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SomdattaMandal

SomdattaMandal19thc.
TravelogueofaBengaliLady

1885coverof'EnglandeBongomohila.'Credit
SomdattaMandal.

EnglandeBongomohila:ABengaliLadyinEngland
Prelude
Readers! Though I am totally unknown to you and am
residing hundreds and hundreds of miles away from you,
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neverthelessIhaveventuredtoputinfrontofyouthissmall
and incomplete text to provide you with some pleasure. I,
the authoress of this book, did not start writing it to win
fame or to express intelligence I am witnessing many new
things and these have evoked many new ideas within me. I
am trying to collect them together at leisure and describe
them lucidly in simple language. There are no grammatical
elaborations in it neither does it have the feeling of
tempting you to breathlessly read it at one go without food
or sleep as you would do for a play or a novel. It does not
contain the exciting narrative of any brave hero or heroine,
nor the primary emotions embellished in epics the
differences between an independent and a colonized nation
canonlybeseenhere.Thisbookdoesnothavedescriptions
ofunnecessarysubjectsandyouwillbebenefitedifyouread
it carefully. At least you will not lose anything and it will
also not harm you. Nowadays the relationship between
EnglandandIndiaisgraduallyincreasing.ManyyoungIndian
men are very eager to learn about England before coming
here, so many of them might be able to learn a few
necessarythingsfromthisbook.
Myfemalereaders!Iwasalsocloisteredinahouselikeyou
I had no relationship with my country or the world. I would
trytopacifymymindwithafewthings,butcouldnotdoso.
Iwouldbeenticedtoknowindetailsaboutthingshappening
inthecountry,andifIeverheardsomeonegoingtoVilayet
or returning from there, my heart would jump up in joy. I
felt eager to go and meet these people and hear about all
the new things they had seen and heard abroad. But the
wishes of unfortunate and colonized Bengali women were
neverfulfilledandhenceIhadtokeepquiet.Maybelikeme
manyofyouarecurioustoknowaboutEngland,andtofulfill
that desire I am dedicating this book A Bengali Lady in
Englandtoyou.
I have written about all the good and bad things that I have
seen in the English people here. I have tried to be as
impartialaspossibleinmyjudgmentofEnglishmannersand
customs,leavingasidethetransformationtheyundergoonce
they are abroad, especially in India. The big difference
between India and England and the relationship of the
EnglishwiththeIndiansmakeitextremelydifficultformeto
analyze the virtues of the English people hence if you
readersdoawaywithallsuchprejudicesandreadthisbook
with a broad mind, then you will be able to judge how far I
have been successful in evaluating things in an impartial
manner.
IhavetakenthehelpofsomeEnglishbooks,periodicalsand
newspapers in the composition of this book. I have even
consulted a few trusted English friends to help me write
what is real, what is true. In case I am mistaken in my
evaluation,IhaveevenreadafewbookswrittenbyEnglish
and foreign authors where they describe their impressions
about you. Among them I have been greatly helped by a
book on England written by the famous French intellectual
Monsieur Taine. My husband has helped me considerably in
understanding issues related to education and politics he
has even revised and corrected a few sections of this book
and according to his advice I have added new topics in
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several places. This book would not have come out in its
presentshapewithouthislabourandcare.
The above mentioned excerpt forms the first chapter of a
Bengali travelogue published anonymously in Calcutta in the
year 1885 as A Bengali Lady in England. The author,
Krishnabhabini Das, did not put in her name when she sent
the handwritten manuscript from England to Calcutta for
publication. From the middle of the nineteenth century,
women from colonial Bengal have been travelling to Europe
andEnglandinparticularbutnoneofthemwrotefullfledged
travel narratives about their experiences. In this sense this
publication holds a unique position in being the first Bengali
travel narrative written by a woman. In the comments that
preface the book, Sri Satyaprasad Sarbadhikari, the
publisherstates:
The author of this book is living with her
husband in England. I am publishing the
manuscript according to her wishes. Except for
changing a few occasional words, I have not
interfered with her writing.The language of the
book is easy and sweet. I believe this kind of
unembellished and unemotional language is
alwaysdesirable.(3)
Apologizing for the errors that might have crept in, he
further mentions that the printed proofcopies of the pages
could not be corrected by the writer herself as she was still
living in England. Maybe those could be rectified in the
second edition when she will be present in India. He then
appreciates the agenda of the writer in inculcating the
lessonsofselfdisciplineandgovernancetohercountrymen.
Evenifalltheinformationgiveninthisbookisincorrect,he
cannot disagree with the authors noble and honest
attempt.
Staying colonized for a long time India has
gradually turned into a lifeless lump of flesh in
religion and work arena. The children of Mother
India are longing for food and nourishment.If
we have to sow the seeds of rejuvenation into
our motherland, the seeds have to be collected
from the flaming workplace of a living nation.
There is no doubt that England is that living
nation.(Publishersnote,3)
Historically women have been more associated with fixity,
with home rather than the road. The women travellers to
Europe worked to shape feminized personae characterized
by conventionality, conservatism and domesticity even as
theyimitatedamaledominatedtraditionoftravelandtravel
writing.Also,womenstravelwritingusuallywasneverdone
professionally for publication. Though they often travelled,
migrated, moved for the same reasons as men their
husbands, fathers or sons the kind of experiences they
relate and the metaphysical roads they travelled could be
quite different. They crossed boundaries of genre and
purpose the personal documents by ordinary women who
organized their texts and mapped the self according to the
journey, geographic movement providing the root metaphor
bywhichtheymadesenseoftheirlives.Whilemostwomen
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wrote primarily for themselves or family, for most of them


publishing was only an incidental concern. Krishnabhabinis
narrativeinthiscontextisratheruniquebecauseitnotonly
describes her personal experiences of travel as an
ethnographic document but also has a strong agenda for
political rejuvenation of the motherland. As Jayati Gupta
rightly points out, dramatic tension between two disparate
culturesliesatthecoreofthisaccount.Thewriterssense
of wonder at encountering the ruling European race in their
own country is tempered by maintaining a rational distance,
one that was naturally fostered by a conservative social
upbringing, cultural difference and feelings of alienation and
nationalisticpride.
Beforediscussingthetext,itisaptheretodelvealittleinto
the background of the author and the context in which she
composed her narrative. Krishnabhabini Das (18641919)
was a middleclass Bengali lady who accompanied her
husband on his second visit to England in 1882. They lived
there for eight years. Krishnabhabini wrote the narrative of
her travel in Bengali and the account was published in
Calcutta in 1885 as Englande Bongomohila. This anonymous
publication had the writers name written simply as A
Bengali Lady. A Calcuttabased publishing house, Stree,
reprinted this book in 1996 under the title Krishnabhabini
Daser Englande Bongomohila edited and introduced by
Simonti Sen. In this edition Sen added a detailed biography
of the author along with a sample from her other
publications later on in life. Born as the only child of her
parents in a village in West Bengal, the young
Krishnabhabini had a little formal education at her parents
home before she was married off at the age of ten to
Debendra Nath Das of Calcutta. Her fatherinlaw Srinath
Das was a lawyer at the High Court and a close friend of
Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar. But this friendship, though
theoreticallysupportingthecauseofsocialreforminculcated
by Vidyasagar, had no impact in his personal and family
affairs. He ostracized his elder son Upendranath for
marrying a widow and his rigid mentality was indirectly
responsible for the kind of life that Krishnabhabinis
eventuallyhadtolead.
Without any formal education in any school or college,
Krishnabhabiniseducationbeganathomeunderthetutelage
of her husband. Like many middleclass wives of the time
who were sincerely dedicated to their husbands causes and
wishes, she too supported her husbands dream of going to
England for higher education. She decided to rear her two
children on her own in her husbands absence, while he was
busystudyinglawinEngland.Afewyearsafterthedeathof
one of their children, Debendranath returned to Calcutta but
wasostracizedbyhisfatheraverycommonphenomenon
of middle class Hindu behaviour during that era. Unable to
cope with the rigid social customs back at home,
DebendranathdecidedtogobacktoEnglandandtotakehis
wife along with him. But they had to leave their daughter
Tillotama under the custody of her grandfather, who got the
girl married off at the age of ten. Though extremely hurt at
this news, Krishnabhabini could do very little to prevent it.
For someone who went on writing about womens education
and liberation, she had to silently endure the pain of not
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being able to liberate her own daughter. She returned to


Indiain1890butfromthispointonwardsthemotherandthe
daughter spent their entire lives on different ideologies and
different paths. After the death of her husband and her
daughter in 1909, Krishnabhabini spent the last ten years of
her life immersed in social work, enhancement of female
education, and building shelters for fallen women and
widows. Her transition from a liberal feminist to a Hindu
widowonceagainisexemplifiedinherobituarypublishedin
ModernReviewvol.25,nos16(1919):
Hindu lady: with the selfless, pure and
unostentatious devotion of the typical Hindu
widow, she combined the method, energy and
the sprit of active social service of the West.
(Introduction,31)
ForKrishnabhabini,thetermstravelandindependenceand
also leaving the home and the purdah becomes
synonymouswhenshebeginshernarration:
On the 26th of September, Tuesday, at eight
thirty in the evening, I came along with my
husband to Howrah Station to travel to England
via Bombay. Today was the first time I opened
myveilandenteredthetrain.(6)
Thisopeningoftheveil,asameansoffreeingherselffrom
theconstraintsofherfamilyandsocietyisprobablythefirst
stepinthediscourseoffreedomasmobilitythatenablesher
to construct her own sense of self. After the train journey
they reach Bombay on the coast of the Arabian Sea from
where the sea voyage to England begins. Taking the most
common route via the Suez Canal and Red Sea, they
disembark in Venice. Like most other travel narratives the
emphasis on cartography and the description of the voyage
that includes the explanation of terms like steward, deck,
saloon,cabin,etctakeupthefirstfewchaptersofthebook.
From Venice they take a train to Calais and then cross the
Channel by ship to reach Dover. The long journey by train
from Calais to London ultimately ended at Charing Cross
stationonthe20thofOctober,1882.
Once settled in London, Chapter Five begins with different
thoughtsoccurringinthemindofthenarrator.Shestates:
ItisafewmonthssinceIhavecometoEngland.
I have started eating and dressing like the
Englishmaybeifsomenativepeoplesawmehe
would make fun of me as a pucca memsahib
lethimdoso,itwillnotaffectme.(35)
She then focuses her female gaze on the city of London
itself, which, viewed from the perspective of a foreigner, is
often described in binary terms, where Calcutta becomes
onepartofthemarker.
London is a huge city no other country in the
worldhassuchabigmetropolis.Itisalmostten
miles long and four miles broad. London
occupiesfourtimesthespaceofCalcuttaandits
population is eight times that of Calcutta. About
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forty lakh people live here. If one tours London


inacarriageforfiveorsixdaysatastretch,the
sight seeing would not be complete. It is very
difficulttofindoneswayaroundthiscity.(39)
After the initial euphoria of the greatness of the city, the
dystopicaspectsalsocreepintohernarrative.Londonisalso
the city of fogs, so hellish that she wishes to run away
sheseesthroughtherichnessandopulenceofthecitywhen
she visits the squalor and poor life lived in the East End
area,sheisdepressedbythedarkersideofindustrialization
where the workers and labourers live in shabby and
cramped houses. She also notices the changes in the
seasons, observes English social customs of marriage, the
English religion and celebration, and also rural life with the
farmers beyond the city. She admires female education,
writes about the election of parliamentary members, talks
about Queen Victoria and her family, about British labour,
trade, income, and the working class. By the time she
comes to end of her narrative, her love for her motherland
neverceasestoleaveher.
I have seen so many new things in this country,
learnt so many new subjects, gained so much
new knowledge but the more I see, the more I
know, the longer I stay here, the more I
rememberIndiaandmyhearttorturesmemore.
ThemoreIcomparethetwocountries,themore
I realize the great difference between them and
looking at the poor condition of India, I keep on
sufferingwithin.(150)
Theprologueofthebookconsistsofafourlinepoemandis
interesting because it is printed just beneath the title of the
coverpage.Itislikeaclarioncallfromafemalenationalist
whoseagendademandsthesubservientIndiannationtofree
herselffromtheshacklesofimperialdomination.
Playthebugle,playwiththistune
Everyoneisindependentinthishugeworld
Everyoneisawakewiththeirprideofdignity
OnlyIndiasleeps!
There are several other sections in the book where the
authorburstsoutintoboutsofpoetry.Unlikethematterof
factreportageoftheprose,thispoetryismorepersonaland
emotional in tone. For instance, just before the ship was
about to leave from Bombay, she started to feel nostalgic
about her homeland, not knowing whether she would ever
return to India or not. She becomes emotionally
overwhelmedandwrites:
FAREWELL
Myfavouriteland!Thejewelledland!
Leavingyouforalongtime.
Donotworry,mother!Thisunfortunatedaughter
Isuselessforyou.

Formanyyearsthereisinmyheart
Asecretdesireofhope
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Toseebelovedfreedom
Togotothelandwhereitlives.
Iwillgowherethegoddessofindependence
Residesthereineveryhouse
Withhappinessintheirwideheart
Where everyone wanders with breath of
happiness.

Withalotofdesire,Iwanttosee
WithwhatpowerBritainissoworshipped
TramplingpoorIndiawithherfeet
Clutchingeducationandcivilizationtoherheart.

Sobreakingthecagewithalotofeffort
Havecomeouttogatherwisdom
Hidingthepainwithin
Alwayswipingtears,fearingsomeonewillseeit.

Aftergreatpains,bindingmyheart
Bharat!Mother!Lovinglandofmybirth!
Donotthinkmeheartless
WithgreatpainsItakeleavetoday.(1316)
At the end of Chapter 20, Krishnababini ends her travelogue
withaprosaicmatteroffactstatement:Ifevenoneperson
is inspired by new ideas after reading this book, or thinks
abouthishomelandandtheforeignland,thenallmylabour
will be successful.(154) Just after this declaration, she
breaksintopoeticexuberanceonceagain:
HereMother!HavecometoindependentBritain
Withlotsofhopeinthemind
Ithoughtwillwineternalpeace
ButMotherIndia!Whereishappiness?
The more I listen to songs of
independencehere
ThemoreIseejubilantspirits
The more my heart breaks into
hundredpieces
Andflowswithtears.
ThisBritain,likeyourdaughter
Atinycountry,butpowerful
Shakes the earth with its strength
andbravery
Humanityisscaredinfear
Ofitscourageousfeats.
SoIfeelthispowerfulspirit
Thisimmensepleasure,greatwealth
I feel jealous, alas! To keep this
spirit
Inlowsubservientdisgrace.
..
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Sevenhundredyearsflowintears
Thecountrylivinginforeignclutches
Icannotseeyourpainanymore
Only sorrowful fire in the heart of
India
My heart breaks thinking of the
sorrow
OfthepoorstateofIndians
Icannotholdmyheartanymore
Thinkwhatabadtimeitis
Onlymyheartburns.(1567)
As mentioned earlier, Krishnabhabini went to England along
with her husband in his second visit. During his stay there,
Devendra N. Das also indulged in writing and wrote regular
articles in several contemporary British magazines at the
behestofhisfriendswhowantedhimtoilluminetheEnglish
reading public on different aspects of Indian life. These
articleswerecollectedandpublishedin1887asSketches of
HindooLife.Inthebooktheauthormadeitclearthatitwas
not the work of some unknown Indian but penned by an
erudite person Devendra N. Das, B.A., Late Scholar of
Clare College, Cambridge, Lecturer at the Birkbeck
Institution,London.Hestatesatthebeginningofthebook:
In these Sketches I have tried to depict some
phases of the inner life of my countrymen in
India, and to make them as clear as possible to
Englishreaders.
andthenelucidates:
IhaveoftenbeenaskedbymyEnglishfriendsto
describe the orthodox mode of worship in a
Hindoo temple. Europeans have travelled
throughout the length and breadth of India,
visited almost all the places considered sacred
bytheHindoos,andhavelivedanddiedinIndia
yet hardly any of them have been able to give
an accurate description of the poojah, or
worship, in a Hindoo temple. And the reason is
not far to seek. 'None except strict Hindoos are
allowed to step within the precincts of the
Hindoo devalays, or abodes of gods, much less
to join in the service conducted in them. It is
with great pleasure, therefore, that I now recall
my young days, which I spent in the city most
veneratedbytheHindoosBenares(1).
SowhereDevendraN.Das,withhisOrientalistagenda,was
trying to educate his fellow Britishers with the myths,
religion and lifestyle of the Indians back in India speaking
about the jogee, the astrologer, the zemindars, the nautch
girls, the folklore of Indian birds, infant marriage, the
matchmaker, the Hindoo widow, funeral ceremonies et al
his wife was trying to educate the fellow Indians about
different aspects of British life the English race and their
nature,theEnglishlady,Englishmarriageanddomesticlife,
education and the system, religion and celebration, British
labour, trade, income, working class etc. This selfordained
mission of educating the people back home with the ground
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realitiesinEnglandiswhatmakesKrishnabhabinisnarrative
unique.
Before concluding it is worthwhile questioning the
significance of Krishnabhabinis travelogue once again.
Where does she stand visvis other women who travelled
to the west in the latter part of the nineteenth century?
Unlike Pandita Ramabai or Anandibai Joshi or Cornelia
SorabjifromMaharashtrawhowenttoEnglandwiththesole
aim of higher studies then denied to women scholars in
India, Krishnabhabini belonged to the scores of middle class
Bengali women who went to England for no special purpose
but usually as accompaniments of their menfolk. But at the
sametimetheyalsoappropriatedaspectsofEuropeantravel
discourse, particularly the set of oppositions between self
andother,EastandWest,homeandabroad.Inheranalysis
of womens travel narratives, Rita Felski describes a
contemporarymodel:
in which female selfdiscovery is depicted as a
process of confrontation and dialogue with a
social environment. Although the text often
emphasizes
internal
growth
and
self
understanding rather than public selfrealization,
only by moving out into the world can the
protagonist become critically aware of the
limitation of her previously secluded existence
and her unquestioning acceptance of the
circumscribed nature of womens social roles
(135).
Becauseoftravellingtoanewplacethisseparationfromthe
communityoforiginbecomesveryimportantforwomenlike
KrishnabhabiniDaswhocanthenseebothgenderandselfin
relief. Thus the significance of this first travelogue by a
Bengali woman from colonial Bengal cannot be
overestimated.
Notes
Unless otherwise stated, all translations from the original
Bengalitextaremine.
WorksCited
Das,DevendraN.SketchesofHindooLife.London:Chapman
andHallLimited,1887.
Das, Krishnabhabini. Englande Bongomohila. Calcutta: Sri
Satyaprasad Sarbadhikari, 1885. Rpt. Krishnabhabini Daser
Englande Bongomohila. Edited with an introduction by
SimontiSen.Calcutta:Stree,1996.
Felski, Rita. Beyond Feminist Aesthetics: Feminist Literature
and Social Change. Cambridge: Harvard University Press,
1989.
Gupta,Jayati.LondonThroughAlienEyes
http://www.literarylondon.org/london
journal/march2003/gupta.html
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