http//:daathvoyagejournal.com Editor: Saikat Banerjee Department of English Dr. K.N. Modi University, Newai, Rajasthan, India. : An International Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies in English ISSN 2455-7544 www.daathvoyagejournal.com Vol.2, No.1, March, 2017 A Journey: From Nostohnirh to Charulata Shubhendu Shekhar Naskar Assistant Professor Department of English Basirhat College Email- [email protected] Abstract: Rabindranath Tagore and Satyajit Ray are two high-flying names in the sky of art, culture and literature. They have glorified Bengal as well as India in the sphere of whole universe. Tagore wrote many legendary novels which were later taken as the scripts of Indian films. Such an epoch making novel of Tagore was Nostonirh (The Broken Nest) which was transformed into a film in the hand of renowned director, Satyajit Ray. Ray not only took the story, he also mixed the plot with his imagination. This compilation leads the novel to become almost a similar famous film in Bengali, ‘Charulata’. My article will try to highlight this artistic approach of Ray along with his adoption of the novel. Key words: Tagore, Ray, Nostonirh, Charulata, Bhupati, Amal. Rabindranath Tagore's stories exemplify his remarkable abilities to enter into the complexities of human relationships profoundly. Within the seemingly simple plots, he could explore the psychological aspects of his characters properly. They seem to be the true representatives of their time. As a result they bring out the sociological aspects of the then Bengali society. In his highly acclaimed novel Nostonirh (The Broken Nest), Tagore simply portrays with extraordinary compassion and lyricism the predicament of women in traditional Bengali contexts, through the loneliness of an intelligent, beautiful woman who is neglected by her husband. The story of the novel instantly takes us back to 1879 Calcutta to show the inherent seed of India’s early freedom movement for independence. It also vividly presents the Vol.2, No.1 March, 2017 Page 42 : An International Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies in English ISSN 2455-7544 www.daathvoyagejournal.com Vol.2, No.1, March, 2017 restrictions which were placed on women education and also on the educated Indian women. It seems Victorian England but instead it is Victorian India in which a neglected wife, through her self-awareness, begins to perceive the futility of a male dominated society which is a hollow facade of beards, braces and boredom. There is a controversy regarding the storyline of the novel. The story seems to have an autobiographical affinity with the novelist as it tends to reflect Tagore’s own personal experiences. During his adulthood, Tagore and Kadambari Devi, his older brother Jyotirindranath’s child bride, were very much fond of each other. Rabindranath was twelve years younger than Jyotirindranath, but he was only two years younger than his sister-in-law, Kadambari Devi. They two youngsters used to spend a lot of time together and became close companions with common interests in poetry and art. After few days Rabindranath had an arranged marriage with Mrinalini Devi at the age of twenty three. Shortly after their marriage Kadambari Devi committed suicide, and it has always been assumed that her close relationship with young Rabi lead to this tragic incident. This novel has been interpreted in various perspectives but it has been given the stature of an art form from merely an entertaining piece when Satyajit Ray, an Indian filmmaker who is regarded as one of the greatest pioneers of world cinema, attempted to transform the book to a film. He has transformed Nostonirh into Charulata, the character who is the epicentre of Nostonirh. Charulata is often rated as Ray’s one of the finest films. Even he himself mentioned it as his own personal favourite: “It’s the one with the fewest flaws”. Certainly it is one of Ray’s most polished and aesthetically ambitious efforts. It is with this film that Ray fully asserted his own personal artistic dominance. He wrote the script and storyboards, composed the main musical themes, helped in designing the sets, and for the first time personally took over control of the camera. Tagore’s Nostonirh was published in 1901 and Ray’s Charulata was released in 1964. The difference is more than 50 years and so, the transformed ‘Charulata’ has several Vol.2, No.1 March, 2017 Page 43 : An International Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies in English ISSN 2455-7544 www.daathvoyagejournal.com Vol.2, No.1, March, 2017 interesting thematic layers that make the film much more than culture-bound love story. One obvious theme, which attracts the most discussion about, is an exquisitely rendered tale of female empowerment as well as a fascinating fable about the bequest of Empire in India. To what extent were educated Indian women expected to conform to a restricted domestic role? And to what extent intellectual independence of the women was to be encouraged? Charulata’s intellectual development in the story directly relates to these questions. Tagore shows us the loneliness and sluggishness of Charu through his artistic words but Ray through the visual elegance and fluidity shows us Charu, trapped in the stuffy, brocaded cage of her house, trying to amuse herself. This is immediately evident in the long, all-but-wordless sequence. Where-as Tagore introduces the story with the busy life of Bhupati, his ponderings over his newspaper and political affair, Ray opens with Charu embroidering a wreathed ‘B’ on a handkerchief as a gift for her husband. Calling the servant to serve Bhupati his tea, she leafs through a book lying on the bed. She discards the book and selects another from the bookshelf. But, when she hears noises outside in the street, she takes her opera glasses all of a sudden. And like a bird Charu flies from window to window, watching the passersby. She finds a street musician with his monkey, a chanting group of porters trotting with a palanquin, a portly Brahmin with his black umbrella. Ray uses a visual motif here. Showing Charulata looking at the world through her opera glasses Ray actually here wants to present her confinement. She may need to do this on account of near- sightedness, but the opera-glasses symbolize Charulata’s non-involvement with the world. She is only a spectator. When Bhupati wanders past, barely a couple of feet away from her but too engrossed in a book to notice her. Now, she turns her glasses on him who seems to be a just another strange specimen from the intriguing, unattainable outside world to her. The scene also hints at the distance between this couple. Bhupati is a decent and ethical man. He tries to follow the rules. He strives for a world in which justice prevails and the common good thrives. His concerns centre round how to build a world that achieves these aims. By deliberately and rigorously following such Vol.2, No.1 March, 2017 Page 44 : An International Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies in English ISSN 2455-7544 www.daathvoyagejournal.com Vol.2, No.1, March, 2017 a path, he believes that a progression towards a better world can be achieved. He is totally engrossed in his own world. Later on becoming vaguely aware of Charu’s discontent and fearing she may be lonely, he invites her ne’er-do-well brother Umapada and his wife, Mandakini, to stay with them. He recruits Umapada as manager of his newspaper, the Sentinel’s finances. Manda, a featherheaded chatterbox, proves poor company for her sister- in-law. Then, there comes the breakthrough. Ray presents a sudden rainstorm which is symbolic enough. Because, accompanying the storm, a human appears in the scene. It is the cousin brother of Bhupati, Amal. He is of twenty three years old and a person full of enthusiasm. He arrives at Bhupati’s place for an extended stay, just finishing his college studies. His interests are not in practical affairs, but in poetry and literature. He shares his interest with Charulata who is also fond of arts. Here the contrast between Bhupati and Amal is striking. Bhupati is orderly, logical, and methodical. He is interested in the practical problems of the modern Indian society. Amal, on the other hand, is a free spirit interested in the eternal mysteries of life and art. The next phase concerns the deepening relationship between Amal and Charulata. Amal has been tasked by Bhupati to relieve his wife’s boredom by encouraging her literary interests. In the early scenes, Amal appears rather to be self-obsessed and given to theatrical poetry recitations and song recitals. But when they together go out into the estate garden, the richness of nature seems to open up their horizons. Charulata spends her time joyously swinging on a swing hanging from a garden tree, while Amal lies on his back nearby trying to dream up inspired verse worthy of his ambitions. Ray makes this garden scene most intimately lyrical. It is the first time the action has escaped from the confinement of the house, and the sense of freedom and release is infectious. In the novel, garden scene occurs several times as they use to visit the garden frequently but Ray in his film presented all the garden episodes almost together to give the Vol.2, No.1 March, 2017 Page 45 : An International Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies in English ISSN 2455-7544 www.daathvoyagejournal.com Vol.2, No.1, March, 2017 impression of a single, continuous event, a seamless emotional crescendo. Among these episodes two moments in particular attain a level of rapt intensity rarely equaled in Ray’s work, both underscored by music. The first is when Charu, having just exhorted Amal to write, swings back and forth, singing softly; Ray’s camera swings with her, holding her face in close-up, for nearly a minute.