intriguing part of Rabindranath’s life is brought about in this book. As a teenager, Robi Babu was once immersed in reading Mahakavi Vidhyapati Thakur, a highly celebrated and regarded 14th century Maithili poet; whose works were in Brajabuli language – a mixture of Bengali and Maithili. He started his writing journey by imitating Vidhyapati’s writing style and published a book under the pseudonym Bhanu Singha Thakur. Although he revived this writing style after being lost for generations, Kadambari chided him for imitating this writing style rather than pouring himself into it. With her untimely death, he lost his soulmate, closest confidant and possibly a part of himself. While his works continued having a delicate structure and a lingering pain, he never forgot her and could never return to being the carefree youth he once was!
With every work of Robi Babu, I grew up idealising the author and poet. Little did I know that the man who stirred his heart and soul into the betterment of literature was in turmoil at every phase of life. He learnt from every failure and nurtured the pain in his heart to create beautiful, evergreen works that still live, 84 years after his death. This is probably the reason behind the creation of the poem which talks about Divine Union, Mamo Chitte in 1910.
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