Probing into the Cultural Politics and Aesthetics of the 19th Century Colonial Bengal Theatre: Insights from Binodini Dasi’s My Story (1912)
Keywords:
Cultural Politics, Aesthetics, 19th Century, Colonial Bengal, Theatre, Binodini Dasi, Autobiography, Nationalism, Courtesan, Bengali Nationalism, Neel Darpan , Social InjusticesAbstract
This research paper titled ‘Probing into the Cultural Politics and Aesthetics of the 19th Century Colonial Bengal Theatre: Insights from Binodini Dasi’s My Story (1912 )’ delves into the underlying sense of nationalism in Binodini Dasi’s autobiography. She was one of the pioneers of the 19th century Public theatre in Colonial Calcutta. She was born into a family of prostitutes and she started doing theatre to sustain her family at the age of 11. She started her training under Ganga Baiji, a renowned courtesan. After her first appearance on the stage, she became an absolute sensation. First, she performed the role of a hand-maiden of Draupadi at the Great National Theatre in 1874. After that, she got various roles as heroines in other plays such as Sita (in Sitaharan, Rabanbadh), Pramila (in Meghnadbadh ), Draupadi (in Pandaver Agyatabas), Kaikeyi (in Ramer Bonobas), Uttara (in Abhimanyubadh), Gopa (in BuddhadebCharit), Kanchan (in Sadhabar Ekadashi), Kamini (in NabinTapaswini), Radhika (in Sati Ki Kalankini). Her experiences as a courtesan and later as a celebrated theatre actress represent a unique representation of the intersection of gender, theatre, and nationalism shaping colonial Bengal. While the autobiography does not voice overt nationalist ideologies, this study attempts to establish Binodini Dasi’s narrative within this nationalist milieu. During the time of the Swadeshi Movement and Bengali nationalism, theatre became a tool to create a sense of cultural identity and pride among Bengalis. At this transitional phase Binodini Dasi’s role in Neel Darpan (Indigo Planters Mirror), in 1875, at Lucknow's Chhattar-manjil, challenged the social injustices during the colonial oppression and helped to recreate a narrative of national unity and resistance.
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