The Home and the World (Ghare-Baire)

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Maharaja of Burdwan, Mr. Amiya Haldar

Lady Ranu Mukherjee, Mr. Rabindranath Halder Mrs. Krishna Kejriwal, Dr. Mihir Mitra

Mr. Nawal Kishore Kejriwal, Mr. Kamal Ghosh Mr. Amiya Mukherjee, Mr. Asit Choudhury

Mrs. Manjul Banerjee, Mr. Parimal Ray Mr. Sourish Roy, Mr. Nilmani Roy

Mr. Suvo Thakur Mr. Prashanta Roy

Dr. Adi Gajdar, Mr. Dipankar Sarkar Mrs. Roshon Gajdar, Mr. Gaur Kishore Ghosh

Mrs. Chitra Pal Chawdhury Mr. Dijendranath Basu, Mrs. Gopa Ghoshal

Mrs. Parimalhasini Ghosh, Mrs. Phyllis Bose, Bourne and Shepherd, Mr. Kamu Mukherjee

Zoom Sixteen, Mr. Joy Mitra Mr. Ajit Ghosh, Mr. Udit Roy

The lmambara of Metiabruz, Mr. Sudipto Chattapadhaya, lndian Tobacco Co.

Calcutta Police Training School Subdivisional Officer, Diamond Harbor

District Magistrate, 28 Parganas Chakdighi Panchayat Samiti

District Magistrate, Bankura Jamalpur Panchayat Samiti

District Magistrate, Burdwan Somsar Panchayat Samiti

Residents of Somsar, Goho, Chakdighi and Jamalpur villages

The National Film Development Corporation of lndia presents

THE HOME AND THE WORLD

A film by Satyajit Ray

from the novel by Rabindranath Tagore

with Soumitra Chatterjee, Victor Banerjee, Swatilekha Chatterjee

Gopa Aich, Manoj Mitra, Jennifer Kapoor

Bimala Chatterjee, lndrapramit Roy

Cinematography by Soumendu Roy

Art Direction by Ashoke Bose

Film Editing by Dulal Dutta

Makeup by Ananta Das

Screenplay, Music and Direction by Satyajit Ray

I have passed through fire.

What was impure in me

has been burned to ashes.

What remains, I dedicate to him,

to the man who accepted aII my faiIings in the depths of his stricken heart.

Now I know there is no one eIse Iike him.

It was 1 0 years ago when I first met him.

He was the son of a nobIe famiIy, and I was his bride.

I heard that my husband was of a gentIe disposition.

I considered myseIf fortunate. Not every bride is so Iucky.

When I joined the famiIy, my sister-in-Iaw was aIready a widow, wearing white.

Though it was never mentioned,

I couId see that she had never enjoyed the pIeasures of a happy maritaI Iife.

Our rooms were in the inner apartments of the paIace.

A passage with stained-gIass windows Ied to the outer apartments.

The door of this passage aIways remained cIosed to us.

I didn't mind the confinement,

because I was raised to foIIow traditionaI vaIues.

But my husband had modern views.

He was the first in his famiIy to receive a Western education.

He appointed Miss GiIby to make a memsahib out of me.

Why did you have to come here?

Soon even the cIothes I wore began to refIect Miss GiIby's infIuence.

English clothes, English songs.

Soon we won't even seem related.

-- You still haven't told me how l look. -- Very nice.

Pretty as a picture.

You're a lucky one.

You should grab your good fortune with both hands.

Few brides have known happiness in this family.

Some barely knew their husbands' faces, let alone the face of happiness.

l used to wait up for him all night,

hoping he'd come to me.

For two whole days before he died, l stayed by his bedside.

He was almost unconscious, dazed with fever.

He was burning hot.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes and said,

''Who are you?''

He didn't even recognize his own wife.

l wonder if you realize how lucky you are.

Why wouldn't l?

Don't l know my own --

Look who's here. We were just talking about you.

Really?

l thought only little girls played with dolls.

Now l see even grown men do.

-- What do you mean? -- She's dolling herself up for you.

Can't you see? -- l see.

She's going to make your dreams come true.

Well, men must have their little fantasies.

lsn't that true, sister--in--law?

Enjoy them.

l'll look on from the wings.

From the wings? Why?

What's the harm in staying here?

lt's better that way.

ln my day, we used attar.

These foreign perfumes make me feel sick.

l'll be going now.

Are these clothes all new?

The tailor brought them today.

They're all my own design.

l can see that.

You dress up so beautifully for me.

ls it right that l should be the only man to admire you?

You think l would dress up for any other man?

Why any other man?

l'm just thinking of the ones l've sung your praises to.

You think they're dying to catch a glimpse of me?

-- You know something? -- What?

ln the past, confining women to the house wasn't a Hindu custom.

Sita, Sabitri, Draupadi...

None of them were confined.

So what? Your Bimala is happy here.

Did you know that women used to choose their own husbands?

Have you heard of that?

Why are you laughing?

lf l'd had a choice, l might not have chosen you.

l know.

But you didn't have a choice.

How sad.

l'm envious...

of Draupadi...

and her five husbands.

All your life, you've only set eyes on one man.

How can you know what kind of man he is

if you can't compare him with others?

You aren't trying to bring back the classical age, are you?

What for?

Still, l see no logic in confining women.

l think the Muslims introduced the custom.

Hindus never cared about it.

Do you think people will reject this custom just because you say so?

lt's not the people l'm thinking of, Bimala.

You know l'm not like other people.

l don't think tradition should be followed blindly.

l would be really proud

if l could persuade you to meet my friends.

You mean him?

Sandip is a genius.

l have no intention of meeting someone who's constantly asking you for money

on one pretext or another.

Sandip is working for the good of our nation.

He's gifted, but has no money.

lf my money contributes to his good deeds, that's to my advantage.

For the good of our nation? What does he do?

The Swadeshi movement.

Do you know about it? -- Of course.

They often talk about it these days.

Boycott foreign goods.

Buy only lndian goods.

Don't buy foreign salt or sugar. Buy our own.

You know so much.

l read the newspaper.

-- Do you know why? -- l do.

Tell me.

Come. Sit down here and tell me.

Yes, master.

Tell me what's behind the Swadeshi movement.

The governor--general has split Bengal in two.

Hindus and Muslims used to live together in peace,

but he's driven a wedge between them.

You seem to forget that your wife is educated.

l speak English. Why wouldn't l know all this?

Sandip is a leader of the Swadeshi movement.

lsn't their mantra, ''Hail Motherland''?

Yes.

This mantra has set the whole nation on fire.

Except for one person.

lt hasn't set him on fire.

lt takes a lot to set me on fire, Bimala.

Although...

l certainly don't approve of Lord Curzon's decision.

Turning Hindus and Muslims against each other...

l think it's criminal.

Don't the Swadeshi burn foreign clothes?

Yes, they do.

lf they got hold of your sari, they'd burn it.

-- Really? -- Yes.

Do you know where this thread comes from?

Where?

-- Really? -- Yes.

Most of the articles on your dressing table are imported.

This brush is an import,

the mirror, the comb.

Your hairpins are imported.

These perfumes are French.

Even these bottles are imported cut glass.

The table's foreign too.

Most of the furniture in here comes from Lazarus.

lt's a foreign company.

Really?

We never even gave it a thought.

What do you think we should do?

Why not ask Sandip?

He's coming here.

-- Really? -- Yes.

-- When? -- Shortly.

He'll be my guest.

He's holding a meeting in our courtyard.

l think you'll enjoy meeting him.

Why?

Something about him appeals to women.

He's had quite a few affairs.

And not all the women believed in Swadeshi.

But he's not married, is he?

He says he has no time for it.

Married life doesn't suit him.

He has a restless nature,

unlike me.

Why would l enjoy meeting your opposite?

You may not enjoy it...

but you may find it instructive.