The Living and the Dead (p. 31)
jībita o mṛta. First published in sādhanā, Śrābaṇ (July-August) 1892; included in bicitra galpa, Vol. II. Translations: (1) ‘Alive and Dead’, in New India, 18 and 25 November 1901, possibly translated by the editor, Bipin Chandra Pal (2) ‘Living or Dead’ in HS.
The Postmaster (p. 42)
poṣṭmāṣṭār. First published in hitabādī, which ran for six weeks from 30 May 1891; included in choṭa galpa. Translations: (1) by Devendranath Mitter in The Modern Review, January 1911 (2) in MS and CS.
Profit and Loss (p. 48)
denāpāonā. First published in hitabādī (1891); included in choṭa galpa. Translation: ‘Debts and Dues’, by Sheila Chatterjee in Amrita Bazar Patrika, Puja Annual, 1960.
Housewife (p. 54)
ginni. First published in hitabādī (1891); included in choṭa galpa. Translation: ‘Name’, by Bhabani Bhattacharya in The Golden Boat (Allen & Unwin, London, 1932).
Little Master’s Return (p. 58)
khokābābur pratyābartan. First published in sādhanā, Agrahāyaṇ (November–December) 1891; included in bicitra galpa, Vol. I. Translations: (1) ‘My Lord, The Baby’, by C. F. Andrews with the author’s help in HS (2) ‘The Return of Khokababu,’ in HWS.
The Divide (p. 65)
byabadhān. First published in hitabādī (1891); included in choṭa galpa.
Taraprasanna’s Fame (p. 70)
tārāprasanner kīrti. First published in hitabādī (1891); included in choṭa galpa. Translation: ‘Taraprasanna’s Masterpiece’, by Sheila Chatterjee in Amrita Bazar Patrika, Puja Annual, 1960.
Wealth Surrendered (p. 76)
sampatti samarpan. First published in sādhanā, Paus (December–January) 1891–2; included in bicitra galpa, Vol. I. Translation: ‘The Trust Property’, by Prabhat Kumar Mukherjee in The Modern Review, May 1910, and MS.
Skeleton (p. 84)
kaṅkāl. First published in sādhanā, Phālgun (February–March) 1892; included in bicitra galpa, Vol. I. Translations: (1) ‘The Skeleton’, by Jatindramohan Bagchi in New India, 19 May 1902 (2) ‘The Skeleton’, by Prabhat Kumar Mukherjee in The Modern Review, March 1910 (3) ‘The Skeleton’ in MS (4) ‘A Study in Anatomy’ in GBL (5) ‘The Skeleton’, by Rabin Sarkar in Amrita Bazar Patrika, 14 May 1961.
A Single Night (p. 91)
ekrātri. First published in sādhanā, Jyaistha (May–June) 1892; included in chota galpa. Translation: ‘The Supreme Night’, by Jadunath Sarkar in The Modern Review, June 1912, and MS.
Fool’s Gold (p. 97)
svarnamrg. First published in sādhanā, Bhādra–Āśvin (August-September–October) 1892; included in bicitra galpa, Vol. I. Translations: (1) ‘The Golden Mirage’ in GBL (2) ‘The Fugitive Gold’ in BTS.
Holiday (p. 107)
chuti. First published in sādhanā, Paus (December–January) 1892–3; included in chota galpa. Translations: (1) ‘The School Closes’ in GBL (2) ‘The Home-coming’, by C. F. Andrews with the author’s help in HS, ST and CS.
Kabuliwallah (p. 113)
kābulioyālā. First published in sādhanā, Agrahāyan (November–December) 1892; included in choṭa galpa. Translations: (1) ‘Kabuli’, by G. Sharma in New India, 31 March and 14 April 1902 (2) ‘The Cabuliwallah’, by Sister Nivedita in The Modern Review, January 1912, and HS, ST, CS and TR1 (3) ‘The Fruit-seller’ in GBL.
The Editor (p. 121)
sampādak. First published in sādhanā, Baiśākh (April-May) 1893; included in choṭa galpa. Translations: (1) by W. W. Pearson in The Modern Review, August 1917, and BTS and MST (2) by Binayak Sanyal in Amrita Bazar Patrika, 10 May 1959 (3) by Sheila Chatterjee in Amrita Bazar Patrika, Puja Annual, 1962.
Punishment (p. 125)
śāsti. First published in sādhanā, Śrābaṇ (July–August) 1893; included in kathā-catustay. Translations: (1) ‘The Sentence’ in GBL (2) ‘Punishment’, by Sheila Chatterjee in Amrita Bazar Patrika, Puja Annual, 1958 (3) ‘Punishment’ in HWS.
A Problem Solved (p. 134)
samasyāpūraṇ. First published in sādhanā, Agrahāyaṇ (November–December) 1893; included in choṭa galpa. Translations: (1) ‘The Riddle Solved’, by Prabhat Kumar Mukherjee in The Modern Review, December 1909, and MS (2) ‘The Solution of the Problem’, by Surendranath Tagore in The Modern Review, August 1936.
Exercise-book (p. 140)
khātā. Probably first published in hitabādī (1891), or maybe written for the abortive seventh issue of the journal. The first known printing was in chota galpa. Translations: (1) ‘The Copybook’, by Jiten Sen in The Statesman, 29 November 1953 (2) ‘The Notebook’ in HWS.
Forbidden Entry (p. 146)
anadhikār prabés. First published in sādhanā, Srābaṇ (July–August) 1894; included in bicitra galpa, Vol. II. Translations: (1) ‘The Trespass’ in GBL (2) ‘Trespass’, by Indira Debi Choudhurani in Hindusthan Standard, Puja Annual, 1947, and RS.
In the Middle of the Night (p. 151)
niśīthe. First published in sādhanā, Māgh (January-February) 1894; included in galpa-daśak. Translations: (1) ‘At Midnight’, by Anath Nath Mitra in The Modern Review, April 1910 (2) ‘In the Night’, by W. W. Pearson with the author’s help in The Modern Review, December 1917, and BTS.
Unwanted (p. 162)
āpad (lit. ‘trouble’, ‘botheration’: I am grateful to Miss Srabani Paul for suggesting ‘Unwanted’ as a title). First published in sādhanā, Phālgun (February–March) 1895; included in galpa-daśak. Translations: (1) ‘The Castaway’ in MS and CS (2) ‘The Troublemaker’ in HWS.
Elder Sister (p. 172)
didi. First published in sādhanā, Caitra (March–April) 1895; included in galpa-dasak. Translation: ‘The Elder Sister’, by Rashbehari Mukhopadhyay in The Modern Review, July 1910, and (revised) in MS.
Fury Appeased (p. 181)
mānbhaṅjan. First published in sādhanā, Baiśākh (April–May) 1895; included in galpa-daśak. Translations: (1) ‘Giribala’ in The Modern Review, May 1917, and BTS (2) ‘Appeasement’ in HWS.
Ṭhākurdā (p. 190)
ṭhākurdā. First published in sādhanā, Jyaistha (May–June) 1895; included in galpa-daśak. Translation: ‘The Babus of Nayanjore’, by C. F. Andrews with he author’s help in HS and CS.
Guest (p. 198)
atithi. First published in sādhanā, Bhādra–Āśvin–Kārtik (August–September–October–November) 1895; included in galpa-daśak. Translations: (1) ‘The Wandering Guest’ in GBL (2) ‘The Runaway’, by Surendranath Tagore in The Modern Review, September 1919, and RS and TR (3) ‘The Guest’, by W. W. Pearson in Outward Bound, October 1921 (4) ‘The Guest’, by Sheila Chatterjee in Amrita Bazar Patrika, Puja Annual, 1953 (5) ‘Guest’, by Lila Mujumdar in Hindusthan Standard, Puja Annual, 1957.
Wishes Granted (p. 212)
icchāpūraṇ. First published in the journal sakhā o sāthī, Āśvin (September-October) 1895; included in pārbaṇī, an Annual containing writings by various authors, edited by Nagendranath Gangapadhyay, 1918–19.
False Hope (p. 217)
durāśā. First published in bhāratī, Baiśākh (April–May) 1898; included in galpaguccha, Vol. II (Majumdar Agency). Translations: (1) ‘A Shattered Dream’, by C. F. Andrews with the author’s help in The Modern Review, July 1917 (2) ‘False Hopes’, by Surendranath Tagore in The Modern Review, October 1936, and RS.
Son-sacrifice (p. 229)
putrayajña. First published in bhāratī, Jyaiṣṭha (May–June) 1898; included in galpaguccha, Vol. II (Visva-Bharati).
The Hungry Stones (p. 233)
kṣudhita pāṣāṇ. First published in sādhanā, Śrābaṇ (July–August) 1895; included in galpa-daśak. Translations: (1) ‘The Hungry Stones’, by Panna Lal Basu in The Modern Review, February 1910, and HS and TR (2) ‘The Spirit of the Marble Palace’ in The Comrade, 28 January 1917, translator unnamed (3) ‘The Hungry Stones’ in GBL.
Thoughtlessness (p. 244)
d
urbuddhi. First published in bhāratī, Bhādra (August–September) 1900; included in galpaguccha, Vol. I (Majumdar Agency). Translation: ‘A Lapse of Judgement’ in HWS.
The Gift of Sight (p. 248)
dṛṣṭidān. First published in bhāratī, Paus (December-January) 1898–9; included in galpaguccha, Vol. II (Majumdar Agency). Translation: ‘Vision,’ by C. F. Andrews with the author’s help in HS.
Addendum
New translations of ‘The Living and the Dead’ and ‘Punishment’ have appeared in Kalpana Bardhan’s Women, Outcastes, Peasants, and Rebels, A Selection of Bengali Short Stories (University of California Press, 1990). Selected Short Stories of Rabindranath Tagore, tr. by Krishna Dutta and Mary Lago (Macmillan, 1991) includes translations of ‘The Postmaster’, ‘Little Master’s Return’, ‘Exercise-book’, ‘Punishment’ and ‘Unwanted’. Selected Short Stories, ed. Sukanta Chaudhuri, includes translations of ‘Exercise-book’, ‘Wealth Surrendered’, ‘A Single Night’, ‘The Living and the Dead’, ‘Kabulliwallah’, ‘Punishment’, ‘Forbidden Entry’, ‘Thakurda’, ‘The Hungry Stones’, ‘Guest’ and ‘Thoughtlessness’.
Glossary
Abdur Rahman Khan 1844–1901. Powerful modernizing Amir of Afghanistan from 1880 to 1901.
Āgamanī See Durga.
Āgḍum Bāgḍum āgḍum bāgḍum ghoṛāḍum sāje: Bengali nonsense/nursery rhyme accompanied by a knee-slapping game. See Selected Poems, Notes, p. 177.
Agrahāyan Bengali month; mid-November to mid-December; second of the two hemanta or ‘dewy season’ months between autumn and winter.
Ālāp Slow, meditative opening exposition of a rāga by a singer or instrumentalist without rhythmic accompaniment.
Ālnā Clothes-stand, preferred throughout the subcontinent to drawers or wardrobes.
Āmṛā Hog-plum tree; originally from Polynesia but now quite common in India. Its sour, olive-like fruit are often pickled.
Arjuna See Subhadra.
Aryavarta (Āryāvarta) Upper or Northern India where the ancient Aryans settled.
Āsan Any seat or place for sitting, for a person or a deity.
Āṣāṛh Bengali month; mid-June to mid-July; the first of the two monsoon months (see Śrābaṇ).
Ashram (āśram) A residential and usually secluded religious or educational community, associated with the ‘forest hermitages’ (tapavana) favoured by the sages of ancient India.
Āśvin Bengali month; mid-September to mid-October.
Ātar (attar, otto) Perfume applied to the face and hair, made by distilling rose or jasmine petals. Tradition has it that it was discovered by the Moghul empress Nurjahan.
Bābā Father; also used as a term of affection or respect to a child or an old person.
Babu (bābu) A title added to the name of a gentleman in Hindu Bengal – originally given only to aristocrats (see ‘hākurdā’) but later to the whole of the nineteenth-century educated class. It was used derogatively by the British (‘Bengali babu’), but is not at all pejorative in current Bengali usage.
Babuji (bābuji) ‘-ji’ is a common honorific suffix in North India, which is why the Hindusthani Princess in ‘False Hope’ adds it to ‘Babu’ when addressing a Bengali gentleman.
Baiśākh First month of the Bengali year; mid-April to mid-May; summer in Bengal.
Bakul Small, white, sweet-scented spring flower.
Baṛi Small conical ball made of pigeon-pea paste and dried in the sun before cooking.
Baṛobau ‘Elder wife’ – the elder of two daughters-in-law in an extended family.
Baudidi ‘Wife-sister’ – term applied to a wife by in-laws junior to her in an extended family; often abbreviated to Baudi.
Baul (bāul) Heterodox, wandering religious sect in Bengal, famous for their songs. In ‘The Postmaster’ (p. 42) the band of Bauls is ‘intoxicated’ with ganjikā (ganja), not alcohol.
Baumā A way of addressing the wife in an extended family.
Bauṭhākrun Term applied to the wife of a Brahmin by servants and others holding her in respect; also a synonym for Baudidi.
Bel Wood-apple or marmelos, a tree from whose hard-shelled fruit a delicious ‘sherbet’ can be made. Bel or beli is also the name of the Arabian jasmine, a shrub with sweet-smelling white flowers that bloom from March to June.
Bhababhuti (Bhababhūti) Famous Sanskrit poet of the seventh or eighth century, author of malati-mādhava and uttarrāmcaritā.
Bhādra Bengali month; mid-August to mid-September.
Bhagavata (Bhāgavata) See Krishna.
Bhāi ‘Brother’, but used as a friendly informal appellation among women as well as men.
Bhāiphõṭā Festival corresponding to Bhaiduja in Northern India, when sisters put sandal-paste marks (tilak) on the foreheads of their brothers and wish them a long and prosperous life; brothers bless their sisters; and presents of clothes are exchanged. The Sanskrit name for this festival is bhrātri-dvītiya (‘brother-second’), as it is held on the second day after the day of the new moon in autumn when Diwali (Kālī-pūjā/Syāma-pūjā in Bengal) is celebrated.
Bhairavī A calm and pensive morning rāga, named after Shiva’s consort.
Bibisaheb (Bibisāheb) A rather archaic respectful term applied to a Muslim married lady. See Saheb.
Brahma (Brahmā) Creator and first god of the classical Hindu triad, associated with primeval fire. Brahmins are supposed to be able to curse people with ‘the fire of Brahma’.
Brahmin (Brāhmaṇ) First of the four classical Hindu caste-divisions (Brāhmaṇ, Kṣatriya, Vaiśya and Śudra); the ‘priestly caste’ associated with privilege, grace, purity, excellence, etc. By giving land to Brahmins (‘A Problem Solved’) or feeding them on festive occasions (‘Son-sacrifice’) or giving succour to them (‘Unwanted’), one can acquire merit and improve one’s next incarnation.
Caitra The last month of the Bengali year; mid-March to mid-April.
Caṇḍimaṇḍap Strictly, a shrine for the goddess Chandi, but it normally refers to the roofed structure used for community gatherings and festive occasions in Bengali villages.
Chadar (cādar) A sheet of cloth carried over the shoulder or worn round the shoulders like a shawl.
Champa (cpā) The champak tree, with golden yellow flowers that bloom in summer.
Chanakya (Cānakya) The cānakyaslokas are a collection of Sanskrit couplets on social morality attributed to Cāṇakya, a scholar in the court of Chandragupta Maurya (320–297 BC). Under the name Kauṭilya he is also supposed to have written the famous arthaśāstra (treatise on economics). The cynicism of Cānakya’s precepts has earned him the title ‘the Machiavelli of India’.
Chandimangal (caṇḍimaṅgal) See Kabikankan.
Chandra (Candra) The moon or moon-god.
Chapkan (cāpkān) Loose, long robe; formal or official Persian-style dress favoured by the well-to-do in nineteenth-century Bengal.
Chaprassi (cāprāsi) An office messenger or peon (piyan).
Choga (cogā) Loose, Persian-style outer-garment worn over the chapkan (q.v.).
Choṭo Mā ‘Young mother’ – term applied, usually by servants, to the youngest wife in an extended family.
Choṭobau ‘Younger wife’ – the younger of two daughters-in-law in an extended family.
Dādā ‘Elder brother’; also short both for Dādāmośāy, ‘maternal grandfather’, and Ṭhākurdā, ‘paternal grandfather’, and therefore often applied in a jocular or informal manner to any older man; also added to names by servants addressing the son or ‘young master’ in a family (e.g., ‘Phatikdādā’ in ‘Holiday’).
Dadababu (Dādābābu) Respectful and affectionate term applied to a gentleman by a less-educated person (see ‘The Postmaster’).
Damayanti (Damayantī) See Nala.