ON WOMEN

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Do you remember Ghare Baire and the strong women characters we had?

Do you think the role of Women changed in today's literature and society?

Police trying to through Susila Samanta’s only son into fire – But she didn’t reveal the hideout of the freedom fighters.  (1)

 

Literature in Bengal have always portrayed women as strong.

Take for example Devi Choudhurani by BankiimChandra Chatterji. The protagonist Prafulla is asked- "Can a queen become a mere daughter-in-law, an obedient wife, and a simple home maker?" 

Prafulla replies, "Yes, she can. That's where a woman truly finds her fulfilment. This is a station that is more difficult than being a queen or an ascetic."

Prafulla or Devi Choudhurani  illustrates the idea that Bengali women can become a queen of dacoits who would lead a rebellion against British, yet she can be a loving mother an obedient house wife and a homemaker.

The life of Leela Majumdar reflected the ethos. She was a successful Bengali writer. Her oeuvre includes 125 books including a collection of short stories, five books under joint authorship, 9 translated books and 19 edited books. She was married to Sudhir Kumar Mazumdar renowned dentist, in 1933. Yet for two decades she devoted herself to housekeeping and found fulfilment in it.

In real life too Bengali women were lioness and kind mothers, obedient housewives at the same time.

Rani Rashmoni, being very pious from childhood, continued to lead an extremely religious and austere life, befitting a widow in  Bengali Hindu society. Yet this Hindu widow had the courage to take on the mighty British. The Rani and her clashes with the British in India became household tales in her time. By blocking the shipping trade on a part of Ganges she compelled the British to abolish the tax imposed on fishing in the river, which threatened the livelihood of poor fishermen.


The works of Ashapoorana Devi   showed the struggle of a strong women with society. However it was not a rejection of social mores. Nor were they feminist argument against society. Maheswata Devi's women were potrayed as  struggling against society devided on class and they too did not reject motherhood or the role of housewife.

The hungry generation movement broke all moral barriers in Bengali Literature. Feminism (a radical idea that women are victims) too slowly spread its wings in Bengal. Bengal saw a new breed of writers who wrote novels centered on strong women.

However they set into motion a dangerous development in bengali literature.

Financially independent women, debauched women, women who have relieved themselves of traditional Gender roles as mothers, housewives have been portrayed as strong in recent times.

The whole definition of what is strong feminine character has changed over the years.

Take for example Taslima Nasreen.The literature of Taslima Nasreen is certainly not a voice of introspection or a voice of humanism. The details in her literature is designed to cause titillation in her readers with lascivious and shocking details, the content of which should actually find place in pornographic books. Because it is not any literary ability but the ability to shock that is the capital on which Taslima Nasreen had built her wealth and fame. What she has done is to transgress the norms of expression and representation that are part of Bengali bhadralok tradition.

This is truly an unfortunate development in Bengali literature and has become a trend now.

Reference:-

(1) http://www.midnapore.in/women_of_midnapore/Women-of-Midnapore-in-Indian-Freedom-Struggle.html