www.research-chronicler.com Research Chronicler ISSN 2347 – 503X International Multidisciplinary Research Journal

Research Chronicler

A peer-reviewed refereed and indexed international multidisciplinary research journal Volume I Issue II: December – 2013 CONTENTS

Name of the Author Title of the Paper Download Dr. Archana Feminine Sensibility Vs. Sexuality: A New 1201PDF & Dimension Dr. Pooja Singh Dr. Akhilesh Kumar Interrogating Representations of History: A 1202 PDF Dwivedi Study of Mukul Kesavan’s Looking Through Glass Dr. A.P. Pandey Problems and Promises in Translating Poetry 1203 PDF Dr. Ketan K. Gediya Generation Divide among Diaspora in Jhumpa 1204 PDF Lahiri’s Unaccustomed Earth Dr. Nisha Dahiya Patriotic Urge in Sarojini Naidu’s Poetry 1205 PDF Md. Irshad Shashi Deshpande’s That Long Silence: A 1206 PDF Study of Assertion and Emotional Explosion Dr. Shanti Tejwani ICT : As an Effective Tool for Teacher Trainees 1207 PDF Dr. Manoj Kumar Jain Differences in Stock Price Reaction to Bond 1208 PDF Rating Changes: With S from India Maushmi Thombare Bahinabai Chaudhari – A Multidimensional 1209 PDF Poet Prof. Deepak K. Nagarkar Death as Redemption in Arthur Miller’s Death 1210 PDF of a Salesman Dr. Vijaykumar A. Patil Zora Neale Hurston’s Theory of Folklore 1211 PDF Dr. Jaiprakash N. Singh Dalitonki Vyatha-Katha: Dalitkatha 1212 PDF Raj Kumar Mishra Traces of Hindu Eco-Ethics in the Poetry of 1213 PDF A.K. Ramanujan Dr. Nidhi Srivastava A Comparative Study of Values and Adjustment 1214 PDF of Secondary School Students With and Without Working Mothers Sanjeev Kumar Pinjar: From Verbal to Audio-visual 1215 PDF Vishwakarma Transmutation Swati Rani Debnath W.B. Yeats: Transition from Romanticism to 1216 PDF

Volume I Issue II: December 2013 Editor-In-Chief: Prof. K.N. Shelke

www.research-chronicler.com Research Chronicler ISSN 2347 – 503X International Multidisciplinary Research Journal

Modernism Sushil Sarkar Environment and Woman: Reflections on 1217 PDF Exploitation through Eco-Feminism in Mahasweta Devi’s Imaginary Maps Book Review Sangeeta Singh Goddess in Exile: A Sad Tale of Female 1218 PDF Existentialism Poetry Bhaskar Roy Barman On The Marge 1219 PDF Dr Seema P. Salgaonkar Entrapped 1220 PDF Jaydeep Sarangi I Live for My Daughter / Writing Back 1221 PDF Interview Prof. Masood Ahmed Interview with Poet Arbind Kumar Choudhary 1222 PDF

Volume I Issue II: December 2013 Editor-In-Chief: Prof. K.N. Shelke

www.research-chronicler.com Research Chronicler ISSN 2347 – 503X International Multidisciplinary Research Journal

Bahinabai Chaudhari – A Multidimensional Poet

Maushmi Thombare Modern College, Pune. (M.S.) India

ABSTRACT Bahinabai Chaudhari- One of the greatest poetess in Marathi from , India. Being an illiterate woman, it seems that she had profound knowledge about life and its nature. Her minute observations, way of presentation, meters and rhyming style is amazing. Her philosophy of life and extraordinary capacity of its expression is mind blowing. She found life‟s meaning in the womb of the nature and her usage of colloquial language makes her poems very realistic and natural. She explored the village life and its people and their manners through her poems aptly. While taking a journey through her poems she naturally reminds us of the great poets in English like Wordsworth, Frost and many other nature poets, though keeping her own specific identity. She renders life‟s approach in a positive and playful way where really lie her strength. This research paper is written with the motive to recall and salute such a great poetess and to explore her sapience which is still unknown to the world. Key Terms: Bahinabai Chaudhari, multilingual, tradition, feminism, modernism

daughters. She also came to know about Bahinabai Nathaji Chaudhari (1880- 1951) was a prominent poetess of Saint . Impressed with his Maharashtra, India. She was born on 24th abhangas, she became his disciple. She had August 1880 in Asoda village, Jalgaon great faith in God Vitthala. She also praised district in a farmer‟s family. Hence, she was great Saints like Namdev, Dnyaneshwar and very close to the nature and her love for it is Muktabai. She was a born poetess and used reflected in her literature, prominently in her to chant her verses all the time, for which poems. She got married at a very tender age people taunted her. Though she was of 13 to a Vatandar, Nathaji Chaudhari, who illiterate, she composed poems of great was 30 years old. Due to some family literary merit and encapsulated the life‟s disputes they were in debts and had to face philosophy in her quadruplets. She was of many financial difficulties and hardships, the age of eminent Marathi poets like but it did not deter Bahinabai. At the early Keshavsut, Kusumagraj, Tambe, and age of 30 she became widow, which was Govindagraj. Consequently, nobody paid considered as an ill-fate. As a woman she any attention towards her poems. She had to depend on her husband to lead a life. chanted her poems in Ahirani dialect (dialect She was very strong and faced life‟s of Marathi spoken in North Maharashtra) in challenges along with her three sons and two the form of meter or ovis. Her poetry was

Volume I Issue II: December 2013 (63) Editor-In-Chief: Prof. K.N. Shelke www.research-chronicler.com Research Chronicler ISSN 2347 – 503X International Multidisciplinary Research Journal very philosophical and unique in itself. She poetry. But she could understand this hence, created her own linguistic competency this shows that poetry was flowing all through which she explored her own through her nerves. Wordsworth is also of philosophy of life. More than 350 verbal the view that poetry should be in simple poems of her were penned down by her son, language so that common people could Sopan Chaudhari in the collection understand it. This was true with Bahinabai Bahinaichi Gaani published by Suchitra as her poems are in the local language, i.e. publishers in 1952. It is said that the Ahirani and common people could goddess of knowledge Saraswati rolled on understand it. I think she can also be her tongue while she was speaking. That‟s compared to the great American poet, what she says in these lines: Robert Frost, Pulitzer Prize winner for four “Mazi mai Saraswati, Male shikvate times, as he also depicted the rural life in his boli, poems with realistic rural settings. He also lek bahinachya mani kiti gupit had command on colloquial speech. His perali.”(p.113) poems are also philosophical like Bahinabai depicting the life‟s reality through nature (My mother Saraswati teaches me to chant, and his own experiences. But Frost‟s poems she knows all the secrets of her daughter‟s show despair and pessimism whereas heart.) Bahinabai‟s poems gives life‟s philosophy Though she could never go to formal in an optimistic tone sometimes even in school, Lord Rama and Lord were humor. her teachers in the life‟s school. She had It also seems that she was a very keen deep emotions to Lord Vitthala. Although observer of linguistic functions of language she was illiterate and couldn‟t read a single when she says; word, her thoughts were much more advanced and of far more excellent than the “Mai mhanata mhanata vhat vhatalagi age she lived in. She was so great in her bhide, thoughts that she used to say: Atya mhanata mhanata, kevadha antar pade.”(pg.43) “Are gharota gharota, tujyatun pade pith, tasa tasa maja gaan potatun yete It means that while calling the word vhati.”(p.126) mother or mummy, lips get very close to (As the flour freely flows through the each other but while calling the word aunt grinder, so her lips drop thoughts and words the same lips gets apart. This shows that in meter.) despite being illiterate she had awareness of linguistic functions of words which add With regard to this, she can be compared beauty and spontaneity to poetic expression. to a prolific poet William Wordsworth who said that „poetry is the emission of She was not less than all those great continuous flow of emotions.‟ In order to poets who argued about what poetry is and understand this, one needs to be well-read, what it should be. She was beyond all these having thorough knowledge of rules of things merged with the music of life. Her

Volume I Issue II: December 2013 (64) Editor-In-Chief: Prof. K.N. Shelke www.research-chronicler.com Research Chronicler ISSN 2347 – 503X International Multidisciplinary Research Journal thoughts are so relevant to life that even popped up germinating the sprouts, shows today they are equally applicable. It is a farms‟ emotions like goose bumps out.) great fortune of the land of Maharashtra to Once she was told that it was futile to get such a gifted poet. plant Gulmohor trees; instead one should She used to sing ovis while doing her plant mango trees as it at least fills one‟s domestic works at home and in the farm. belly. To this she replies by saying that She is also called as the „Nisargakanya‟(as mango trees definitely satisfy one‟s belly but appropriately said by the eminent Marathi Gulmohor satisfies one‟s heart and soul. It writer Indira Sant) means nature‟s daughter,. shows her wide and deep poetic perception. She derives life‟s philosophy from nature as Along with knowing nature keenly, she was if one removes sweet water from the a good observer that fathoms her poetic coconut. She was so involved in nature that perspective when she says, „Oh royal she used to say that “she could see heaven in farmer, walking barefooted, look under his the mirror of the Earth.” Looking at the feet, the thorns are bent.‟ cotton seeds she says that, „God had sent her Along with the nature it seems that with clothes, but man has made her nude, for Bahinabai was also very deeply aware of him to get clothed‟. human nature. She was aware of the selfish Her famous poem Khopa teaches how and covetous nature of man. In her poems birds from the nature can weave their nest she says that don‟t chase behind venal with the long paddy leaves so finely with desires as the exchange of souls is not a their beak. In this poem she describes the business of livelihood. This thought dives us skills of the „Baya‟ bird of weaving nest for in the deep sea of her philosophy and gifts its eggs. Here, she presents nature as a us the knowledge of the message of love teacher and tells us that this bird takes so which is precious and immortal. Even in much efforts to weave a beautiful nest just those days she knew the mystery and with its beak, but man is gifted with two purpose of life. Her mind blowing poem hands and ten fingers so he has to work Manus tells the message of humanity. She really very hard for his children and his straightway asks: livelihood instead of wasting time. This is “Mansa, Mansa; kadhi vhashil how she was so close to the nature as if one Manus.”(p.187) with it and always found Mother Nature as (Oh Man! Oh Man Being! When will you the teacher of mankind. She could become a Human Being?) understand nature‟s emotions. She says: Further, she says, “Beeya tarare bhuit, survey komb ale “Manus, Manus, matlabi re varhe; manasa……. guhyarala shet jasa angavarti tuji niyat bekar, tujyahun bara gothyatla shahare.” (p. 141) janavar.”(pg.187) (In the womb of the Earth, so slept the This line shows that she craves for seeds, covering themselves with sand sheets mankind to become a human being first,

Volume I Issue II: December 2013 (65) Editor-In-Chief: Prof. K.N. Shelke www.research-chronicler.com Research Chronicler ISSN 2347 – 503X International Multidisciplinary Research Journal which is a very profound thought and shows (It means, I could see God reflexively, the her social awareness. She further tells about Sun in the heart shows face of God.) the selfish nature of man and says that an This shows that she is not the blind animal is better than a mankind. Especially, believer of God, in fact she sees God in the during the modern days, it is very apt as we face of Sun who is the life giver and can be see a man turning into demon (de-man) or seen by our eyes. devil and doing all the vicious acts. “Male Kayale gupit, kaay tuji karamat; Are andharana keli, ujedachya varhe Pralhad Keshav Atre, a great writer and maat.”(p.186) critic, said that after reading her poems it (I got to know your secret; the darkness has seems that, “The future critics of literature conquered the vivid.) will compel to say that this poetry collection Though, she believed in God, she of Bahinabai – a treasure of ancient Marathi advocated practical life. She did not believe literature – has definitely enriched the in any kind of superstitions or religious modern Marathi literature.” This remark by dogmas. She says one cannot find God just such an eminent personality is an award in by clapping hands but could only get to itself. those rough hands of hardships. She did not She was born at the time when believe and rely on fate and fortune kind of cult was at its peak and Maharashtra was things. She says: flourishing with the abhangas and ovis of “Baapa, nako maaru thapa, aso kharya the great saint-poets like Tukaram, Namdev, aso khotya; and Janabai. Bahinabai became the disciple Nahi nashib nashib tayahatachya of Saint Tukaram and firmly believed in the reghotya.”(p.131) existence of God. She advices not to try to (Oh, Astrologer! Don‟t lie oh liar, may it find God in temple or anywhere else as he is be true, or false, fate does not remain in in your own eyes, heart and soul. He is there the lines of palm.) where you look with your heart. She aptly She further says that: “Nako nako re jyotisha, asa haath maja explains the existence of God as: pahu; “Dev kuthe, Dev kuthe? Tujhya bubuya Majha daiva mala kaye, majya daari majhar; nako yeu.”(p.131) Dev kuthe, Dev kuthe, abhayachya (Oh! Astrologer, don‟t read my palm, I aarpaar.”(p.186) know my own fate, don‟t come at my gate (Where is God, Where is God? In your eyes; again.) Where is God, Where is God, Beyond the When her husband passed away she skies.) was 30 years. At that time when people She further says; came for condolence, instead of crying, she “Are Devache darshan, Zale zale apsuk, said that though the bindi or the kumkum Hiridat surya baapa, daavi arupache has vanished and her bangles are broken, rupa.”(pg.113) there is strength in her wrist. This shows her modern and extraordinary thoughts in her

Volume I Issue II: December 2013 (66) Editor-In-Chief: Prof. K.N. Shelke www.research-chronicler.com Research Chronicler ISSN 2347 – 503X International Multidisciplinary Research Journal ordinary and simple life. Being a woman she a daughter which is the symbol of Goddess did not show her dependency on her of life. As life flourishes and gets birth only husband. Instead she carried all the through a woman. As the soil in the farm responsibility of her family on her shoulders that gives birth to plants, and sweet fruits are and faced her remaining life strongly and reaped later same as the girl child and later a courageously. Such a great philosopher and woman is the source of giving birth to life guide of the common people knew the and is the only source of happiness, and grievances especially of women. She hence her birth should be celebrated. She advocated duty towards family along with herself wishes to get a girl child. This shows devotion. that she advocated a girl child in those days P.L. Deshpande, a prolific writer of and considered no difference between a boy Marathi literature rightly said that and a girl child. This shows her human Bahinabai‟s ovis are like farm of Basil touch and her modern thoughts. plants and she has given butter of life‟s She knew the heart of woman through philosophy on the bread. her heart. She knew the importance of a Through her poems we can also find woman‟s parental home („Maher‟ in women‟s social life of her age. In those days Marathi) and she knew how dear it was to women were illiterate and household work her. She says that the way towards her and farm was her only world in which she maternal mansion is very hard; she has to had to cope-up with the in-laws. The outer tread barefooted to reach there. On her way world was ignorant to them. She could she gets hurt with sharp stones but the stones hardly visit her mother‟s place which was towards her mother‟s place get converted the only place where she could tell her into flowers. Such is the significance of her feelings and grievances. It was the age when Maher. She says: a son was considered as the source of “Lekichya maherasathi, maay saasri continuation of hierarchy and a matter of nandate.” (pg. 154) pride, but she indirectly indicated the (It means the mother abides in her in-laws importance of a daughter or a girl child by only to create parental mansion for her saying the following lines; daughter.) “Are lagale dohaye, sange shetatli She tells the significance of „Maher‟ for maati, women in following words; gaate maherache gaane, lek yeil re “Majya maherachya vaate, jari aale poti.”(pg.104) paayi phod; (It means that she is getting an intuition and Paaya chalale chalale; ashi maherachi even the soil in the farm is telling that she is odh.” (pg.118) going to get a girl child and she is happy (It means that even her legs get boils while singing the maternal song.) walking towards her parental mansion, she does not feel any pains and get tired, such is This shows that Bahinabai along with her affection towards her Maher.) the nature i.e. the soil tells the importance of

Volume I Issue II: December 2013 (67) Editor-In-Chief: Prof. K.N. Shelke www.research-chronicler.com Research Chronicler ISSN 2347 – 503X International Multidisciplinary Research Journal

So sentimental and tender thoughts philosophy. She explores the universal love touch our hearts and provoke us to of Earth and how she can fill the stomach or retrospect on the social life of women in satisfy the hunger of the whole world. It can those days. Such is her attraction and love be compared to a woman‟s love. and so is of all women. She also teaches the She says; common women the philosophy of life “Ashi dharitrichi maya, are tila nahi through common examples of married life, seema, as the married life itself is the whole world duniyache sarva pota, tichyamadhi zale for a common Indian woman. jama.”(pg.105) Hence, in her famous poem „Sansar‟ She is not only aware of the physical and the (World or married life) she succinctly outer life but she is also very sensational and explains what life is through this ingenious emotional about psychological status. She example: sings about how one‟s heart, soul or mind is „Are sansar sansar, jasa tava chulyavar and praises that how God has made such a Adhi hatala chatake, Tevha milte trivial thing in her famous poem, „Man bhakar.‟(pg.121) Vadhay, Vadhay‟. She talks about how a (Ugh! This married life! It‟s like a pan on person‟s mind is like an animal in the farm, the hearth; first it scalds the hands, and then you cast it away a lot of times but it comes you get the bread.) back again. She puts it in these words: She further says: “Man vadhay, vadhay, ubhya pikatla “Dekha sansar sansar, sheng vartun kate; dhor; Are vartun kate, madhi chikne Kiti hakala, hakala, Phiri yet pikavar.” sagargote.”(p.121) (p.128) (Oh, this married life is just a nut, covered (Mind is fickle, like the animal in a crop; the with thorns. But the thorns are only on the more you cast it away; it turns back again to outer side, inside it is like the smooth it.) stones.) She also says that mind is unpredictable; This shows how she explains the nobody can catch it; it flows along with the importance of the married life which drift of the wind. She compares mind with indirectly has compared with this worldly bird and says that sometimes mind is so life in a very simple and local language and small like Popeye seeds and sometimes it is that too in minimum words, embellished so big that it cannot even fit in the sky in with day-to-day examples. She could render following words; life‟s complex philosophy in a simplified “Man evadha evadha, jasa khaksacha way. She wants to explain that initially one dana , has to struggle and then only one can reap Man kevdha kevadha, abhayat bi sweet fruits of life. This is applicable in all mayena .”(pg.128) situations. This shows her keen observations While praising the qualities of mind she towards life and her strong base of also focuses on the grey side of mind.

Volume I Issue II: December 2013 (68) Editor-In-Chief: Prof. K.N. Shelke www.research-chronicler.com Research Chronicler ISSN 2347 – 503X International Multidisciplinary Research Journal

She says that; print capitalism and the western education “Man jahyari jahyari, tyache nyare re tantar‟, on gave birth to new kind Are ichu saap bara tyale utare mantara.” of Marathi which did not exist earlier. The (p.128) birth of a new nation was actually a birth of This means that, this cheerful mind a new language. Marathi poetry of this sometimes becomes so cruel or toxic like period, as characterized by the poetry of poisonous snake that even the poison of the Keshavsuta (1866-1905) and Balakavi scorpion has remedy of or (1890-1918) is reformist, idealist, and medicines (may be herbal) but for the poison influenced by the Anglo American of mind there is no remedy at all. In this way romanticism. The exception to this paradigm very skillfully Bahinabai explains the was the poetry of Bahinabai Chaoudhari qualities of mind. She meant that there is no (1807-1882), an illiterate genius whose way or any solution for a contaminated mind brilliant works were unavailable to the to get purified. community‟ as they were orally composed, and hence outside of the print-capitalism of She also wrote abhangas in praise of literary culture of the time.”(Blog. Satish Lord Vitthala. She also praised the Ketkar) sect who takes the palanquins of Saint Tukaram and Dnyaneshwar to Pandharpur Hence, we can call Bahinabai as a without bothering rain, wind, and sun. Nightingale of Maharashtra. She is not much known to people except her few beautiful She praises Saint Tukaram‟s abhangas in and famous songs. The motive of this paper following words; is to recall and praise this great poetess who “Tayakaryacha jamava dangala, taught the philosophy of life to the common dangala people, though she herself was illiterate. She Tukaramacha abhanga rangala, is not less than the eminent English poets rangala.”(p.182) like William Wordsworth, Robert Frost, She is of the view that one has to go Coleridge and other great poets who along with these palanquins at least once as rendered the life‟s philosophy through the there is nothing beyond this in life. She also significance of nature. She was illiterate and praises Saint Muktabai, sister of Great Saint still could understand life‟s philosophy and Dnyaneshwar. This shows that she had a nature so well and expressed it in a very apt versatile genius and she could think very manner in minimum of words. Reading all wisely on every aspect. She had such an her poems shows that she is very optimistic excellence of thoughts and their best ways towards life and simplifies it‟s complexities of emission, which is beyond imagination. in humorous ways. Her poems always emits She had all the qualities of a prolific writer life‟s message very positively and in a very but unfortunately she couldn‟t reach the playful and skillful way. I think this was her print media during her life time and hence strong point. Her poems like „Nahi Diya remained unknown to the world. Satish Madhe Tel‟, Anagondi Karbhar‟, Ketkar rightly says that “The impact of the „Yedimay‟, etc. shows her humor. She could

Volume I Issue II: December 2013 (69) Editor-In-Chief: Prof. K.N. Shelke www.research-chronicler.com Research Chronicler ISSN 2347 – 503X International Multidisciplinary Research Journal feel the grievances of poor and common of us unknowingly while reading the poems people and especially of women in India. and create the desired effect on the readers. She could adroitly incorporate in them her Her keen observation makes her characters teachings through her songs. She has taught live in front of our eyes. The characters in to respect nature and make it your mentor. her poems are common people from village. She was very practical minded and very She uttered everything relevant to the flow positive about life. About God she says that of life. Hence, her poems are also very one cannot find God by just praising and natural and innocent like nature. applauding him but one has to work hard She seems to be a very accomplished and find his God in that work. poetess with modern thoughts and wisdom Although, she was illiterate she knew the of humanity. As Hon. Atre rightly said after significance of literacy. She says, reading her poems that “It is really a 24 “Manasapari manus rahto yeda carat pure gold (Bavankashi Sone) and to jana; hide it from Maharashtra is a sin.” (P. 8). Are hoto chapisani, kora kagad Such a prominent poetess talked about shahana.”(p. 20) various themes and concepts. She talked This means that a blank paper also gets about life‟s philosophy. She can also be literate after getting printed but a man called as a Philosopher of Maharashtra. She remains illiterate. was a very ardent admirer of nature and a Her usage of vocabulary is very perfect devotional poetess too. Modernity also and appropriate. She always used lucid and reflects in her poems very strongly. This simple language. The flow of her thoughts shows that she was a multi-faceted poetess was like a boat sailing on soft waves of and hence can be called as a multi- water reaching very smoothly to its bank. In dimensional personality. Bahinabai and her the same way it seems that her poems have poems show the roots towards modernism. the ability to reach the readers heart and Such a genius personality and her wisdom mind very smoothly but effectively. The were camouflaged like rust on the metal. But imagery used by her is very symbolic. The it has to get polished again to shine brightly. images are so factual that they stand in front

References: 1. „Bahinaichi Gaani‟, Bahinabai Chaudhari,( 2010) Suchitra Publications, Andheri (w) , Mumbai. 2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bahinabai_Chaudhari 3. http://www.poemhunter.com/i/ebooks/pdf/bahinabai_chaudhari_2012_9.pdf 4. http://www.poemhunter.com/robert-frost/biography. 5. http://www.poemhunter.com/williamwordsworth/biography 6. http://sachinketkar.blogspot.in/2011/02/inventing-third-nation-brief-history-of.html

Volume I Issue II: December 2013 (70) Editor-In-Chief: Prof. K.N. Shelke