পুরুষতান্ত্রিকতার পেষণে নারীর স্বকীয়তা বিসর্জনের কাহিনী : সুচিত্রা ভট্টাচার্যের ‘দহন’/ The story of women's abandonment of their individuality in the face of patriarchy: Suchitra Bhattacharya's 'Dahan'

Abstract

The contemporary world is forging ahead, cloaked in the guise of modernity. Our daily lives are now governed by advanced technology and sophisticated intellectual concepts. Yet, in a true sense, we seem unable to become truly modern. While we are thoroughly enmeshed in external ostentation and glamour, deep within, we continue to harbor a mindset rooted in the archaic customs of a bygone era. We remain unable to truly liberate ourselves from the shackles of patriarchy; indeed, our daily existence continues to be dictated by it. The identity of a woman—encompassing her body, mind, soul, and individuality—is frequently neglected and violated. And our society, while paying lip service to the rhetoric of equal rights, invariably turns a blind eye when the moment of truth arrives. Suchitra Bhattacharya stands as a masterful interpreter of the female psyche. Through her literary works, she has repeatedly brought to the fore the stories of women who, amidst a dysfunctional process of social change, have at various times risen up as voices of protest. Her novel ‘Dahan’ (The Burning) tells the story of just such a woman. It centers on two women: Ramita and Jhinuk. When Ramita was assaulted by four young men at a Metro station, and while the crowd of onlookers remained mute and passive—with no one stepping forward to intervene—it was Jhinuk who fought alone to save her. Defying both society and her own kin, she plunged single-handedly into the fray to defend a woman's dignity. She even waged a solitary battle against the police and the legal system. Even when the world around her turned hostile, she did not waver an inch from her steadfast resolve. The very people she had relied upon to support her decision—her family, her relatives, and even the man she loved—eventually withdrew their support. Thus, she fought entirely alone for the girl she had saved; yet, even that girl's family failed to endorse such a woman's act of protest. It is rarely possible to sustain a struggle for long without the support of the wider world. The defiant young woman—Jhinuk—could not do so either. Ultimately, Jhinuk, too, was defeated by the dysfunctional and regressive social mindset. Her heart was left scorched and scarred, while the perpetrators went unpunished. In the end, Jhinuk was compelled to bow down before the prevailing social order; through the institution of marriage—which served as a set of shackles—her rebellious spirit was utterly crushed. Suchitra Bhattacharya has brought to light incidents from our own familiar milieu—starkly exposing them for all to see—and has thereby signaled the need for a transformation of our convention-bound social order.