Review: Durgesh Nandini By Bankim Chandra Chatterjee (Translated by B.M. Bhalla)

Durgesh Nandini is a story full of romance, mystery, thrill, twist and turns. The story took me to the time of kings, queens, nobles, honour, courage, empire and Valour. It’s a tale of wars between Mughals, Pathans and Rajputs. It’s based on instant attraction and infatuation of two hearts of Prince Jagat Singh of Amber and Tilottama the daughter of Chieftain of Mandaran. Their first encounter takes place with romantic settings full of thrill in an atmosphere of dark apprehension in Saileshwara temple. The story goes around their journey to attain their love. Durgesh Nandani literally means daughter of lord of the fort. The title not too much discloses about the happening of inside, it just gives an analogy to the reader, just a small connotation about the story. Both Tilottama and Ayesha can lay claim to being the woman referred to in the title of the novel which can be translated as the “Daughter of the Master of the Fort.”Tilottama’s father Virendra Singha and Ayesha’s father Katlu Khan are both chieftains and lords of their own forts. Bankim Chandra presents a vision which rejects narrow division of religion, caste and sex.

 Jagat Singh, a General of Mughal army and son of Raja Man Singh met Tilottama, daughter of Virendra Singha, a feudal lord of south-western Bengal in Mandaran and they fell in love with each other. While they were preparing for a marriage ceremony, Katlu Khan, Pathan leader attacked Mandaran. Birendra Singh died in the battle and Jagat Singh was imprisoned along with Virendra’s widow Bimala and their daughter Tilottama. Katlu Khan’s daughter Ayesha saved Tilottama from her father’s lust, but Ayesha herself fell in love with Jagat Singh. Later, Bimala revenged her husband’s death by stabbing Katlu Khan. In the meantime, Man Singh signed a pact with the Pathans and they set Jagat Singh free. But Ayesha’s lover Usman challenged Jagat Singh in a duel which Jagat Singh won. Realising that Jagat Singh would never marry a Muslim woman, Ayesha gave up hope for him, but she eventually helped Tilottama to get married to Jagat Singh. The novel ends with the recovery of the fort with the death of Katlu Khan and a truce being signed between the warring factions with stability being restored. The image that the reader is left with at the end is that of the lonely but regal Ayesha returning to her own home where she is destined to live without the man she loves

Bimala is one of the very strong characters, carefully nurtured and depicted by Bankim Chandra the true Hindu, the ideal wife. After avenging death of her husband she continues to be with Tilottama, her child-surrogate and assume the role of the only parent after Virendra’s death. Among the less admirable characters is the Brahmin Abhiram Swami who is Bimala’s father.  He is depicted as an intelligent and learned man who had an unprincipled youth.  As an upper caste man who consorted with a lower caste woman out of wedlock, he transgresses caste barriers but not in a way that we can admire.  He is driven by lust and Bimala, the product of this union, has to bear the burden of being the daughter of an untouchable and unmarried woman.  Yet Bimala harbors no grudge for her father.

It is novel about feudal ideals where high-born Pathan and Hindu men and women behave according to codes of chivalry and courtly romance.  Yet in these characters we can see features that become the hallmark of the men and women of the later novels—heroes and heroines of great strength who are capable of making extreme personal sacrifices for high ideals, guru-figures who are men of deep learning who provide guidance at critical moments, and others.

Brij Mohan Bhalla is a poet, critic, educationalist and translator. This translation would provoke sense of uncomforting to any foreign reader just to keep Indian touch to the novel, and place reader far enough to judge the novel and not only to flow in the emotion but to understand the difference in situation of character at that time.

The overall writing captures my interest and keeps me indulge in the story.The plot is full of twist and turns to keep keen interest in the plot and build a very good attachment for the characters of novel. It motivates me for further exploration of Bengali literature work specially that of Bankim Chandra Chatterjee.