This collection of ten short stories by Saratchandra Chattopadhyay (1876–1938), an icon of the Bengal Renaissance, examines the effects of family, caste, the patriarchal nature of society, superstitions and customs, and poverty. In these stories, the author skewers the caste system, revealing its underlying hypocrisy and cruelty.
‘Light and Shadow’–that is how a widow, Shuroma, and her protector, Joggodawtto, refer to each other. Their mutually satisfactory, playful but platonic relationship, however, cannot resist the inexorable force of society’s reprobation. So Shuroma decides to find a suitable bride for Joggodawtto. However, the introduction of this third person, an orphan girl, only results in the slow unravelling of all three relationships.
In ‘Ram’s Judgement’, 15-year-old Ramlal is a hyperactive child with a talent for causing mayhem, and his only champion is Narayani, a patient, long-suffering, dutiful yet quietly assertive woman. When her mother arrives to make her home with them, the clashes between these two strong personalities result in so much strife that the family members are forced to take sides.
‘The Temple’ brings together two disparate characters, Aparna and Shaktinath. Aparna is the daughter of a zamindar whose days are spent in prayers and rituals. On her husband’s death, she returns to her father’s village and resumes management of the temple. This brings her into contact with Shaktinath, the son of the old priest. As their relationship evolves, she comes to realize that in her zeal for divine love, she has neglected to understand and appreciate human love.
A couple of the stories in this collection relate to superstitions: ‘A Day Fifty Years Ago’ tells the tale of a formative episode in the life of a Brahmin child who goes on a journey with a family friend to sell a cow. ‘The Kidnappers’ uses as its foundation a macabre belief that three boys need to be sacrificed before a bridge can be built over a river.
In ‘Abhagi’ and ‘Mahesh’, Saratchandra exposes the relentlessness and rigidity of the caste system. Abhagi, a lower-caste, downtrodden woman, watches with wonder and awe the funeral procession of a Brahmin woman and wants to be cremated too. At her death, her heartbroken son tries to arrange such a funeral for her but comes up against the implacable forces of hierarchy and poverty. Mahesh is a starving ox, kept alive at enormous personal cost by Gofur, a Muslim weaver, and his daughter, Amina. Drought, poverty and illness take their toll, but it is their status as outcasts and the hypocrisy and inhumanity of the upper castes (professing their love for the ‘holy’ cow but in reality unwilling to provide for it) that ultimately proves their undoing.
In some of these stories, the upper-caste protagonists come face-to-face with their privileges and realize that grave injustice is being inflicted on the lower castes. Apurbo, a Brahmin, returns to his village after completing his studies, full of ideas of the greatness of Hinduism. Under his influence, his peers and friends, who had previously adopted a more modern appearance and outlook, begin terrorizing the villagers in their quest to spread Hinduism. Apurbo goes to Ekadoshi Boirogi, a moneylender, to ask for a subscription for their local library. His interactions with Ekadoshi and his Brahmin assistant open Apurbo’s eyes to the truth of a person’s real character.
An orphan Horichoron grows up in the house of Ramdas. A favourite with the whole family, he becomes the personal manservant of Ramdas’s son, Durgadas. A minor slip-up on Horichoron’s part earns him a disproportionate punishment from Durgadas, but Horichoron’s loyalty and love stand the test of time.
In ‘Horilokkhi’, Shibchoron and Bipin are brothers, the former rich and the latter poor. Shibchoron marries a second time and brings home his young bride, Horilokkhi. She is well provided for and enjoys a luxurious life, the only thorn in her side being her sister-in-law Mejo, who is respectful, but does not grovel or attempt to flatter her. Hurt and jealous of Mejo’s dignity and intellect, Horilokkhi tries to assert her dominance but comes to repent of her actions.
Saratchandra Chattopadhyay is one of the most translated Indian authors of all time. This new translation offers a fresh, contemporary perspective and may thus bring him to the attention of a younger and wider audience.
Madhavi Sethupathi is Senior Managing Editor with Orient BlackSwan, India. A lifelong bibliophile, she is also interested in art, music, dance and travel.