Few days ago in Daily Schedule of Department
of English, Veer has given a review of a short story “The Postmaster” by Rabindranath Tagore.
Here is the blog
link of his review: click here
The story was interesting and I thought that I
should also read one of his books, and from the library of Department of English I have found a play “Chitra” by Rabindranath
Tagore. It is a very thin book with few pages, after reading, I have given
my interpretations.
The
first scene of the play is, Chitra's prayer to Madana and Vasanta by telling her
story that how she was born as female but brought up like a male, and now she is
in love with Arjuna and needs beauty so she can convince Arjuna to marry him,
but dialogues between Chitra and Madana are interesting in Act-1 such as,
Chitra: I know no
feminine wiles for winning hearts. My hands are strong to bent bow, but I have
never learnt Cupid’s archery, the play of eyes.
Chitra wants to win
the heart of Arjuna by “feminine wiles” and “play of eyes” and further she
speaks,
“Now teach me thy
lessons; give me the power of the weak and the weapon of the unarmed hand”
When
we read “the power of the weak”, we find it very strange that Chitra was very
strong and powerful but she wanted the power of weak, on one hand she wanted to become a pure woman but on the other hand her views regarding women is very problematic
and unacceptable. Her unarmed “weapons” were beauty, feminine wiles and play of
eyes just to seduce a man!
The
perspective of Chitra towards women and her beauty has changed when she experienced
that beauty, she come to know that it is not everything she really wanted. In scene 3 she requested Madana to take his boon
back because for her the real Chitra was a woman with manly qualities and this
beautiful body was just an object of attraction.
When
Arjuna came to know about princess Chitra from villagers and heard the stories
of her heroic deeds, he was desperate to see Chitra who was the saviour and
hero of villager. In scene 8 when Arjuna shows his curiosity to know about
Chitra by saying that she is a man in valour and a woman tenderness, she replies
him that,
“That, indeed, is her
greatest misfortune. When a woman is merely a woman; when she winds herself
round and round men’s heart with her smiles and sobs and services and caressing
endearments; then she is happy. Of what use to her are learning and great
achievements?”
At the end of a boon year, Chitra was again in her
original body and look, now she was complete and Arjuna’s babe was in her womb.
After knowing the truth Arjuna at last said,
“Beloved, my life is
full”
He accepts the
truth and leaves the physical attraction behind.
The play
can be finished in one sitting and have a delight of its reading. It gives us
pleasure with its language and also makes us think about the psychological
condition of a woman who is physically strong like man. It also gives a sense
that how appearance and beauty matters in our life, how materialistic things
are more important. After the reading we can observe that beauty is like flower
which has a life of one day only but soul is eternal. I would like to conclude my blog with one line
from Arjuna’s dialogue,
“Illusion is the
first appearance of truth”
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