Title Significance of "The Home and The World"

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       This Blog is an Assignment of paper no.: 201-  Indian English Literature Pre-independence .In this assignment I am discussing Title significance of "The Home and The World". 

Personal Information 

Name:- Mansi B. Gujadiya

Roll Number:-12

Enrollment Number:-4069206420220013

Batch:-M.A SEM -3( 2022-23 )

Email ID:- mansigajjar10131@gmail.com

Paper Number:-201

Paper Code:-22406

Paper Name:-Indian English Literature Pre-independence

Submitted to:- English department MKBU

Topic:- Title Significance of "The Home and The World"

 Introduction 

The Home and the World could be read in more than one way, and through different interpretations. The Home and the World is a novel that reads like an allegory on the failure of the Indian nationalist projects,3 circling around the issues of “Home” versus “World,” tradition versus modernity, created by the active involvement of the colonisers in the cultural, economic and administrative life of the colonised. It could be read as an allegory on the failure of Indian nationalism to accept tradition and modernity, home and the world, concurrently. In addition, the novel offers an alternative nationalist project that could free India from its obsession with the colonising powers: true freedom of the nationalist imagination will be gained by going beyond every form of ideological prejudice and separation, and by synthesising every conceivable value that could be useful for the development and maintenance of the nation. And as a concrete example of his alternative nationalist project, Tagore founded Visva Bharati University in Santiniketan in 1921.

About the Poet

Rabindranath Tagore, widely regarded as one of the greatest poets in the world, was an overall genius whose contributions are spread through literature, music, art, and social reform. Born on .May 7, 1861, in Calcutta (now Kolkata), India, Tagore was a prolific writer who produced a vast body of work comprising poems, songs, plays, essays, and novels. His deep philosophical insights and lyrical expressions have earned him immense admiration, both in his homeland and globally.

As a child, Tagore displayed a keen interest in literature and was encouraged by his family to pursue his passion. He began writing poems at a young age and published his first collection of poetry, "Bhanusimha Thakurer Padabali," at 16. His poetry reflects a deep sensitivity to the world around him, encompassing themes of love, nature, spirituality, and the complexities of human emotions. His writing style is marked by a profound simplicity that captures the essence of his thoughts and feelings. In addition to his creative pursuits, Tagore was deeply engaged in social and political reform. He believed in the power of education and established an experimental school called .Santiniketan, which later became Visva-Bharati University. Tagore's vision of education emphasized the importance of freedom, creativity, and a broader understanding of the world.

About novel

The novel "The Home and the World" is written by a famous personality Rabindranath Tagore. It was initially written and published in Bengali in 1916 and later translated into English by Surendra Nath Tagore. The Bengali title of the novel is "Ghare Baire." This social and political novel is based on the different cultures of the society. The novel's central theme is love, the tradition of society, and nationalism. The novel is about the Swadeshi movement in Bengal, the partition of Bengal, east Bengal, and West Bengal in 1905. The Swadeshi movement was one of the large protests and movements of that time when British Colonial Rule controlled India. It played a significant role in the independence of India. The novel talks about the conflict between tradition and modernity and contains a detailed discussion of the love triangle between the characters present in the novel. Tagore discussed the tradition's personal and political aspects and offered a deep study of human emotions and the stress when a tradition experiences a sudden change in its legacy.

The story revolves around three main characters. Nikhil a progressive zamindar (landlord) who supports and follows Western ideals and encourages his wife, Bimala, to embrace her independence and mental growth. Bimala, a young and sheltered woman, finds herself ragged between her loyalty to her husband and her growing fascination with Sandeep, a charming and brave nationalist leader who fights for a radical and militant approach to the freedom movement. The psychological pain that Bimala goes through as she negotiates the complications of love, duty, and self-discovery is expertly portrayed by Tagore. The story explores issues of identity, gender roles, and the effects of personal decisions during political instability from her point of view. The characters must deal with their views and disagreements as the tale develops, which has dramatic and unexpected results. The Home and the World explores competing ideologies and the intensely human conflicts that result from societal change

Title significance 

The title of the book The Home and the World by Rabindranath Tagore can be interpreted at various levels. At one level it tells about the struggle of Bimala in choosing between her ‘home’ behind the purdah, the outside ‘world’ that her husband Nikhil has introduced her to. Moreover, Bimala is also torn between being a faithful wife of Nikhil who is her ‘home’, and Sandip her attraction and newly found love representing the outside ‘world’. At some deeper into the novel, however, the title symbolizes the two ideologies Bimala must choose between - Nikhil’s pragmatism that represents the ‘home’ and Sandip’s idealism that represents the ‘world’.

It is due to Nikhil’s exertion that Bimala crosses the threshold of her secluded, sheltered ‘zenana’existence behind the purdah and enters the outside world. Ironically, this crossing of the threshold coincides Sandip’s entrance into their lives; proving, as Nikhil observed, ‘if you will not go to the world, the world will come to you’. It was at the sight of Sandip that Bimala, drawn to his nationalistic fervour, makes the choice between staying inside her ‘home’ and meeting him in the outside ‘world’, and chooses the latter.

Smitten by Sandip's fiery speeches and his vision of her as the ‘Queen Bee’ as contrasted with her own husband Nikhil's ostensibly indifferent attitude towards the freedom struggle, Bimala finds herself increasingly attracted to Sandip. Nikhil is the man of her home; Sandip represents to her the outside world, not only because he is her link to the nation, her source of information to all that is happening outside her home in the country, but also because he is an outsider who embodies all the vitality and passion that she supposes the outside world to contain but that has been absent from her own domestic life. She emotionally trips, vacillates between Sandip and her husband, and decides to take side with Sandip until she returnes home bruised and humiliated but with a more mature understanding of both Nikhil, her Home, and Sandip, the World.

Through the love-triangle, Tagore explores the war between idealism and pragmatism inside Bimala’s mind and extends its sphere of influence to encompass the issues dividing India during those times of strife and struggle through the depiction of the revolution and the Swadeshi movement.

Nikhil, who was keen on social reform but repulsed by nationalism, gradually loses the esteem of his spirited wife, Bimala, because of his failure to be enthusiastic about anti-British agitations, which she sees as a lack of patriotic commitment. However, despite seeing clearly that she is unimpressed by his worldview, he refuses to compromise his principles and persists in his quiet belief in humanism over nationalism .This measured stance of her husband towards politics fails to win Bimala’s approval.

Unconvinced by this non-flamboyant, practical approach towards freedom and fascinated by the illusive utopia presented to her by Sandip, Bimala is torn between the two extremes. Her choice stands between the inclusive humanism practiced in her Home and the militant nationalism followed by the World. She wavers towards the latter, taken in by the goddess image Sandip created of her and the power he seems to impart in her every time he speaks. But in the end, when Sandip isexposed, her dreams are shattered and reality strike and she comes back to her husband “hesitatingly, barefoot, with a white shawl over her head”, back to the ‘home’ she has abandoned and neglected.

It is well known that Tagore, after a brief dip into the Swadeshi movement, became disillusioned with nationalism and condemned it on the grounds that ardent nationalism, in the process of uniting all Hindus, would end up alienating other religions and nationalities and promoting hatred and exclusivity that would break the country apart and destroy people’s humanism. In that context, the title of the novel can be interpreted as an appeal to strive towards global unity and shun the politics of nationalism. There are several plot points in the novel – such as the harassment of Miss Gilby, and the alienation and consequent uprising of the Muslim traders - that can be considered evidence of this. Thus, through Nikhil, who was Tagore’s spokesperson and his counterpart in many ways, Tagore tried to explain his dream of his ‘home’ coexisting in harmony and mutual friendship with the ‘world’.

Conclusion

The Home and the World, written by Rabindranath Tagore, ends with a heartfelt conclusion that makes us think deeply about love, loyalty, and the clash between tradition and modern ideas. At the end of the story, the characters' lives become disturbed, and we see the consequences of their choices. As the story ends, Bimala realizes the consequences of her attraction towards Sandip and the wrong path she followed unthinkingly. She understands that Sandip's love and his betrayal of ,Nikhil's trust were destructive. Bimala could not even say sorry to Nikhil for her wrong deeds.

The conclusion of The Home and the World shows Tagore's talent in describing deep emotions and the complexities of human nature. It reminds us of balance, empathy, and looking within ourselves in a world that struggles with old and new ways, personal desires, and social responsibilities. Ultimately, Tagore's book teaches us that the journey to self-discovery and improving the world takes work. But we can find harmony and grow together by understanding, caring, and taking the time to understand one another. The Home and the World is a timeless story that forces us to think about the ups and downs of relationships, the impact of beliefs, and the universal search for who we are and where we belong. The psychological pain that Bimala goes through as she negotiates the complications of love, duty, and self-discovery is expertly portrayed by Tagore. The story explores the importance of identity, gender roles, and the effects of personal decisions during political and domestic instability from her point of view

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