Nature of Romance in Short Stories by Rabindranath Tagore selected (রবীন্দ্র নির্বাচিত ছোটগল্পে প্রেমের গতিপ্রকৃতি)

Abstract

Rabindranath Tagore, the first worthwhile short story writer in Bengali Literature. Every branch of literature had been an easy walk for him. Though bound by the organized and orderly environment in Jorasanko Tagore Family during childhood, he with all his soul had been intensely attracted towards the infinity. Tagore has explained nature and love through his acquired philosophical visions. Like all his other literary works, we get enlightened by the deep reality of life through his short stories. The explanation of love through his short stories is eternal. He didn’t keep romance just bound by fusion. Melody of fullness has become prominent also in separation. He didn’t feel the presence of both lovers to be the necessary condition for fullness of romance. Thus most of his short stories end with failed relationship. In the ongoing essay, love has been explained by four of his short stories, ‘Ekratri’, ‘Nisheekhe’, ‘Durasha’ and ‘Postmaster’. ‘Ekratri’ makes reader feel the deepest truths of love. The narrator is restless when he can’t get close to his childhood companion, Surabala whom the narrator once could have achieved even without any desire. At the horizons of his life, the narrator feels the absence of Surabala’s love. At a time the way the author has portrayed the encounter of the narrator and Surabala at the bank of a small lake on a rainy night, is eternal. In ‘Durasha’ Tagore has portrayed one sided love through General Kesharlal and the daughter of the Nawab of Badrayun, Gulam Kader Khan. In the story the daughter of the Nawab was Muslim, and General Kesharlal was Brahmin. The Brahmin General could in no way accept the craving of the Muslim woman for him. But at the last moments of his life, the Brahmin general did marry and live together with a Bhutanese woman from a distinct religion. In the story ‘Nisheekhe’ the memories of an unfulfilled love didn’t let Dakshinaranjan Babu to live with peace at any moment of his life. Dakshinaranjan Babu was unable to move out of the unconditional love of his former wife even after her death. That’s why past memories floated in his mind whenever he tried to present his love towards his later wife. The last story to be discussed is ‘Postmaster’, where the incomplete love between the postmaster and girl kid, Ratan has been portrayed. The heartbreaking pain in the immature heart of Ratan has been portrayed through the story.