Summary of Bankim Chandra Chatterjee's "Chandra Shekhar" (1875/1904)
Full text of novel is here.
Tags: Historical Romance, Colonialism, East India Company, Declining Mughal Empire, Abducted wives, Forbidden love, Distracted Brahmins vs. fighters, Melodrama, Testing women's "purity" after abduction
Themes to look for: Readers familiar with the Ramayana will note the similarities in the abduction of Shaibalini to that of Sita in the Ramayana. Note that there are actually two parallel plots involving women thought to have been 'dishonored' by their connection to Lawrence Foster. The Muslim woman, Dalani Begum, is brought down by the rumors and dies by suicide. By contrast, the Hindu woman, Shaibalini, remains "pure" and is also reunited with her husband Pratap Sharma (though her true love -- forbidden to her to marry by caste/kin rules -- has to walk away). Critics have long questioned Bankim's depiction of Muslim characters, and it appears that this novel fits into a pattern of negative depictions (though readers are encouraged to look at the novel to decide for themselves).
Summary
Chandra Shekhar is a historical romance set in the late 1700s in Bengal. It contains explicit accounts of the arrival of the East India Company, with a Company officer, Lawrence Foster, as a villain. It also depicts the declining Mughal Empire.
Early Love and the Hand of Fate
The narrative begins on the banks of the Bhagirathi, where two childhood companions, Pratap and Shaibalini, grow up bound by a deep, unspoken affection. Despite their bond, Pratap knows their distant kinship and shared blood prevent them from ever marrying.
Shaibalini thought she would be married to Pratap. But Pratap knew, it was not to be. Shaibalini was the daughter of one of Pratap's kindreds. The relation was, no doubt, distant, but still they had the same blood in them. This was Shaibalini's first mistake. Shaibalini was a poor man's daughter. She had none but her mother. They had nothing but a cottage and Shaibalini's immense beauty. Pratap too was very poor.
Shaibalini was growing in years. Her beauty was every day increasing like the new moon, till she reached the height of her glory; but she could not be married. Marriage meant expense, and who would bear it? Who would discover, and pick up, as priceless, that beauty in that wilderness?
Both families are poor, and Shaibalini’s beauty grows in a "wilderness" without prospects. In a desperate act of youthful passion, they attempt a suicide pact by swimming into the swollen river during the rainy season; however, while Pratap sinks to drown, Shaibalini is seized by a sudden fear of death and swims back to shore.
Pratap is rescued from the river by Chandra Shekhar Sharma, a scholarly and ascetic Brahmin bachelor. Here is how Chandra Shekhar is introduced:
Chandra Shekhar taking hold of Pratap, swam back to the boat, and got him on it. He took his boat to the Ghat, landed with Pratap, and took him to his house. Chandra Shekhar was detained there by Pratap's mother. She fell at his feet and prevailed on him to be her guest that day. Chandra Shekhar, however, remained ignorant of the secrets of Pratap's attempt at suicide.
Shaibalini could not think of appearing before Pratap again. But Chandra Shekhar saw her and was charmed. Chandra Shekhar was not in easy circumstances at the time. He had passed his thirty-second year. He had domestic concerns but had no attraction for this world. He was still a bachelor, and knowing the changes that marriage brings in to be unfavourable to the acquisition of knowledge, he looked upon it with indifference. But lately, a little over a year, his mother had died, and he had already begun to feel that his bachelor life itself was a hinderance. In the first place, he had to cook his food himself, and that took away much of his time—hampered his studies, and his works as a teacher of youths. Secondly, he had a Shalgram* in his house, whom he worshipped every day. Everything in that connection he had to do himself, and that again, required time. The services of the deity could not be performed without hitches. His household affairs suffered in consequence, yea, it happened sometimes that he could not even get his meals ready. He often missed his books and could not find them out. He often forgot where he kept his money or whom he paid. His income could not cover his expenses, although his wants were very few and small. Chandra Shekhar thought his condition would improve, in some respects, if he would marry.
Chandra Shekhar, though indifferent to worldly ties and dedicated to his studies and his deity, is captivated by Shaibalini’s beauty when he encounters her. He decides to marry her, primarily to assist with his household and religious duties, though he remains mostly absorbed in his old manuscripts and philosophical discussions.
Abduction and Spiritual Ruin
The peaceful but emotionally hollow domestic life of Chandra Shekhar and Shaibalini is shattered when Lawrence Foster, a servant of the East India Company, becomes obsessed with Shaibalini.
Here is how Lawrence Foster is introduced:
Exploiting Chandra Shekhar’s absence—he had been summoned by the Nawab Mir Kasim for his astrological expertise—Foster and his men loot the house and abduct Shaibalini in a palanquin.THE East India Company had a silk factory at Purandarpur, a village very close to Bedagram. Lawrence Foster was in charge of that factory. When young, Lawrence was disappointed in his love for Mary Foster and came to Bengal as a servant of the East India Company. As Englishmen now-a-days become affected with various diseases when they come to India, so, in former times the Indian atmosphere used to disease their mind with a lust for plunder. After his arrival in India, Foster soon fell a victim to this evil influence. Mary's image, therefore, disappeared from his mind's eye. Once he had been to Bedagram on some business—his eyes fell upon the smiling lily-like Shaibalini, in the waters of the Bhima. Shaibalini ran away at the sight of a whiteman, but Foster returned to the factory reflecting all the way. Thinking on and on, he at last decided that dark eyes were prettier than pale-blue eyes and black hairs were finer than brown ones. All on a sudden, the idea crossed his mind that in the troubled sea of the world, woman is, as it were, a raft and that every man should seek her help. Those Englishmen are indeed very clever, who take Bengalee beauties as companions of their life and thus save the clergyman's dues. Many Bengalee girls have been seduced to worship English profligates for money—may not Shaibalini be tempted to do so? Foster, accompanied by a native officer of the factory, came to Bedagram again and both of them remained concealed in a bush. The officer saw Shaibalini and marked out her house.
When Chandra Shekhar returns to find his home plundered and his wife gone, his grief is profound. In a symbolic rejection of his former life, he burns his priceless collection of books and leaves his home with only a simple sheet, becoming a wandering ascetic. Meanwhile, Shaibalini’s friend Sundari attempts to rescue her from Foster’s boat, but Shaibalini, feeling she has already lost her caste and social standing, refuses to return home, choosing instead to follow her uncertain path toward Monghyr.
The Intertwined Fate of Dalani Begum
Parallel to these events is the story of Dalani Begum (Doulatunnissa), the favorite wife of Nawab Mir Kasim. Her brother, Gurgan Khan, is the Nawab’s Commander-in-Chief, a man of immense ambition who seeks to overthrow both the English and the Nawab to rule Bengal himself. Here is how Gurgan Khan is introduced:
Dalani, fearing for her husband’s life as war with the English looms, attempts to dissuade her brother from conflict. Gurgan Khan, viewing her as a liability to his secrets, prohibits her re-entry into the castle, leaving her stranded in the streets of Monghyr.THE name of the person to whom Dalani's letter was carried, was Gurgan Khan. Gurgan Khan was the highest and the ablest of all the officers of the Nawab, in Bengal, at the time. He was an Armenian by nationality. Ispahan was his birth place. Rumour has it that he was originally a cloth-dealer. But he was a man of uncommon parts and abilities. Within the short period of his service under the Nawab, he obtained the exalted post of the Commander-in-chief. Nor was that all; after his appointment as the Commander-in-chief, he organised a rifle-corps and trained and armed it after the European fashion. The guns and rifles which he got made in Bengal under his supervision, surpassed in quality even those made in Europe. His rifle-corps in every respect became equal to that of the English. Mir Kasim had hoped so far that with Gurgan Khan's help he would overthrow the English. Gurgan Khan's influence consequently became very great. Mir Kasim would do nothing without consulting him. The Nawab would never listen to anything said against his advice. So Gurgan Khan had virtually become a bit of a Nawab. The Mahamedan high officials, therefore, got annoyed.
Dalani and her maid Kulsam find temporary refuge with Chandra Shekhar, who is now living as an anonymous hermit. This connection eventually leads to Dalani being mistakenly swept up in the English arrest of Pratap, further entangling the fates of the two women.
Pratap’s Heroism and the Ganges Swim
Pratap, having risen to become a wealthy and influential Zemindar, dedicates himself to finding Chandra Shekhar and Shaibalini. In a daring night raid, he murders an English sentinel, wounds Foster, and rescues Shaibalini from the English Budgrow. Here is how that rescue is described in the text:
At this moment, a report of a gun unexpectedly came from within the bush. The sentinel on the Budgrow was struck by a bullet and fell into the water. Pratap then moved to the spot, where the dark shadow of the boat had fallen and dipped himself into the water up to the chin. No sooner was the report of the gun heard, than the sepoys on the cargo boat shouted out, "What, ho!"
Those who were sleeping in the Budgrow now got up. Foster came out with his gun. He began to look around very closely. He found that the Telinga sepoy had disappeared. In the star-light, he could see his dead body floating away on the river. At first, he thought that it was the Nawab's sepoys who had killed him. But immediately after, he noticed a thin line of smoke, in the direction of the bush. Moreover, he saw that the men who were in the other boat were running up towards the Budgrow, to enquire what had happened. The stars were sparkling in the sky—lights were burning in the town—at the bank of the Ganges there were rows of boats, lying motionless in the darkness, like so many monsters, inert and lifeless in sleep—the ever-flowing Bhagirathi was running in murmurs—and in her current the corpse of the sentinel was floating away. Foster saw all these, in the twinkling of an eye.
Seeing the thin line of smoke above the bush, Foster raised his gun to fire in that direction. He could fully understand that the enemy was lying concealed in that bush. He could also feel that the hidden enemy who had killed the sentinel, might at any moment kill him as well. But he had come out to India after the battle of Plassey, and he could not believe that a native of Bengal would level his gun against an Englisnman. Besides, he thought that to an Englishman it was better to die than to fear an Indian foe. So, he had taken his stand there and raised his gun to fire. But instantly a flash of light was seen in the bush—a report of a gun was again heard— Foster was struck on the head and he fell into the water of the Ganges like the sentinel. His gun fell on the boat with a noise.
As they escape by swimming across the Bhagirathi—mirroring their childhood suicide attempt—Pratap addresses her with the familiar "Shai".
All these Pratap could see, but Shaibalini's eyes were blind to them. The pale and emaciated white face which she had seen on the top of the Budgerow, exclusively occupied her mind, and she was swimming but mechanically. But there was no rest—both of them were experts in swimming. Pratap was taking great delight in swimming along the placid waters of the flowing Bhagirathi —his heart was simply overflowing with joy. He called out in an affectionate and cheerful voice,
" Shaibalini — Shai! "
This warm and loving address thrilled Shaibalini through and through—her heart beat violently within her. In their younger days, Pratap took delight in calling her, " Shai " or " Sai *," and it was after a long, long time that he again addressed her in that sweet familiar mode! The fleeting away of time cannot be measured by months or years. Its flow is swift or tardy as our situation is pleasant or unpleasant. To Shaibalini, the few days she had not been greeted by Pratap in that fond and affectionate manner, appeared to be as long as the great interval between two ages. Shaibalini was overpowered with emotion, and she closed her eyes, as she was gliding away through that vast sheet of water; she asked the moon and the stars over her head, to bear witness to what had fallen from Pratap's lips. She then said, with her eyes closed as before,
" Pratap, why even to day the silvery beams of the moon should smile upon the waters of the Ganges?"
Pratap. Shai! We are safe now—no one is pursuing us.
Shaibalini. Let us then get up on the bank.
Pratap. Shai!
Shaibalini. What will you say, Pratap?
Pratap. Do you still remember?
Shaibalini. What is it, Pratap?
Pratap. Do you remember that never-to-be-forgotten-day, when we both swam in the river as we do now?
He forces her to realize the sin of her heart, making her swear a sacred oath on the Ganges to never think of him again and to dedicate herself to controlling her mind. Recognizing that her presence brings ruin to those she loves, Shaibalini flees into the mountains to perform a grueling penance.
The Ordeal in the Cave and Madness
Under the guidance of the mysterious Ramananda Swami, Shaibalini endures seven days of isolation in a dark cave. She is plagued by horrific visions of hell, where she is tormented by skeletal crocodiles and rivers of blood as punishment for her spiritual infidelity. This mental ordeal shatters her mind, and when Chandra Shekhar finally finds her, she has lapsed into insanity, unable to recognize him and speaking in riddles of her childhood.
Chandra Shekhar, using spiritual and psychic force (facilitated by the Swami’s instruction), manages to temporarily "cure" her through a hypnotic state. In this state, Shaibalini confesses that while she had sinned in her heart by loving Pratap, she remained physically stainless and had never succumbed to Foster.
Political Tragedy and the Durbar
The political tensions culminate in the death of Dalani Begum. Falsely accused by the treacherous Mahammad Taki Khan of being Foster’s mistress, she receives a fatal order from the Nawab. Out of devotion to her husband, she consumes poison and dies, a martyr to her love. Later, at the Nawab’s Durbar, Kulsam and Foster reveal the truth of her innocence, leaving the Nawab devastated.
The Final Sacrifice at Udayanalla
The story reaches its climax during the Battle of Udayanalla. Pratap, realizing that as long as he lives, Shaibalini will never be truly free from the "frailty" of her heart, decides to seek death in the field of battle. Despite Chandra Shekhar’s pleas for mercy toward their enemies, Pratap enters the fray.
Ramananda Swami finds Pratap mortally wounded among a heap of soldiers. In his final moments, Pratap confesses that his lifelong love for Shaibalini was a desire for self-sacrifice rather than selfish gain. He dies with the Swami’s blessing, viewed as a "stainless soul" who conquered his passions by giving his life so that Shaibalini and Chandra Shekhar could find peace.
The novel concludes with Shaibalini’s redemption and return to her husband, while the noble Pratap departs for an "eternal land of glory," his sacrifice serving as the ultimate act of devotion.