Pather Panchali
Bengali novel
(1929)
Author:
Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay (1894 – 1950)
Meaning of the
title: Song of the Road
The first published novel of
Bandyopadhyay (serialised in the Vichitra magazine)
Deals with the
life of the Ray family, both in their ancestral village in rural Bengal and later
when they move to Varanasi in search of
a better life, as well as the anguish and loss they face during their travels.
Later made into a
drama film, directed by Satyajit Ray and
produced by the Government of West Bengal.
Translated into
Malayalam under the name, 'Pather Panchali - Paathayuday Sangeetham' by Mr. M.
K. N. Potty.
It was followed in
1932 by a sequel Aparajito,
which was also adapted into a film of the same name by Satyajit
Ray.
Setting: the village of
Nischindipur, transit to Varanasi
Characters:
Horihor Roy: an unsuccessful Brahmin who manages the
family's financial needs with the little amount of money he received from
priesthood.
Indir Thakrun: Horihor's
75 year old relative who is a widow. It was her parents who took care of
Horihor after the death of his parents. Once Indir was left with no one to take
care of her, Horihor brought her home.
Shobhojoya: Horihor's
wife. She is a short and Ill tempered woman who is jealous of Indir, because
her daughter Durga spends most of her time with Indir who pampers her as if she
is her own.
Durga: the 6
year old daughter of Horihor and Shorbhojoya, who likes spending time with
Indir and meanwhile brings mangoes and berries which she steals from the nearby
courtyards.
Opu (Awpurbo): brother
of Durga, for whom his sister is his world. He tries to see the world through
her eyes and is always concerned about her happiness.
Structure:
The novel has 35 chapters written dividend into three
parts.
The first part, Bhallal Bhalai
discusses about the the life of Indir Thakrun and other women of the Brahmin
community who are forced to marry priests who already might have entered in
marriages to more than 10 women. These women are deprived of all marital
happiness. The so-called husband will visit them once in a while and may not show
any particular affection to them. This system was a contribution of the then
king Bhallal Sen and hence the name.
The second part, Aam Adeer Bhempu
reveals the childhood of Durga and Opu. They spend their time playing in the
forests nearby and stealing fruits and flowers from their neighbours.
The third part, Akroora Sambandh
describes Opu's journey to Kashi and then his return to his native village
Nishchindipur.
The Story:
The novel is a bildungsroman of Opu. The miserable
life of Horihor Roy and his family is depicted through the eyes of his children
Durga and Opu.
Horihor Ray, a brahmin with no sound
livelihood, lives in the village of Nischindipur, with his wife Shorbojoya and
daughter Durga. He also has to take care of his distant relative Indir Thakrun,
an old widowed woman, who had nobody to look after her. But Shorbojoya, an
ill-tempered lady, cannot tolerate the old woman, and she casts Indir to an
ill-maintained hut. However, Durga, the six-year-old daughter of the family, is
very fond of Indir and stays with her for hours to listen to fairy-tales.
A son born to the
family, named Opu, grows up to be an inquisitive child, sensitive to the beauty
and mystery of nature. He and his sister Durga enjoy their childhood, roaming
through the forests, taking part in indigenous games and plucking flowers and
fruits stealthily.
Durga steals
mangoes to give to Indir, and Sarbajaya gets mad at her. At one point she kicks
Indir out for encouraging her daughter's stealing.
When Durga and Apu
wander into a large field near their home, they notice a train passing by, as
well as a large, humming electrical grid, both representing the changes of
modernity. On their way back to the ancestral home, they find Indir, who was
turned away by Sarbajaya, dead in the middle of the forest.
Opu is admitted
into the village school. On one occasion, his father takes Opu to a client's
house. It is the first time that Opu gets a glimpse of the outside world which
fills his mind with joy and excitement.
Tensions rise even
more when a neighbor, a vindictive aunt, who is more economically stable,
accuses Durga of stealing a necklace from her daughter.
Young Opu is
growing into manhood, as his parents struggle to provide him with food on a
daily basis. His father dreams of being a writer, but is stuck with the paltry
earnings gained occasionally for performing priestly duties. Horihor leaves
home for a long period and struggles desperately to earn a livelihood.
During her
father's time away, Durga comes down with pneumonia after playing outside in a
monsoon for too long. Soon she succumbs to the illness and dies.
When Horihor
returns home, he has excited stories of his success, and is happy to express it
by handing out presents, including a beautiful sari he bought for Durga. Only
then does he get the news of his daughter’s unexpected death, and is overcome
with grief.
Opu makes the
decision that he must take the entire family to move near the river where he
will have more professional prospects. As they are gathering their belongings
and cleaning the house, he comes across the necklace that Durga denied
stealing, which has been secretly kept away inside a bowl all this time.
Apu steals away to
a nearby pond and tosses the necklace into it, watching as the weeds conceal
its presence before joining his parents and the ox-cart which takes them away
to their new life. They pack up and go to the railway station. As the train
steams in, they board the train leaving behind Nischindipur forever with its many
sweet and sour memories.
The Work as a Translation
An English
translation by T.W. Clark and Tarapada Mukherji was published in 1968 by
Indiana University Press as part of the UNESCO Collection of Representative
Works, and an abridged translation by K. Roy and Margaret Chatterjee followed
in 1976. (Wikipedia)
Speaking about the translation aspects, there are
linguistic as well as cultural issues. The first thing that needs mention is
the use of religious and ritual related terms and how it becomes a humdrum for
the contemporary reader as the terms and phrases have got updated or modified
in course of time. The novel was originally written in Bengali, and most of the
initial chapters are filled with environmental and cultural references of the
western part of Bengal. This might create an issue for the recent reader to
fully understand what the author might have meant.
The food items mentioned in the novel, their
festivals, their dressing everything may not be intelligible for the current
reader (even if an Indian) who might not have seen a village in proper.
Translation when it crosses the borders of language
and culture becomes an alien land for a student of literature because of the
difference in time period and place.
For a reading on a 21st century translator’s views, visit: https://scroll.in/article/945228/pather-panchali-why-translating-this-bengali-classic-in-the-21st-century-holds-all-new-challenges
Select Questions:
1.
How
is it evidenced that “Pather Panchali” is a successful work of literature?
(A note of
introduction.) Appeared first as a serial in a periodical in 1928. Got
published as a book the following year. (first published novel of the author).
The novel was translated into English, Telugu, Sinhalese and Malayalam. An adaptation for radio was broadcast on
BBC Radio 4. In 1932, it had a sequel, “Aparajito”. Both the novel and
the sequel were adapted as movies. The movie “Pather Panchali”, directed by
Satyajit Ray, was produced by the Government of Bengal. The film was shot
mainly on location, had a limited budget, featured
mostly amateur actors, and was made by an inexperienced crew. Still, it
was a roaring success. Following its premiere in 1955 during an exhibition at
New York's Museum of Modern Art, Pather
Panchali was released in Calcutta to an enthusiastic reception. A special
screening was attended by the Chief Minister of West Bengal and the Prime Minister
of India.
2.
Analyse
“Pather Panchali” as a story of conflicts.
· Priesthood and profession ·
Tradition and modernity · Male domination
and female subordination · Money and poverty
· Old age and
youthhood
3.
“Pather Panchali” is a work with limited
number of characters and a depth of characterisation. Describe.
Five main
characters. All within a family. A helpless old woman, a struggling father with
unrealised dreams, a mother who becomes miserable and venomous due to life situations,
a daughter who struggles with oppression and her own secrets, and a boy who
painstakingly grows up with plans to liberate his family from misery.
4.
Though
not a feminist novel, “Pather Panchali” is a strong voice about women issues.
Comment.
· Plight of old widows · wives thrown into situations where
they should take charge of a struggling family men go their own way ·
education and exposure reserved to male children ·
mental agony of the female (Durga’s stealing the necklace)
Prepared by
Jacob Eapen Kunnath
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