{"id":657,"date":"2023-09-02T13:01:23","date_gmt":"2023-09-02T13:01:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.brainwareuniversity.ac.in\/celebrating-tagore\/?p=657"},"modified":"2023-09-02T13:01:23","modified_gmt":"2023-09-02T13:01:23","slug":"exploring-the-tragic-destiny-of-subhashini-tagores-masterful-tale-of-alienation-and-ostracism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.brainwareuniversity.ac.in\/celebrating-tagore\/exploring-the-tragic-destiny-of-subhashini-tagores-masterful-tale-of-alienation-and-ostracism\/","title":{"rendered":"Exploring the Tragic Destiny of Subhashini: Tagore’s Masterful Tale of Alienation and Ostracism"},"content":{"rendered":"

Rabindranath Tagore was a master storyteller who skillfully explored various dimensions of human existence. His short story “Subha” delves into the complexities of human relationships and the devastating consequences of societal estrangement. This essay discusses the character of Subhashini and argues that the protagonist’s alienation led to her social ostracism.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The name foreshadows her tragedy:<\/b><\/p>\n

Subhashini was the youngest of three daughters. Her sisters were named Sukeshini, meaning a woman with long and beautiful hair. The other was named Suhasini, which meant one with a beautiful smile. Both of them had been successfully married off by the family. Subsequently, the name \u2018Subhashini\u2019 meant the individual who could speak eloquently. However, ironically it represented her inability to speak, \u201cWhen the girl was given the name of Subhashini, who could have guessed that she would prove dumb?\u201d\u00a0 Tagore uses the name to metaphorically foreshadow her tragic circumstances.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Subhashini\u2019s alienation due to her impairment:<\/b><\/p>\n

It is seen that the unmarried Subhashini \u201clay like a silent weight upon the heart of her parents\u201d. Society was under the false impression that since she \u201cdid not speak\u201d, she \u201cdid not feel\u201d. Everyone anxiously discussed her bleak future before her without realising that it hurt her sentiments. She felt like a curse had fallen on her family, and therefore she \u201cwithdrew herself from ordinary people and tried to live apart\u201d. She was further alienated from her family as her mother believed her to be an intimate part of herself. Therefore, she considered Subha\u2019s disability a \u201cfault in her\u201d, which was a \u201csource of personal shame\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

The other children were afraid of her and did not play with her due to her \u2018noontide\u2019 like silence. Consequently, she found solace in the lap of nature. Whenever her work was done, she went and sat by the riverside. She listened to \u201cThe murmur of the brook\u2026the songs of the boatmen, the crying of the birds and rustle of trees\u201d and felt a deep bond of connection with her surroundings. Two cows, named Sarbbashi and Panguli, were her closest friends. Both Subha and her animals understood each other. They were a source of comfort whenever she was sad. Thus, nature became her companion, providing her with the comfort and companionship she longed for from her peers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Alienation led to Subha’s social ostracism:<\/b><\/p>\n

Subha’s unmarried status ignited apprehension and gossip among the villagers, who threatened to socially outcast Banikantha and his family, “People blamed them, and even talked of making them outcasts”. The mere possibility of a tarnished reputation led to a rift in the family. Banikantha decided to go to Calcutta and find a suitable match for his daughter. This isolated Subha from her friends, as she had to leave her cows, kittens and only friend, Pratap. Furthermore, her lack of agency in decision-making regarding her marriage accentuated her alienation, as her household concealed her physical impairment to secure a suitable match.<\/span><\/p>\n

When the suitors came, her mother, driven by societal expectations, dressed her up in a way that concealed her natural beauty. Despite Subha’s tears, her mother remained unsympathetic, fearing swollen eyes that could expose the bride’s distress. This highlights the internal conflict faced by her. Subha is forced to suppress her emotions and conform to societal norms, further exacerbating her sense of alienation.<\/span><\/p>\n

Subhashini’s parents anxiously awaited the bridegroom\u2019s verdict, while he ruminated about his marriage. Unbeknownst to the groom, she could not speak, leaving her feeling isolated and misunderstood. Although her eyes conveyed her feelings, they went unnoticed and uninterpreted by those around her. Subha’s silence and the subsequent revelation of her inability to speak only heightened her imminent social ostracisation by her in-laws. All of this deepened her emotional suffering.<\/span><\/p>\n

Conclusion:<\/b><\/p>\n

Hence, one sees that In Tagore’s story, Subha’s family alienates her and forcefully marries her to an unknown person. When her in-laws come to know about her disability, they ostracise her. Her character serves as a poignant representation of the struggles faced by individuals with disabilities. As readers delve into the depths of her story, they are compelled to reflect on their role in fostering an inclusive and compassionate society.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is also interesting to listen to Tagore\u2019s Rabindrasangeet, which is available on Phalguni Mookhopadhaya\u2019s Youtube Channel \u2014\u00a0https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@pmbrainware<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rabindranath Tagore was a master storyteller who skillfully explored various<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":684,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"Exploring the Tragic Destiny of Subhashini: Rabindranath Tagore's Masterful Tale of Alienation and Ostracism","_seopress_titles_desc":"Dive into the poignant narrative of Subhashini in Rabindranath Tagore's "Subha," as we unravel the complexities of alienation and societal ostracism. ","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[42],"tags":[18,24,15,21,51,54],"class_list":["post-657","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-literature","tag-rabindranathtagore","tag-rabindrasangeet","tag-tagore","tag-tagoresongs","tag-bengali-story","tag-literature"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brainwareuniversity.ac.in\/celebrating-tagore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/657","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brainwareuniversity.ac.in\/celebrating-tagore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brainwareuniversity.ac.in\/celebrating-tagore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brainwareuniversity.ac.in\/celebrating-tagore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brainwareuniversity.ac.in\/celebrating-tagore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=657"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.brainwareuniversity.ac.in\/celebrating-tagore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/657\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":693,"href":"https:\/\/www.brainwareuniversity.ac.in\/celebrating-tagore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/657\/revisions\/693"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brainwareuniversity.ac.in\/celebrating-tagore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/684"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brainwareuniversity.ac.in\/celebrating-tagore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=657"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brainwareuniversity.ac.in\/celebrating-tagore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=657"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brainwareuniversity.ac.in\/celebrating-tagore\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=657"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}