Devdas and other Stories

Sarat Chandra Chatterjee

Description

The classic, heart-touching story of unrequited love of a man's fall from grace and his tragic end offers an insightful and compassionate portral of men and women in love. Devdas, written in early decades of the twentieth century, still captivates readers, and has been filmed several times - a testament to endurance and class. One of Sarat Chandra Chatterjee's finest novels, it reveals the best there is in Indian romantic literature. The abridged translation of Devdas, Srikanta and six of Sarat Chandra's short stories brings to English readers a careful selection of writer's best.

Sujets

• Lettres et linguistique
• Contemporary history
• Biography
• Famous
• Rich
• Contemporary
• Autobiography
• Classic
• Romance
• Love
• India
• Devdas

Informations

• Publié par: Roli Books
• Date de parution: 01 avril 2005
• Nombre de lectures: 2
• EAN13: 9788174369321
• Langue: English

Extrait

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To the memory of my beloved wife Indumati

Lotus Collection

© V.S. Naravane, 1996

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission of the publisher.

This edition published in 2013

The Lotus Collection An imprint of Roli Books Pvt. Ltd M-75, Greater Kailash II Market, New Delhi 110 048 Phone: ++91 (011) 40682000 Fax: ++91 (011) 2921 7185 E-mail: [e-mail] Website: www.rolibooks.com Also at Bengaluru, Chennai, & Mumbai

Layout: Sanjeev Mathpal
Cover design: Bonita Vaz-Shimray
Production: Shaji Sahadevan

ISBN: 978-81-7436-928-4

Contents

Preface
Introduction
Devdas
Srikanta (Part One)
Anupama’s Love
Mahesh
The Devoted Wife
The Picture
The Temple
Light out of Darkness
A Note on the Translator


Preface

Sarat Chandra Chatterjee (1876-1938) has been recognized by historians of modern Indian culture as one of the most important figures in twentieth century Indian literature, particularly in the field of fiction. Yet, his writings remain largely inaccessible to the English reader, though they have been translated adequately into several Indian languages. Many of the stories in this volume are being presented in English for the first time.
I have selected for this volume, two novels and six stories from the collected works of Sarat Chandra in Bengali published from Calcutta by the Sarat Samiti in 1976. While remaining as close as possible to the Bengali text, I have been constantly on guard against the artificiality that can result if the translation is too literal.
I cannot conclude this preface without expressing my gratitude to my English teachers at the University of Allahabad, Professor Amaranatha Jha and Professor Satish Chandra Deb. Had they been alive, I would have profited immensely from their guidance and advice in preparing this volume. Through their inspiring lectures they inculcated in me an abiding love for literature. Both of them admired Sarat Chandra and encouraged me to study Bengali. Even more than their classroom lectures, I cherish memories of informal conversations with them when they made insightful comments on Indian and Western literature. It is difficult for me to convey adequately my indebtedness to those great teachers.
Vishwanath S. Naravane


Introduction

When Sarat Chandra Chatterjee’s first major work, Baradidi (The Eldest Sister), was published in the journal Bharati in 1907, there was a sensation in the world of Bengali literature. Readers and critics assumed that the short novel must have been published by Rabindranath Tagore under a pseudonym. It seemed inconceivable that anyone else, and particularly an unknown writer, could attain the level of literary excellence which Sarat Chandra’s work revealed. Tagore’s publishers, and some of his close friends, were in fact a bit hurt that he should have come out with such an important work without telling them about it.
But when the poet repeatedly disavowed authorship of the novelette, there was a scramble among editors of prestigious magazines for getting more stories by the writer who had established himself, so to say, with a single stroke of the pen. The author was, however, staying in far-off Rangoon. Novels and stories followed in quick succession. They were published from Calcutta. His popularity soared with every new publication. He was hailed as a great literary genius. There were some critics who went to the extent of saying that in the field of fiction, Sarat Chandra Chatterjee had equalled Tagore and had even surpassed him in some aspects. Whether or not we accept this judgement, it cannot be denied that Sarat Chandra’s writings generated a unique kind of enthusiasm, particularly among young readers.
I would like to explore in brief the reasons for this popularity. One of the first things that strikes us is that Sarat Chandra is one of those writers with whom we develop a deep sense of personal involvement. In our youth, when we are sensitive to the pathos and tragedy of human life and still have faith in humanity, characters from Sarat Chandra’s stories and novels seem to speak the language of our own hearts.
His writings are not for the shallow optimist who shuts his eyes to the dark side of life. But I am equally convinced that the cynic or the nihilist will not feel comfortable with him either. He appeals to the sentimentalist who lurks within each of us. We are indignant at the tyranny of tradition, we recoil from superstition and religious bigotry, we are baffled by the strange ways of destiny, we are touched by the tenderness of love and devotion. And then we meet the women and men created by Sarat Chandra. They intensify our sense of the tragic, they enrich our appreciation of the good and the beautiful, they deepen our awareness of the mysterious and the unpredictable elements in life.
We get unexpected glimpses of wisdom and altruism even in those characters who are ostracized, ridiculed and condemned by society – the tramps, waifs, vagabonds, libertines, pimps, Jezebels and cheats. They seem to say to us: ‘We are not altogether bad. We, too, can be generous, loyal and affectionate. Come, spend some time with us. We will show you many interesting things that may surprise you.’
As Sarat Chandra’s appeal is so deeply personal, I would like to mention my own introduction to this great writer. In the summer of 1938, when I joined the University of Allahabad as an undergraduate student, enthusiasm for Sarat Chandra’s writings had reached its zenith. The author had died a few months earlier. Shortly before his death, his short novel, Devdas, had been made into a movie by New Theatres of Calcutta. The author saw the Bengali version and liked it very much. He could not see the Hindi version. But he had heard and was deeply moved by the golden voice of Kundan Lal Saigal, who was to play the leading character. Brilliantly directed by Pramathesha Barua, the Hindi version of Devdas stirred audiences all over India and made Sarat Chandra Chatterjee a household name. Saigal’s fine, expressive voice and sensitive acting enabled him to communicate all the pathos of Devdas ’ unrequited love and his tragic end.
So deep was the impression made by Sarat’s other stories and novels such as Grihadaha, Kashinath and Charitraheen, that there was a strong urge to learn Bengali. Very soon I became proficient in that language and, along with some friends, read Sarat Chandra’s works in the original. Indirectly, it also helped us realize the richness of India’s literary heritage and we turned towards other modern Indian writers in regional languages. Thus, Sarat Chandra became a catalyst for an entire generation of young readers.
To understand the value of Sarat Chandra’s influence, it should be remembered that in those days students of literature in Indian universities were expected to concentrate on English writers, or European writers whose works were available in English translations. I must confess that I was more familiar with characters created by Tolstoy, Turgenev, Balzac, Hugo, Dostoevesky and Anatole France than with the men and women depicted in the works of outstanding Indian writers. In such a situation, where our educational priorities were so one-sided, the discovery of Sarat Chandra Chatterjee was extremely important for us.
II
Why is it that Sarat Chandra’s writings grip the reader’s mind with such immediacy and power? One of the reasons is his consistent championship of the underdog. The oppressed find in him a natural ally. The peasant who has to toil from dawn to dusk so that the landlord may loll in luxury; the Hindu widow whose life is one vast desert of despair; the orphan starving for food and love—these and other victims of circumstance are portrayed in Sarat’s works with a rare compassion. It is extended to those who are weak-willed, or who suffer through lack of courage, or those who are driven to their doom through inertia or inability to overcome temptation.
Sarat Chandra does not evaluate the worth of an individual in terms of categorical imperatives. He makes allowances for human frailty and fallibility. In every story we seem to hear the author plead that moral judgements should be tempered by human concern.
Sarat Chandra has been rightly