Chandalika: Rabindranath Tagore

CHANDALIKA
BY
RABINDRANATH TAGORE
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1947) was a renaissance

man, a poet , musician and artist.
Tagore wrote novels, essays, short stories, travelogues,
dramas and songs.
His first original drama was Valmiki Pratibha.
He used more philosophical and allegorical themes.
The dramas – Chitrangada, Chandalika and Shyama are
key plays that have dance-drama. adaptations.
Collectively, they are known as Rabindra Nritya Natya.
He became first Non-European to be conferred Nobel
Prize in literature in 1913.
CHANDALIKA
 The term is used in Hindu and Buddhist scriptures and the
travelogues of Chinese travelers.
 The term refers to an outcaste person who dwelled in the
forests and were not allowed in the civilized vicinities.
 In scriptures like Mahabharata, they are termed as Rakshasa
and inhumane.
 These people were treated as untouchables.
 There were no exchanges of commodities with them. They
roamed across villages with beating drums so that people
could avoid looking at them. They used the merchandise left
by the upper castes.
 They also served as bier bearers for those who had no
relatives or kiths.
 In short, they had a miserable and deprived life.
Myth
According to Buddhist legend, Ananda was a famous
disciple of Buddha and he felt thirsty once when he was
returning from a visit.
He approached a Chandalika for some water. The girl fell
for the monk and gave him water. The monk was unaware
of this enchantment.
Chandalika asked her mother to spell on him, she did so
and attracts Ananda to her hut.
The monk presented himself in their hutlet in the night.
When he saw her spreading the couch, he felt disdainful
and prayed Buddha to save him from the spell.
Buddha broke the spell and Ananda went away as pure as
he came.
Chandalika felt ashamed and her mother bereaved at the
moment.
Tagore’s Trick
Tagore transformed it into

a psychological
drama of intense
spiritual conflict. It is
the story of a girl
who was revered by a
Buddhist monk by
accepting water from
her . She called it “a
new birth”. She is
washed clean of her
self-degradation and
rises up a full human
being.
ABSTRACT
`The story is about a girl Prakriti who has fallen for a
Bhikshu Ananda.. In the hot month of Vaisakha , he
was passing from a forest when he saw Prakriti
washing an orphan calf by a well, He felt thirsty so he
asked for some water fom her. When she disclosed her
identity, she boosted her up by saying that all humans
are same irrespective of their caste and creed, and their
touch would neither defile the water nor his piety His
words homed in her heart, she called it her “new
birth” and she began loving him. Her mother finds her
near the well and felt some changes in her daughter,
her tune and expressions were altered, she was turned
a philosopher. Prakriti was lost in the moments she
passed with the bhikshu and pined for him , she
presented her desire before her mother who warned
and reminded her of her existence that she was an
untouchable girl. But she denied her mother and asked
to work her spell on him .

They saw the Bhikshus going out of city but she was so mesmerized by his
words that she has forgotten everything else him.
The mother agreed to Spell on him, knowing that would be risky, She did so
on Ananda.
She gave Prakriti , a mirror which she would handle in her hand and dance and
could see the shadow of him in the mirror and check over how nearer he had
come.
Her strength declined as she spelled, his huff and swears weakened her, but
Prakriti persistently provoked her mother to work on him , neglecting her
emaciating condition.
When he came too close, Prakrti felt abhorred when he came on her door-still
with a drooping head, she put forward and broke the paraphernalia into pieces.
Ananda sought forgiveness from Buddha and the mother died. She resuscitated
from her enchantment but it was too late, she had lost everything.
Character Sketches
Prakriti
Prakriti was an untouchable girl whose destiny never conferred her
reverence. Somewhere, she herself felt it contemptuous but she
confidently rebelled against the religion and orthodoxy after a short
rendezvous with Ananda, a Buddhist monk. He told her the actual
meaning of life which she was searching. His words highly
impressed her that made her intoxicated by his memories, Like a
child, she presented her desire before her mother and behaved with
callousness. She was so enchanted by the monk that she forgets
everything except him. She was called ‘daring’ by her mother. She
did not care about her mother’s life and let it go. She felt remorseful
with her fate, she did not want to pass a life of an untouchable, she
called it ‘poison’ and ‘curse’. Finally, she lost everything, the monk
and her mother.
Mother
In the drama, the mother is portrayed as a satisfied chandal woman who had no complaints with her life and the norms imposed upon her. Her
daughter’s love and philosophies were impalpable to her. She persistently warned her and was scared for her daughter. But on her persuasion and
waywardness, she spells on the monk, knowing that would affect her life. Earlier, she had spelled on king’s son who had visited the jungle for deer
hunt and fallen in love with her daughter, Prakriti, she had no dread of king or imprisonment, all she brooded was her daughter’s well being. Also,
she proved herself an able mother by losing her life in the end.
Ananda
He was a buddhist monk was above the scourges of religion and
casteism . He had no issues in receiving water from a Chandal
girl. Like other bhikshus, he was not inclined with worldly
affections, he believed in spiritualism which he propagated too.
He was a celibate who had devoted his life to Buddha, he
followed the principles of him. He sought apology from Buddha
on being spell-bounded by Chandalika woman.
THEMES
Firstly, with the drama, Tagore has
exploited a thousand years old norm
i.e, untouchability. The demanding of
water by a monk from a Chandal girl
expresses the theme. Buddhist
monk’s words that “we all are human
beings, and all water is clean and holy
which cools our heat and satisfies our
thirst.
“Self humiliation is a sin, worse than self

murder”, is the second theme of
Chandalika. The norm of
untouchability was so deeply rooted in
India , that the untouchable had no
access to anything. They did not even
fight for themselves, they allowed
other humiliate them and they did it on
their own, and that is even bigger than
committing suicide.
“Love does not claim possessions, but gives
freedom”, is the third theme . Prikriti loved the
monk and penchanted him, but love is not love
which is based on some desires. It is spiritual, the
girl realises it in the last when she rises from her
slumber of intoxication.
Nothinng in the life is permanent, not even castes.

In the drama, there are many instances
provoking the mother daughter to embrace that
even castes could change. If a brahmin marries
a chandal , she would become a brahman, even
chandals are born in Brahmans and Kshtriyas
transformed as Chandals.
The fifth and last theme of the drama is devotion. If

your devotion is true , no spell can befall upon
you.
Submitted by: Submitted to:
Mohd. Hassan Ullah Dr. Syed Faiz Zaidi
khan (Roll no. 1312)
Maz Arfeen (Roll no. 1326)
Thank-you

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CHANDALIKA

Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1947) was a renaissance

Tagore transformed it into

to work her spell on him .

“Self humiliation is a sin, worse than self

Nothinng in the life is permanent, not even castes.

The fifth and last theme of the drama is devotion. If

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