New Women Of Tagore

The ‭woman protagonists of Tagore's writings are characters who served as a microcosmic world view of Tagore's ideologies and his innate ‬dissatisfaction with the prevailing patriarchal system which suppressed the basic human ‬rights ‭ of a woman.‬

K a l y a n i

"Aparichita” or "The Unknown Woman" is in alignment with a significant Tagorean theme, it features an independent-minded young woman striving to find her way in a traditionally male-dominated society. The woman that Kalyani turns out to be after her father decides to break her marriage, is a true portrait of feminism.

This look is my interpretation of the character of Kalyani. I have worn a Black and White Handloom in the telltale Bengali drape and accessorized with a minimalistic golden pendant and chandbalis.

C h a r u l a t a 

Nastanirh (The Broken Nest) and its protagonist, Charulata is perhaps the finest example of what society does to a woman’s potential by choosing to relegate her to the confines of her home, tying her down with stereotypes, and by teaching her to strip off her own ambitions. The emergence of the ‘New Woman’-educated, liberated, dressed differently from her more traditional counterparts and exposed to literacy and literature, yet confined to the andar mahal, precipitated a serious clash of personalities. It is this clash that Tagore exteriorized through the character of Charulata.

I have worn a Red Cotton Muslin with a white top with volume sleeves. I have accessorized with red and golden jhumkas, a mop chain, and golden bangles.

M r i n a l

Streer Patra (The Wife’s Letter) is an epistolary written by Tagore, expressing a woman’s plight and resentment with the way her life unravels. The plot revolves around Mrinal, who is married to an upper-class, upper-caste patriarchal zamindar household. Mrinal narrates, “Ma amar buddhi’ta niye khub udbighno chhilen, meye manusher pokkhe ek balai!” (Mother always used to worry about my intelligence, she thought that it was a curse for me!) Through the mouthpiece of his protagonist, Tagore exposes the hollowness of the Reforms movement of the then Calcutta, which gave the right of education to women, but barred them from exercising their intellect at par with the men.

I have worn a beautiful baby pink Dhakai Jamdani Saree, yet another product of Bengal's heritage, in the telltale 'atpoure' or Bengali drape. I have accessorized with pearl jewelry to complete the look.

Literature has always been intricately linked with fashion. Within every strand of fabric, there is a fiction to be woven and within every fiction, the characters live through their costumes. Tagore’s women not only exemplify the rich cultural heritage of Bengal’s handloom but also stand as embodiments of feminism.