Part of The 52 project.
About The 52 project
The
52 project is an attempt by me to read 52 books in a year.( i.e. in 52
weeks.) It started from last Diwali and would end by next Diwali.
Book review
The Post office by Rabindranath Tagore
The post office is a Bengali play by Rabindranath Tagore. His first ever literary work for me to get a feel of his brilliance. The English translation of this play was done by the celebrated poet, WB Yeats. Someone who swept me off my feet when I read his lines, written almost a century ago :
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;I have spread my dreams under your feet;Tread softly, because you tread on my dreams.
Coming back to the play, it is almost impossible to understand unless you understand the symbolism in his play. The language is deceptively simple. You'll not be able to makes sense of what you are reading, initially. But when you understand the what he is trying to convey by the play, you'll be awed beyond measure.
The main essence of the play is to show the effect of British Colonialism on the Indian mindset and the aspirations of the youth at that time. Different characters represent different sections of the society of that era. The King represents the British Empire. Madhav, the guardian of young ill boy Amal, represents the older generation. Amal symbolises the youth, eager to break free of traditional, routine life.
The story begins with Amal being very ill and Madhav trying to cure him with the help of a doctor. Amal is a curious kid but is asked to restrict himself to the bed till he gets cured. But his curiosity urges him to look out of the door and window & talk to people moving outside his house. He meets interesting characters and also gets to know about a Post office being built near his house.
Amal, now starts believing that the King will be writing a letter to him and that it will be delivered to him soon.
In the meantime, he meets the dairyman selling curd, the watchman, the headman, a girl and a bunch of boys. Each character lends his/her own view point of the world to him.
Final verdict : 4/5
The play is small but pushes you to think back hard on each dialogue and wonder what the author could have meant based on what each character symbolizes. It's an amazing journey and good food-for-thought for the entire weekend.
Links to read it for free
Although the cost of the book is not much, you can also read it for free here.
The allegory/symbolism in this play can be understood from here.
