DSE B3

Describe how Binodini Das rose from poverty to establish herself as an actress.

“My feeble memory seems to drag me to the dream world of another age in the past. I would like to
recount properly all that had taken place in that age—what I have never forgotten and can never forget,
what I loved once with all my heart and soul, whose attractions continue still to bind me—I wish to talk
about that theatre to the young actresses of today. But everything seems to grow blurred and confusing.
However, I shall say something of those days, I shall try to speak of those days.”

Binodini Dasi states that she was born in the metropolis of Calcutta, in a family without means or
property. It could not be said that they were miserably poor, for somehow they managed to scrape out
an existence. Her grandmother had a house of her own which had several rooms of mud and thatch.
That house, No. 145 on Cornwallis Street, is now in Binodini’s possession. All those rooms were occupied
by many poor tenants and the household of Binodini’s family was run with money from their rent.

“In our house lived Gangabai, a good singer, who eventually became a famous actress.”

. Binodini Dasi was about nine years old when she entered the Bengal stage. Gangamoni or Ganga baiji
was a singer of repute in those days. She was living as a tenant in Binodini’s grangmother’s house where
Binodini was also being brought up in poverty. Binodini was learning singing from Ganga Baiji. There she
came in attention of Babu Purnachandra Mukhopadhyay and Brajanath Seth. Purna Baby, with the
permission of Binodini’s grandmother admitted Binodini to the famous National Theatre at a monthly
salary of ten rupees.

“I was the daughter of poor people. I had never seen a play before I went to perform in a theatre. Let me
tell you how it was that I happened to come into that world. It is a story of long ago—I do not recall the
exact date. Sri Bhubanmohan Neogi (from the family of the Baghbazar Neogis) was then the owner of
the Great National and it was to his theatre that I first went. I was then around nine or ten.”

Binodini informs her readers that it was true that on the stage she worked according to the
instructions that were given her. However, at all times there was a certain desire, an eagerness hovering
within her. She thought to herself about how she could learn at the earliest the skills of these well known
actresses. Her mind was constantly involved in the performances of these actresses. Those days there
were only four actresses at the National Theatre: Raja, Khetramoni, Lakkhi and Narayani. Raja, who was
the most important actress of the time, got two short-sleeved printed blouses made for Binodini. Those
two blouses were her chief means of defence against the winter cold.

After leaving the Bengal Theatre Binodini was free to join the late Kedarnath-babu’s National Theatre.
Binodini began working with the respected Girish-babu mahashoy. Beginning from her early youth, the
best years of her life were spent under his guidance.

“The NationalTheatre had been started with tickets sold from their house, but they had no actresses in
their group: men played all the women’s roles. It was the owners of the Bengal Theatre who first began
to hire women for the stage.”
 The National Theatre was then going through a very bad time. Within a short while the theatre
went up for auction and a certain Marwari business- man called Pratapchand Johuree became the new
owner.

The good plays had all been staged already and were now old; new plays that were worth
producing were not to be found. Girish-babu composed a small geetinatya called Maya Taru (The
Enchanting Tree). This geetinatya was first staged together with Palashir Juddho (The Battle of Palashi).
Within a few nights, the audience began to crowd the theatre, attracted by the geetinatya. Binodini’s
performance as Phulhashi in this play made the editor of Reis and Rayyet, the late Shambhuchandra
Mukhopadhyay, write, “Binodini was simply charming.”

Gradually, Girish-babu’s Mohini Protima (The Enchanting Statue) and Anando Raho (Be Happy) began to
draw crowds. With Ravan Badh (The Slaying of Ravan) the hall began to be completely packed. All the
upstairs seats would be filled up every show day and, those rich and learned people who despised the
theatre were the very ones who bought tickets a cay or two in advance. The extraordinarily rapid success
of the theatre made the proprietor Pratapchand remark, “Binod has achieved the impossible!” He meant
that the success was magical. Eventually, they staged plays like Sitar Bonobas (The Exile of Sita). Their
theatre’s name spread far and wide as did the fame of Binodini Dasi.

From this time onwards, right up to the final phase of the Star Theatre on Beadon Street, Binodini had
worked continuously with Girish-babu. He was her teacher in her field of work and she was his first and
foremost disciple. It was Binodini who played the chief women characters in his plays.

On his part, he would guide her with the greatest of care to bring her work upto his own standard,Girish-
babu would instruct Binodini with great care on her role. His was a wonderful teaching method: first, he
would explain the bhava of the role in question; then, he asked Binodini to memorise the lines.

With this kind of special attention, Binodini began to learn about the art of acting, using her
intelligence and her knowledge. Whatever she had learnt earlier was like the cleverness of a bird that
has been taught to speak; she had herself not experienced much. She had not understood anything,
normistakes to her.

The Star Theatre was established in 1883 at 68, Beadon Street, Calcutta. Girish Chandra Ghosh after a
dispute at Minerva, decided to form his own theatre company and Binodini also wanted an
unconditional space for her artistic expansion and exposure. To incur funds for the theatre, Binodini
became mistress to Gurmukh Ray, a businessman, who agreed to sponsor the making of the Star
Theatre.She was also promised by her co-workers, who ventured with her to form the new theatre
space, that the theatre would be named after her—B Theatre. But it was ultimately named Star Theatre,
an act screeching of hypocrisy and politics practiced by the middle class; after all, how could a theatre be
named after a public woman.

The first play staged at the Star in 1883 was Daksha Yagna, with both Binodini and Girish Chandra in
leading roles. The following year, Chaitanya Lila was performed. Ramkrishna Paramahansha , the most
revered Hindu religious guru of the nineteen century Bengal, came to watch her performance in the role
of Chaitanya, in Chaitanyaleela and her performance impressed him so much so that he went down to
the stage to meet Binodini and blessed her. Bankim Chandra Chattopadhya also came to watch her
perform and was highly in praise of her, as was Swami Vivekananda. Soon after, Binodini once and for all
quit the professional stage at the age of twenty-three she quit her terrific theatrical career at 24,
spanning 12 years and 80 roles.

Bibliography

https://en.banglapedia.org/index.php/Dasi,_Binodini

https://www.sahapedia.org/binodini-woman-artist-19th-century-bengali-theatre-
0#:~:text=She%20worked%20for%20over%20two,died%20in%20the%20year%201903.

http://kolahal.org/2020/02/11/binodini-dasi-a-star-who-has-left-indelible-mark-in-the-hearts-of-theatre-
lovers/

https://www.natyakrishti.org/NoteeBinodini/Nati-Binodini-Biography-Rimli%20Bhattacharya.pdf