Devdas

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For other uses, see Devdas (disambiguation).
Devdas
Author Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay
Country India
Language Bengali
Genre(s) Novella
Publisher GCS
Publication date 30 June, 1917
Media type Print (Hardback & Paperback)
ISBN NA

Devdas (Bengali: দেবদাস, Debdash; Hindi: देवदास, "Devdas") (also called Debdas) (1917) is a Bengali novella by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay.

Contents

[edit] Plot summary

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Please improve this article if you can. (December 2007)
The childhood friendship of Devdas (who is from a wealthy family) and Paro (Parvati) (whose family was not as well off) blossoms into love as they grow up. (Devdas is of the Brahmin caste and Paro of the Merchant caste).Devdas emerges as a character unsure of himself who lacks decision making ability so when his beloved is about to be married and a desperate Paro comes to him in dead of night, believing that Devdas would do something to prevent the impending marriage. Devdas is surely sad but only meekly asks his parents if he can be married to his beloved and their cause be saved.Devdas' father does not approve of the relationship due to difference in their families' statuses in village and the caste.

Devdas grudgingly agrees to go to Calcutta for further studies but within days realises that he should have been bolder . So he goes back to his village and tells Paro that he is ready to do anything needed to save their love. By now, Paro's marriage ceremonies are at an advanced stages and she flatly refuses to go with Devdas and chides him for his cowardice. Devdas leaves the village again for Calcutta and Paro is married off to an older man with children, although a rich Zamindar . In urban culture of Calcutta,Devdas meets a courtesan, Chandramukhi, through a certain Chunnilal and though he is not in love with Chandramukhi,due to his despair in love , drinks to excess at Chandramukhi's "kotha" while the courtesan ["tart with a heart"] falls in love with him and looks after him. His health fast deteriorates due to alcohol and his despair of life. Thus , he chooses kind of a long-drawn suicide.He frequently compares Paro and Chandramukhi and is left unclear as to whom he really loves. But author solves this dilemma by making Devdas die in desperation of Paro. Sensing his fast approaching death , Devdas returns to meet Paro, to fulfil a promise made to Paro but dies at her doorstep in dark cold night with money in hand, before seeing her. On hearing of death of Devdas , Paro runs towards the door in blatant disregard of "Purdah" but the door is closed by her family members and servants just before sho can go on to the open street . This last act of novel marks out prevailing societal norms and customs as prime culprit in preventing happy ending of a genuine love story.It is one of the most loved stories of modern Indian literature.

[edit] Translations of the novella

A new English translation was released in 2002 by Penguin India. It was translated from the Bengali into English by Sreejata Guha(who also wrote the introduction).

[edit] Film, TV and theatrical adaptations

The novella has been made into a film in multiple Indian languages including Bengali, Hindi, Telugu and Tamil *[1]

Notable versions of the novella include:

[edit] References

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

fr:Devdas pl:Devdas sq:Devdas sv:Devdas

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