Rajmohan's Wife : Indian Dilemma and Bankimchandra Chatopadhyay

Literature is one which we read and one which we live. What matter if it is in Telgu? Punjabi? Gujrati? Latin? French? Hindi ? or English? And what matter if it is not in any language but Ellipsis? We watch the theater of Silence and mime ... don't we? We convey our feelings to our loved ones in words but sometimes we just let it be or show them . So how far it affects whether an author writes at full length or just gives a sign ...  ultimately the author's aim should be accomplished. One such an attempt made by Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay in his first debut novel in English , Rajmohan's Wife , can be called an unsuccessful success .Unsuccessful in attracting readers of his time but successful in accomplishing of author's aim through it.

The novel was serialized in 1864 in the weekly periodical , the Indian Field , edited by kishori Chandra Mitra. It is notable that he begun his literary career through English novel but then after abandoning English language for fiction,  he wrote fourteen novels in Bangla , among the most famous are - Durgeshnandini , Anandamath and Rajsingha. It is well known that Bankimchandra ji was the prominent literary figure of nineteenth century India. Who can forget his song in Anandamath - Vande Matram - which became our National Song after Independence. We can also not forget him for the realism he brought in literature through his novels. And for this particular feature Rajmohan's Wife becomes a very important study. 

As we know that Bankimchandra ji was one of seven in the first batch of graduates from newly established Calcutta University , he was well known with English literature as well as Sanskrit literature. In  this novel while he is directly influenced by Victorian novels which portray social realities with the aim of reformation , he is also unconsciously overpowered by Sanskrit poetic literature due to which he gives a romantic and poetic description of feminine beauty as in Sanskrit it is called "nakh shikh varnan".  Thus the novel is blend of many outer influences as well as his own unconscious. 

I had been always fond of Bengali novels for they present a different Indian world. For example if you read Sharatchandra chatterji's novel - Devdas , Parineeta , Viraj Bahu , Charitraheen etc. they are all great stories of love , loss , morality , sin and so on and so forth. Rajmohan's wife is not different from them but as it precedes them and still the Real World  seems so real we are full of wonder and appreciation for the bravery of novelist. 

My first impression of this novel was peculiar. Actually you don't realize,  when you began reading the novel and when it has finished. I suppose it is the biggest drawback of the novel . The author seems to be bored and burdened and ends abruptly though from the initial lengthy introductions of families and character it seems he had planned to write a long novel. Another problem is that of Deviation of Register , it is a technical term in English Literature which suggests that author deviates from the norms of register (mixing of dialects) . For example , Rajmohan speaking in the old English - "deceive me not . Canst thou?" "Thou" an archaic word is not expected from moder man in speech. Also Bankim time and again refers to English things or places to insert Englishness in his novel for it seems he wrote for English people of his time .For instance , a Bengali village girl refers to a destroyed Biblical city "Jericho" which is something weird. But lets digest all his faults because the novel is not all compact of weirdness it has substance and it has weight and it has many more things to remember - among which one is the strong character of Matangini , the heroine of the novel.

 It is noticeable that though Bankim follows unconsciously the style and pattern of Victorian literature he gives his female characters a unique distinction and especially to heroine -  a Strong and firm character that is rarely found in any Victorian novel . In most Victorian novels females were portrayed as submissive and passive , they did not possess unique qualities of their own . On the contrary . Matingini is brave and even braver than the hero himself - Madhav. She confesses her love for her sister's husband - Madhav. While Madhav also loves , he asks Matangini to forget him , he is even shy to express his love for her. We are told that Madhav appreciates Matangini's braveness and pure and firm character but no where we see him appreciating her in public. Surely women are more firm and determined in Bankim's novels than men. Most men are corrupt and loose - characters and women are sufferer. Whatever reality Bankim shows and sympathizes with women's fate and miseries , he is not that bold to give justice to women . He deliberately makes them say that they are sinners and they are bad and so they must suffer. Matangini at the end suffers  as her creator is in dilemma that what to do with her fate and he ends abruptly. Dilemma is the keyword of Victorian Literature - dilemma between Faith and Reason and it is also prominent in this novel. And here the dilemma is between author's inborn Hindu Samskara and his consciousness of rigidness of  Hindu society . He is well aware of bad practices of polygamy of Kulin Brahmin boys and also of corrupt characters  of rich males. But he is not able to answer the question he himself puts up - Why women is not master of her own destiny? The ready made solution is - she has to suffer which he has given. 

But the character of Matangini stands alone and shines in spite of her disappearance into cruel fate and even the attitude of other female characters like Kanak and Tara can not be forgotten.... in fact the whole novel can not be forgotten for its a beautiful example of early Indian English novel - it has distinct Indianness wrapped in a simple fresh English language.

- Ojasi Mehta

MA English