The Living and the Dead – Rabindranath Tagore

The Living and the Dead - Rabindranath Tagore

# Describe the unfortunate set of incidents and cicumstances in the life Kadambini and how did she estrange herself to the family with whom was living.

Rabindranath Tagore is India’s greatest modern poet and the most brilliant creative genius that the country has produced. He, being a versatile writer, produced a number of songs, stories, plays essays, novels, memories and travelogues. He was both a restless innovator and a superb craftsman and the Bengali language attained great power and beauty in his hands. He created his own style of dance drama and is one of the most important visual artists of modern India. He had founded Santiniketan (the Abode of Peace) near Bolapua School being turned into an International University named Viswabharathi University in 1921. He won the Nobel Prize for literature for Gitanjali in 1913 and he at once became a World Celebrity.

 Summary:

The present story ‘The Living and the Dead’ is a focus on the theme of death. The story is based on Kadambini’s family with unfortunate set of incidents and circumstances. The friendship between Kadambini and Jogamaya make the story fresh in the minds of the readers. 

The story begins with the introduction of Sharadashankar Babu’s family, the Zamindar of Ranihat in which there is a young widow called Kadambini. She had no living relatives on her father’s side and even her in-laws family too. All of them have died one by one sooner or later. There was only a nephew – her brother-in-law Shardashanker’s son who was an apple of Kadambini’s eyes. Soon after the death of the child’s mother, Kadambini looked after the child as if it was her own son. All the affections were bestowed on the child until one were on the child until one monsoon night Kadambini died.

Without making undue ceremony to the departed soul, the dead body was sent straight away to the cremation ground by the employing four Brahmin labourers of Sharadashankar. Though the Ranihat cremation ground was far away from the town, it consisted of little hut beside a pond and a banyan tree. The four men assigned for the cremation work waited for the pyre wood to be brought. After too long waiting, two of them departed to see what the cause for the delay was. Only Bindu was left before the corpse when Banamali had gone to the town to fetch tobacco.

In the midst of the thick clouds and lightening and raining Bindu had experienced something unusual – the littar on which the dead body was placed began to move. In terror Bindu had run off to the village leaving the corpse in the hut itself. All the four employees came back to the cremation ground and found that the corpse was missing and the litter was empty. The four members have decided to report to the Zamindar that the body had indeed been cremated. Here Tagore asserts the truth that dead person revitalizing life again. The ghost of Kadambini was regaining conscious stage. Very often she constantly thinks about her affectionate child and was ready to go home. The next moment she considers that since she was no longer alive, her family members could not accepted her. Moreover, they would be surprised to see Kadambini’s ghost coming back. She recalled to her memory Sharadashanker’s brightly lit home and compared her present solitariness in this dark and dissolute place of death.

Kadambini started going on and on till her feet ached and body felt week and exhausted. She crossed field after field with the first loght of dawn. She reached a nearby village. Kadambini with her muddy clothes, rapt state and crazed sleepless appearance, faced man coming up to her and he enquired her and her family. Suddenly she thought about her childhood friend – jogmaya the best and the dearest friend. She told the stranger that she had to go to Shripati charman Babu’s house of Nischindipura. The gentleman agreed that anyhow on his way to Calcutta Nischindrapura was a shortdistance. So he decided to escort Kadambini to Shripati’s house.

Jogamaya was pleased to see her friend after a long gap. The two friends exchanged a few words and Kadambaini pleaded before Jogamaya to provide a place in a corner of her house and accept her as a maid. For a month’s stay in Jogamaya’s house, Shripati Charman – Jogamaya’s husband wanted to know all about the illtrated childless widow – Kadambini and her in-laws. So he decided to proceed to Ranihat and make personnal enquires about Kadambini. 

In the course of the two friends’ conversation, Jogamaya strongly announced that keeping custody of a married woman of another household doesn’t look nice. So Jogamaya had decided to send her out in the absence of her husband for which Kadambini though strongly refused to go, yet she simply moved away with a pensive expression. 

Shripati returned home late at night and narrated the whole story of a Kadambini that Jofgamaya old friend was dead. The husband and wife went on arguing for a long time unti they came to know that Kadambini was there in the next room. Shripati mentioned before his wife that the evening before Kadambini’s arrival to their house, the door swung open and the sudden gust of wind blew out the lamp. In the darkness Kadambini entered into the house of Jogmaya when there was continuous outpouring of rain. She addressed to Jogamaya that her friend Kadambini is no longer alive but she is dead. Having said this she left the house and proceeded to Ranihat. She hid all day in a ruined temple hungry alone. An untimely dusk spread over the monsoon sky and the villagers hurried home far the fear of approaching storm. She entered into her married home with fully veiled and the servants of the house let her pass. In the midst of heavy rains and buffeting wind Kadambini slipped past the women and entered the room where the sick boy, Sathish was fast asleep. The sick boy turned over and asked his Kakima for water for which Kadambini felt very happy to see that he child asking for the aunt. With great rejoice she hurriedly poured out a glass of water and helped him to drink. The child put his arms round her neck and asked ‘Kakima were you dead. Kakima go away”. He screamed.

Kadambini realized that she was not really dead. She pleaded before Didi (Shardashankar’s wife) why are all of you frightened to see me? “ I am what I always was” As a result the mistress of the house fell sown and fainted. At the moment Sharadashankar appeared and pleaded before Kadambini that why all this? Satish is the only son of ours why have you cast your evil eye on him? Kadambini made it clear that she was mot dead proving tae bell metal bowl as the evidence that she was alive. She struck it against her head repeatedly and as a result blood poured out. Kadambini only screaming that she was not dead. Not and not dead. She ran out of the room and down stairs and threw herself into the backyard pond. From upstairs room Sharadashankar heard the splash.

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