Ghosh- 1

Agnibhu Ghosh

212235-21-0001

235-1111-0002-21

DSE-B3

Binodini Dasi’s Autobiography Portrays the Stage as an Ambiguous Space

Binodini Dasi (1863-1942) was born at Cornwallis Street, Calcutta, in 1863. Her

family was destitute and believed to have engaged in sex work. She was the eldest kid of an

impoverished household. Binodini, like many other girls from underprivileged families, was a

victim of child marriage. She was just about five when she married, but the marriage did not

last.

Gangabai, a vocalist, made infrequent visits to Binodini's home. Binodini's mother

requested that Gangabai teach her music when she reached the age of 7. Gangabai saw

Binodini's skill, but due to the financial difficulties, she was unable to showcase it. She

assumed responsibility for providing exposure to her students. Going to school and taking

music instruction was discontinued. Purna Chandra Mukherjee and BrajaNath Seth were two

theater figures who frequently listened to Gangabai's music. When Gangabai told them about

Binodini, they accepted the tiny girl to Bhuban Mohan Niyogi's "Great National Theater,"

and her theatrical career started. She had to become the mistress of three different people, the

last of whom protected her for twenty-nine years.

During the late colonial period (late 19th to early 20th century), Bengali commercial

theater offered a platform for women from lower social backgrounds and/or former

prostitutes to express themselves. The play glorified upper-caste and middle-class Hindu
 Ghosh- 2

women on stage, but degraded them beyond that. Binodini's writings shed light on the role of

violence in shaping identities and places for women in the Hindu elite.

Binodini defined her identity as an actor based on her standing within the artistic

community. Although she saw herself as a member of the theatre and made significant

sacrifices to support her family, the theater was unable to save her from a degraded lifestyle.

Indeed, the stage was an equivocal zone, both appealing and deceiving. The actresses in the

illusory stage took on many roles, including queens, princesses, mythic/historical heroes,

mothers, and other social positions. The stage piqued their interest, but nationalistic rhetoric

deemed them unrespectable due to their public performance that went beyond the boundaries

of 'spirituality'.

Binodini began her career in public theatre as a child actor when she was 10 or 11

years old. Despite her theatrical career, she continued to pursue the vocation she was born

into. She had to sell her body to a wealthy non-Bengali patron, Gurmukh Roy, who agreed to

support the ailing theatrical group. Despite her passion to art, Binodini's contributions to

Bengal theatre were not recognized until the 1960s and 1970s. Binodini accepted the status of

a mistress to construct "B" Theatre, which would honor his sacrifice even though the theatre

was registered as "the Star" theatre. The decision to name the new theater after a prostitute

may send a negative message and risk losing support from the bhadrolok community. As a

result, she was forced to prostitution and blamed for her downfall. Her comrades, who were

now rising executives in the theatrical business, mistreated her and forced her to quit. The

self-spirited woman felt misled and offended, leading her to withdraw from the stage.

Binodini was disillusioned by the public theater's "rescue act" of releasing prostitute-actresses

from their ignoble lives.

 Ghosh- 3

Binodini worked hard to overcome her social stigma and become a respected woman.

She retired from her profession due to the ineffectiveness of 'mancha'. She joined the realm

of'sansar', a secret zone of household joy fostered by patriarchal patriotic discourse. Binodini

lived with her bodyguard for 33 years after quitting the theatre. Binodini acted as both a

mother and a loyal wife while remaining within her home. But she was never granted equal

rank with the bhadramahila. After Gurmukh Ray's death, his'real' family evicted Binodini

from the residence. Binodini eventually forced to revert to 'patitapalli', a status she acquired

at birth.

According to Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak's acclaimed research paper "Can Subaltern

Speak?", subaltern women's texts lack originality due to their lack of subject position as

colonized individuals. She is often portrayed as the victim of patriarchy and imperialism, as

others speak on her behalf. Binodini, while being classified as a subaltern in colonial Bengal,

retains her unique subjective voice. Binodini's position of marginalization (Imperialism,

patriarchy, respectable women, and public women) allowed her to express herself because

she had nothing to lose. Taslima Nasreen, a radical writer from contemporary Bengal,

believes that protesting against institutionalization requires freedom from its ideology.

Binodini's Amar Katha and Amar Abhinetri Jiban, brimming with such bold

questions, serve as works of resistance. Binodini's literature represents feminist, marginal,

and public women's resistance against mainstream patriarchy. The terms'subjectivity',

'agency', 'experience', and 'identity' are extensively disputed in contemporary feminist

philosophy. According to Chris Weedon, personal 'experience' is a fundamental component

of a woman's'subjectivity' in the 19th century. A woman's'self' is shaped by her observation

and practical involvement with the world. Binodini's situation is not an exception.
 Ghosh- 4

Binodini's publications provide a comprehensive history of public theatre in colonial

Bengal, filling in gaps left by patriarchal accounts. Binodini's book is a feminist response to

patriarchal gender stereotypes that label her as a 'fallen lady'. Binodini's Atmakatha aims to

rewrite history from a female perspective, challenging traditional literary conventions.

Binodini's autobiographies, Amar Katha and Amar Abhinetri Jiban, offer a unique

perspective from a marginalized woman, adding value to history. Binodini overcame the

societal stigma of being labeled as a 'nati' (public female dancer) and pushed society to

reassess her role as an actor. We now refer to 'Nati Binodini' as a renowned Thespis, rather as

a prostitute. Binodini's effort for the canonization of public actors ought to be recognized by

modern female performers, who today have social prestige and respect.
 Ghosh- 5

Works Cited

Dāsī, Binodinī. My Story and My Life as an Actress. 1998.

Dandapat, Sourav, and Julia Swindells. “Understanding History: A Reading of Binodini

Dasi’s Autobiography.” Journal of the Department of English Vidyasagar University,

vol. Vol. 12, 2014, pp. 143–44.

inet.vidyasagar.ac.in:8080/jspui/bitstream/123456789/1501/1/14.pdf.

Mukherjee, Sudeshna. “Binodini the Rebel and Quintessential Other of Bengali Theater.”

Online International Interdisciplinary Research Journal, by Centre for Women’s

Studies, Bangalore University, vol. 08, Aug. 2018, p. 233.

www.oiirj.org/oiirj/aug2018-special-issue/36.pdf.