Devdas-the ideology, the philosophy and the character has been around for nearly a hundred and years, refreshed in public memory by repeated adaptation of the work into three talkies, the last one coming out in 2002. Yet after reading a book in the 21st century that was written in 1917 by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, i can say that movies have hardly been instrumental, leave alone critical in keeping Devdas fresh in our minds. Devdas-the jilted lover, suffering because of his own doings, left with no choice but drive himself to death by drinking heavily not noticing the beauty and love still left around him and finally consumed as he dies fulfilling a promise made years ago to someone whom he had not seen in many years-is the reason why this story has survived the test of time.

The story is set in a time when the zamindars were powerful, before partition and roots caste system was very strong in the village communities, prostitution was looked down upon, as it still is, and so was alcohol, which is not the case anymore. In a way the characters are a product of their times and the above mentioned scenario deeply influences the characters behaviour. For instance, Devdas’ mother believes that Paro is a good bride for Devdas yet all the cast considerations come into play and according to her it is “a shame” that she has to keep them in mind. Marriages in the pre partition era were always a bit of an enigma as can also be seen from Paro’s marriage to a 40 year old widower. Chandramukhi is one of the few characters whose experiences in the pre partition era and in 21^st century would have remained more or less unchanged. This goes a long way in making her appeal timeless. Like her the story itself does not have an associated time with it.  

The story starts from the time Devdas is a child. As the story unfolds the reader realises that the story of Devdas is quite the opposite of a 'bildungs roman', from a time when he has the love and proposal of Paro for marriage, a place he could call home, all the luxuries of 'decent' life and not the least good health, he goes on to live days where he is dying with fever in a bullock cart on his way to see Paro for the last time, in wont of touch of a loved one. The reason a casual reader may attribute to it would be alcohol but it is not the only one. Devdas has an "anti-opportunity" angle to his personality. He has a tendency to overlook and also throw away what he has which is the result of an upbringing that has spoilt him. His mercurial nature and inability to think rationally of the consequences defines his relationship with those around him. Chandramukhi calls it, in her own words “aggressive, brash charm” and she adds “there isn’t a woman on this earth who would deny herself this heaven’. This nature of the protagonist often brings ruin to him and those around him are dragged into the pain of it as well. The unpredictability along with adding multiple dimensions to Devdas make him quite the anti-hero, not your usual run of the mill protagonist. Devdas eventually matures to a certain extent and begins to respect those who care for him when he is nursed back to health by Chandramukhi.

The translation into English done by Sreejata Guha has a remarkably smooth flow. Although this subdues the Bengali element of the story, it does help to draw the reader into the interactions between characters and instances. A very unique feature of the narrative is that the character description is never given. All that is presented before the readers are the interactions and the instances forcing the readers to actually develop the character images. This is an engaging process since the characters keep evolving as the story unfolds and it also keeps the unpredictability of the narrative high.

Devdas is and was always meant to be a take on love, how love being the most cherished and desirable, yet the least understood of all of feelings becomes the one that complicates life the most bringing with it pain, crushing despair and hopelessness that pushes the lovelorn onto a self-destructive path. The relationships in this tale remain strictly emotional and do not have any physical touch which makes them even more beautiful. The powerful love triangle of Devdas – Paro – Chandramukhi brings out the unexplainable forms love takes. Devdas loves Paro yet is unable to make up his mind when it most matters and ends up being alone for the rest of his life. Paro loves him too yet she marries an elderly widower and for her marriage becomes little more than her duty to her parents. This unfulfilled love between two souls who were meant to be together brings out emotions in readers. The love of Chandramukhi, who being a prostitute is someone who is not “supposed” to feel, for Devdas also shows how a seasoned “player” of the “game” is caught unawares upon encountering the “aggressive, brash charm” of Devdas so much so that she gives up her livelihood and lives in the hope of seeing him once more before leaving Calcutta. Devdas’ love for Chandramukhi takes a different form and does not develop till he comes to know that she loves him. For him Paro was more than just someone he loved, like a sister as he realises much later and Chandramukhi is someone who he calls his “bou”, his wife. During his last days he realises that both of them meant the same to him, and he loved them both, showing how love may not be exclusively reserved for one. Devdas, despite being someone who was loved by two women, cannot bring himself to ask for their help because of his pride and indecisive nature. The end itself shows how in order to fulfil his promise to Paro Devdas leaves Dharmdas, the only companion he had left with him and ends up dying alone outside her house, when he was so near yet so far. Paro is not able to see him as her husband forbids it. On the other hand, Chandramukhi’s wish of seeing Devdas again comes true. This shows how fate could so cruel to some and kind to others. In the end, the reader is left to grieve for the unfulfilled love between Devdas and Paro, and Devdas and Chandramukhi and can only draw satisfaction from the fact that love was expressed even if it could not bloom.