Portrayal of Bengali Renaissance in Satyajit Ray’s films
Western education / Modern ideas (Mahanagar, Devi)
The liberal ideas of the West played a crucial role in the awakening of Bengal. Modern ideas substituted the age old customs and it began with the establishment of Brahmo Samaj and spread of English education. The concepts and ideas from the West forced the educated youth to think in a rational manner and they started despising everything that is traditional. In this concern, the historian Ramesh Chandra Majumdar puts it, “Reason and judgement took the place of faith and belief; superstition yielded to science; immobility was replaced by progress, and a zeal for reform of proved abuses over powered age-long apathy and inertia, and a complacent acquiescence in whatever was current in society.” The conflict between rational and irrational ideologies is seen in literature and films of Bengal. Satyajit Ray’s Devi …show more content…
In the early 19th century, Bengal Renaissance has wiped away almost all the injustices in the society. The title of Ghare Baire is has two symbolic implications: the metamorphosis of a simple house wife from Ghare (home) to her involvement in Swadeshi movement (Baire). It can be a symbolic tile of the turmoil in the home and the world. The plot revolves around Nikhilesh Chaudhary, a broad minded wealthy landlord, his wife Bimala and his friend Sandip, a revolutionary leader of Swadeshi Movement. Both Nikhil and Sandip belong to Bengal bhadralok. While Sandip is ready to do violent activities to enforce Swadeshi among people, Sandip is skeptical about it because he is concerned about the poor Muslim merchants of his village. By promoting Swadeshi, the impact is felt on the poor merchants. Sandip is least bothered about all the consequences for he gives importance to his goal, whereas Nikhil seems to be a bourgeoise but is concerned for the oppressed. The
Western education / Modern ideas (Mahanagar, Devi)
The liberal ideas of the West played a crucial role in the awakening of Bengal. Modern ideas substituted the age old customs and it began with the establishment of Brahmo Samaj and spread of English education. The concepts and ideas from the West forced the educated youth to think in a rational manner and they started despising everything that is traditional. In this concern, the historian Ramesh Chandra Majumdar puts it, “Reason and judgement took the place of faith and belief; superstition yielded to science; immobility was replaced by progress, and a zeal for reform of proved abuses over powered age-long apathy and inertia, and a complacent acquiescence in whatever was current in society.” The conflict between rational and irrational ideologies is seen in literature and films of Bengal. Satyajit Ray’s Devi …show more content…
In the early 19th century, Bengal Renaissance has wiped away almost all the injustices in the society. The title of Ghare Baire is has two symbolic implications: the metamorphosis of a simple house wife from Ghare (home) to her involvement in Swadeshi movement (Baire). It can be a symbolic tile of the turmoil in the home and the world. The plot revolves around Nikhilesh Chaudhary, a broad minded wealthy landlord, his wife Bimala and his friend Sandip, a revolutionary leader of Swadeshi Movement. Both Nikhil and Sandip belong to Bengal bhadralok. While Sandip is ready to do violent activities to enforce Swadeshi among people, Sandip is skeptical about it because he is concerned about the poor Muslim merchants of his village. By promoting Swadeshi, the impact is felt on the poor merchants. Sandip is least bothered about all the consequences for he gives importance to his goal, whereas Nikhil seems to be a bourgeoise but is concerned for the oppressed. The