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A Poli-cultural reading on the concept of ‘Home and the World’: with special reference to Rabindranath Tagore’s ‘Home and the World’ (1916)

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Author Affiliations

  • 1Department of English Language Teaching, University of Kelaniya, Kelaniya, Sri Lanka
  • 2Department of Languages, Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka, Belihuloya, Sri Lanka

Res. J. Language and Literature Sci., Volume 6, Issue (3), Pages 6-15, September,19 (2019)

Abstract

In the latter part of the Bengal national movement which was predominantly known as ‘Bengal Renaissance’ was transcended by Mahathma Gandhi in the polity and by Ravindranath Tagore in the literary perspective. It was a huge public mobilization with multi-faceted bitter repercussions. This paper does not intend to flourish all the complicated reasons, stake holders or results in the political momentum of so called Bengal Renaissance. This is an effort in reconsideration for only one dimension of cultural penetration created by Tagore aligned with the above mentioned moment with special reference to his novel ‘Home and the World’ (1916). This research also articulates the movie Ghare Baire directed by Sathyajit Ray in 1984. The cultural index and the political ideology portrayed by the novel, and the concept itself called ‘home and the world’ were examined through this research. The paper stresses the importance of reinterpreting the relationship between the individual personified character and the external world. This argument furnishes the plural voices endorsed into one poli-cultural entity. A person launches a battle for his/her own redemption, independence or salvation from a drive within himself/herself. Simultaneously it is visible to the external society too. Bimala, the protagonist revolts with her husband Nikhlesh in the home cantered insurrection, the premises of power, while she utilizes the assistance from Sandeep to escape from home, family and from her inner chained drives. The paper suggests that, so called controversial and overlapping hardships of that situation can be broadly reinterpreted through a poli-cultural revisiting and intends to consider its characterization, structures, socio-political and cultural scenarios occurred at the moment. The trinity of Bimala, Nikhil and Sandeep themselves visualize the concept of ‘home and the world’. On the contrary, once Gandhi organized the fragmented nations against their own micro rebels and against British Empire. The novel ‘Home and the World’ and its concept itself mirrors those two poled insurrections too. Hence, Tagore’s vision of life and the effort of penetrating invisible or concealed complexities of their national movement are widely discussed in the paper.

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