Charulata, directed by Satyajit Ray, is the screen adaptation of the 1901 Rabindranath Tagore’s Nashtanirh (The Broken Nest). The film is one of Ray’s most acclaimed film, both for its masterful storytelling and cinematic perfection. Set in late 19th century Calcutta, it is a story of Charu and the men surrounding her- her husband Bhupati, and her brother-in-law Amal. Bhupati is an intellectual, and runs an English newspaper called The Sentinel. His work is so intense that he hardly has any time to devote to his wife Charu. Charu is young and childless, and doesn’t have a companion in the house to spend her time with. She spends her days juggling through books, or looking at the streets from her windows with her opera glass, or supervising her servants so that Bhupati is served piping hot tea at his preferred time. Ray uses the opera glass as an excellent metaphor for distance- both between the world Charu resides in and the world outside, and between Charu and her husband. Realizing Charu’s loneliness, Bhupati invites Charu’s brother Umapada and his wife Manda to stay with them. He also invites his cousin Amal to stay over and accompany Charu as her intellectual companion and tutor.
Late 19th century Kolkata witnessed the flourishing of the Bengal Renaissance, a social and intellectual movement characterized ‘lofty, utopian ideas, self-indulgence, and an extreme Anglophilia’. The proponents of this movement were the bhadraloks, Western-educated Bengali gentlemen who ushered in a new phase of reform in the society along liberal lines. Rabindranath Tagore was himself a product of the Bengal Renaissance under whom the movement arguably reached its greatest height, and Satyajit Ray is often termed as the ‘Last Bengali Renaissance Man’ of Bengal. So are Bhupati and Amal, the men around whom Charu’s life revolves. Charu’s position with respect to this social and intellectual awakening in Bengal is interesting. While the Bengal Renaissance revolved around progressive ideas of liberalism, one aspect that left the intellectuals perplexed was the question of women. Although they advocated for female literacy, their imperviousness from conceptualizing women beyond the threshold implied that they were still holding on to the image of the 19th century housewife. Charu is educated in Western thought, and has a forward liberal approach, making her a nabeena (modern woman), while Manda, her sister-in-law is a pracheena (traditional woman). Their differences in approach becomes quite evident and Charu, finding no joy in the company of Manda, gets closer to her brother-in-law Amal. This closeness, almost unintentionally develops into a romantic entanglement.
Nashtanirh, and its cinematic adaptation Charulata bears striking resemblance to the relationship Tagore shared with his sister-in-law Kadambari Devi. And what makes Charulata an extremely important watch is that it provides a visual glimpse into the unfolding of events and emotions in Bhupati’s household, which can be traced back all the way to Tagore’s household. Ray’s maven storytelling bridges the gap between the characters and his audience, and provides unreal access into the life of Kadambari, as it unfolds within the Thakurbari.
Kadambari Devi entered the Thakurbari (Tagore household) as Jyotirindranath Tagore’s bride-to-be when she was nine. The young Rabindranath, her brother-in-law, was just seven then. Rabindranath recounted his first encounter with Kadambari in his autobiographical memoir Chhelebela with utmost fondness, describing her as an illusion from the distant lands; he viewed her from a distance, for he had not mustered enough courage to walk up to her. However, over time, they became playmates and companions. Tagore’s affection for his bouthakrun or bouthan (sister-in-law) can be gauged from his enthusiastic delineations in Chhelebela. This affectionate relationship continued in their youths as well. Kadambari did not have children despite several years into her marriage with Jyotirindranath, and the circumstances forced her to avoid her female relatives within the household, quash all the negativity that surrounded her, and find comfort in the company of her brother-in-law Rabindranath. While Jyotirindranath was preoccupied in handling the affairs of the Tagore estates, Rabindranath recited to his bouthakrun the poems he had penned. At other times, Kadambari would read out from Bankim from Bangadarshan to her brother-in-law. Tagore often composed his poems while she fanned him with a hand fan. In the evenings, the young poet would join Jyoti dada and bouthan, and occasionally friends in the terrace, where Jyotirindranath played the violin and Rabindranath sang. Kadambari much enjoyed listening to them.
In the process, the relationship that flourished between Rabindranath and Kadambari was based on their shared literary fondness. Kadambari often teased Tagore’s compositions, but at the same time persuaded him to read them out to her. In the process, she encouraged Tagore to bring out fully his masterful literary prowess, by being both his harshest critic and biggest supporter. Tagore went on to name his bouthan ‘Hecate’, the Greek goddess of night, moon, and magic. When Rabindranath journeyed to England, he remained in close touch with Kadambari through letters, some of which he later got published. The elders of the family, suspecting a romantic entanglement between Tagore and his bouthan based on the emotional contents of the letter decided to get him married as well. He wed the 11-year-old Mrinalini Devi in 1883. This event is believed to have been a traumatic experience for Kadambari Devi, and she died by suicide the following year. Quite understandably, it was a very traumatic experience for Tagore, and his thoughtful recollections and songs and stories, he tried to remember and honour her.
In 1901, Tagore authored Nashtanirh (The Broken Nest) bearing unusually close resemblance with Kadambari’s relationship with her husband, and her brother-in-law. In fact, an early manuscript of Nashtanirh had the name ‘Hecate’ mentioned in the margins, which has been taken to be conclusive proof of Nashtanirh being Tagore’s way of remembering his deceased bouthan.
Sharanyo Basu
Sharanyo Basu is an undergraduate student of History at Presidency University, Kolkata. He is a history enthusiast with interests in social and cultural history, literature and films, and histories of interactions, conflicts and accomodations.