The Home and the World

Set on a Bengali noble's estate in 1908, "The Home and the World" by Rabindranath Tagore is both a love story and a novel of political awakening. Nikhil is married to Bimala, living in the traditional domestic manner. Bimala has no expectation of her life ever deviating from her wifely path. The concept of "Swadeshi", a renewed appreciation of everything Indian, and a denial of everything British, particularly British imported goods and grains, rages throughout the country. The egocentric Sandip, a guest in Nikhil's home, is a fierce proponent of Swadeshi. Sandip finds himself passionately attracted to Bimala; he idealizes her as the epitome of "Mother" India, and pursues Bimala without reservation. Flattered by Sandip's attention, Bimala begins to question the nature of her marriage, and the three embark upon an emotional journey that will forever alter their lives, just as India begins a lengthy period of upheaval and unrest. Bimala, is torn between the duties owed to her husband, Nikhil, and the demands made on her by the radical leader, Sandip. Her attempts to resolve the irreconciliable pressures of the home and world reflect the conflict in India itself, and the tragic outcome foreshadows the unrest that accompanied Partition in 1947. A prolific Bengalese writer, Tagore structured "The Home and the World" such that three main characters represent the turbulence of the Partition that was yet to come to India in 1947. Author Rabindranath Tagore, who was awarded a Nobel laureate for literature in 1913, was one of the greatest writer in modern Indian literature.