Kabuliwala & Other Short Stories.

Selections from Galpaguchchha #1

by Rabindranath Tagore

NA

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories, India, Audiobook

Paperback

Published January 1, 2016

About the author

Awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913 "because of his profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse, by which, with consummate skill, he has made his poetic thought, expressed in his own English words, a part of the literature of the West."

Tagore modernised Bengali art by spurning rigid classical forms and resisting linguistic strictures. His novels, stories, songs, dance-dramas, and essays spoke to topics political and personal. Gitanjali (Song Offerings), Gora (Fair-Faced), and Ghare-Baire (The Home and the World) are his best-known works, and his verse, short stories, and novels were acclaimed—or panned—for their lyricism, colloquialism, naturalism, and unnatural contemplation. His compositions were chosen by two nations as national anthems: India's Jana Gana Mana and Bangladesh's Amar Shonar Bangla.

The complete works of Rabindranath Tagore (রবীন্দ্র রচনাবলী) in the original Bengali are now available at these third-party websites:
http://www.tagoreweb.in/
http://www.rabindra-rachanabali.nltr....

Reviews

[Paul Ataua · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another attempt to extend my reading beyond the western canon even if the stories do have a slight western feel to them. Quite frankly, it's a fairly solid and worthwhile read. Some stories linger longer than others, but there a sensitivity and maturity of thought that appeals to me.

[Phrodrick slowed his growing backlog · Rating 4 out of 5]

For me to attempt to review Kabuli-Wala and Other Classic Stories written by Nobel prize winning Rabindranath Tagore, translated by fellow Texan Suparna Chakraborti, ethics dictate my admission that this is my first awareness of such a thing as Bengali literature, this author and a near total lack of prior knowledge that would make my opinion more than a superficial response. It happens that I like to give Nobel prize winners a read and I like to be in a literary place previously unknown to me. In fiction, an author can create anything and as such should be judged on the success of their creation. What Rabindranath Tagore created was a world, with a very authentic feel of a place I have ever visited. The characters are not necessarily people I know, but they feel real and speak to what can be universal experiences, and attitudes and habits unique to their time and place. I feel like I have been to early 20th Century Bengal, supped with people usually not well off or educated, and worth my attention.

Some readers might go so far as to say that having read these too few short stories, they now know Bengal or it’s people. I know I do not, but I am motivated to learn more. That speaks to the ability of these stories to stir the imagination and my outsider’s curiosity. One can also believe that for translator Supra Chakraborti, the goal was to preserve and bring forward these stories for her family and others with a native Bengali, insider’s appreciation for their national voice.

For example, the first short story: Little Master’s Return had something about the return of the prodigal about it. This may speak to the universality of the story or the limits of a Western POV. Later ther is a story, Grandfather, about an impoverished, proud older man, scion of a once rich family name and a young son of a newly wealthy family. The youngster plays an elaborate trick to shame the old man and is in turn shamed by his desire to push the man over. This story is worthy of Aesop but it clearly tuned to the beliefs of Bengali’s. An other story, Ramanai’s Foolishness places a man in the position of telling a lie that would benefit his family and in the certainty that no one could gainsay him. To a Westerner, this could as easily be a biblical parable or another type of an Aesop fable. Both are distinctly of a culture not Western or specifically Greek. The last two stories, Kabuli -wala and Not Wanted also have possible lessons to teach but to me carried more of the stamp of what remains to me a little know people from a place and time remote.

The stories in Kabuli Wala and other Classic Stories succeed in bringing me to the edges of Bengali traditions of storytelling. From here it is on me to learn and read more before I can make any clams to know the author’s cultural inspirations.

[Sakib Ahmed · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was awesome!
Most of the stories really resonated with.

Now I know what's all the fuss is around Tagore

[Sean-Paul Kosina · Rating 5 out of 5]

After listening to these short stories and nearly done with Sadhana, I can understand why Tagore won the Nobel Prize in Literature.

[hawk · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved the rhythms of Rabindranath Tagore"s writings 🙂 the complexity, compassion, intricacy, and humour.

[ಸುಶಾಂತ ಕುರಂದವಾಡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

ಮೂಲತಃ ಕಥೆ ಬಂಗಾಳಿಯಲ್ಲಿದ್ದರೂ ನಾನು ಓದಿದ್ದು ಕನ್ನಡಕ್ಕೆ ಅನುವಾದ ಕಥೆ.
ಟ್ಯಾಗೋರರ ಜನಪ್ರಿಯ ಕಥೆ. ಕಾಬೂಲಿನಿಂದ ಬಂಗಾಳಕ್ಕೆ ಬರುತ್ತಿದ್ದ ರೆಹಮತ್ ಎಂಬ ವ್ಯಾಪಾರಿ ಮತ್ತು ಮಿನ್ನಿ ಎಂಬ ೫ ವರ್ಷದ ಬಾಲಕಿಯ ನಡುವಿನ ಪ್ರೀತಿಯ ಕಥೆಯನ್ನೊಳಗೊಂಡಿದೆ. ವ್ಯಾಪರಿಯು ಒಂದು ದಿನ ರಸ್ತೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಹೊರಟಾಗ ಮಿನ್ನಿಯು ಅವನಿಗೆ ಕೂಗಿಡುತ್ತಾಳೆ. ಅವನು ಬಂದಾಗ ಕಾಬೂಲಿನವನ ಎಂದು ಸ್ನಾನವನ್ನು ಕಾಣದ ಮುಖ, ಧೂಳದಿಂದ ತುಂಬಿದ್ದ ವಸ್ತ್ರ ಮತ್ತು ಪಟಗವನ್ನು ನೋಡಿ ಹೆದರಿ ಓಡಿ ಹೋಗುತ್ತಾಳೆ. ನಂತರ ಅವಳ ತಂದೆ ಅವನ ಜೊತೆ ಮಾತಾಡಿ, ಮಿನ್ನಿಯನ್ನು ಕರೆತರುತ್ತಾನೆ. ವ್ಯಾಪಾರಿಯು ಅವಳಿಗೆ ಒಂದು ಮುಷ್ಟಿ ತುಂಬಾ ಬದಾಮ್, ಪಿಸ್ತಾ, ಕಲ್ಲುಸಕ್ಕರೆ ತುಂಬಿಸಿ ಕೊಡುತ್ತಾನೆ. ಇದರಿಂದ ಮಿನ್ನಿಗೆ ಖುಷಿಯುಂಟಾಗಿ ಅವರ ನಡುವೆ ಪ್ರೀತಿಯ ಒಂದು ಬಾಂಧವ್ಯ ಮೂಡುತ್ತದೆ. ಅವನು ಪ್ರತಿ ಸಲ ಬಂದಾಗ ಅವಳಿಗೆ ಏನಾದರೂ ಉಡುಗೊರೆ ಕೊಡುತ್ತಿರುತ್ತಾನೆ. ಹಾಗೆಯೇ ಅವಳಿಗೆ ಕೇಳುತ್ತಿರುತ್ತಾನೆ, ನೀನು ಮದುವೆಯಾಗಿ ಅತ್ತೆಮನೆಗೆ ಹೋಗ್ತೀಯಾ ಅಂತ ಕೇಳಿದ್ರೆ, ಹೋಗಿ ಅತ್ತೆಗೆ ಹೊಡೀತೀನಿ ಅಂತ ಹೇಳುತ್ತಿರುತ್ತಾಳೆ.
ಹೀಗಿರುವಾಗ ಒಂದು ದಿನ ಕಾಬೂಲಿನವ ಮತ್ತು ಅವನ ಗ್ರಾಹಕರ ನಡುವೆ ಒಂದು ವ್ಯಾಜ್ಯ ಉಂಟಾಗಿ ಕಾಬೂಲಿನವನಿಗೆ ೧೦ ವರ್ಷದ ಜೈಲಿನ ಶಿಕ್ಷೆಯಾಗುತ್ತದೆ.
ಈ ಕಠಿಣ ಶಿಕ್ಷೆಯ ತರುವಾಯ ಕಾಬೂಲಿನವ ಹಿಂತಿರುಗಿ ಬಂದಾಗ ಅವನಿಗೆ ಮೊದಲು ನೆನಪಾಗುವುದು ಮಿನ್ನಿ. ಅವನು ಅವಳನ್ನು ಭೇಟಿಯಾಗಲು ಬಾಬುರವರ ಮನೆಗೆ ಹೋದಾಗ ಅವರ ಮನೆ ಹೂವಿಂದ ಅಲಂಕೃತವಾಗಿರುತ್ತದೆ. ಎಡಕ್ಕೆ ಏನು ಅಂತ ತಿಳಿಯದೇ ನೋಡ್ತಾ ಕುಳಿತಾಗ ಬಾಬುರವರು ಕಾಬೂಲಿನವನನ್ನು ಗುರುತಿಸಿ ಮಾತಾಡಿಸಿದಾಗ ತಿಳಿಯುತ್ತದೆ ಆ ದಿನ ಮಿನ್ನಿಯ ಮದುವೆಯೆಂದು. ಅವಳನ್ನು ನೋಡಬಯಸಿದಾಗ ಬಾಬುರವರಿಗೆ ಅದು ಬೇಡವೆನ್ನುತ್ತಾನೆ. ಆಗ ರೆಹಮತಗೆ ತನ್ನ ಊರಲ್ಲಿದ್ದ ತನ್ನ ಮಗಳಿನ ನೆನಪಾಗುತ್ತದೆ. ತಾನು ಮನೆಯಿಂದ ಹೊರಟುಬರುವಾಗ ಒಂದು ಕಾಗದದ ಮೇಲೆ ತನ್ನ ಮಗಳ ಪುಟ್ಟ ಕೈಯ ಅಚ್ಚನ್ನು ಹಾಕಿಸಿಕೊಂಡು ಬಂದಿರುತ್ತಾನೆ. ಕಾಬೂಲಿನವನ ಈ ಅಂತಃಕರಣವನ್ನು ನೋಡು ಬಾಬುರವರು ಮಿನ್ನಿಯನ್ನು ಕರೆಯುತ್ತಾರೆ. ರೆಹಮತನು ಮಿನ್ನಿಗೆ ಮತ್ತೆ ಮೊದಲಿನಂತೆ ಬದಾಮ್, ಕಲ್ಲಿಸಕ್ಕರೆ, ಪಿಸ್ತಾವನ್ನು ಅವಳ ಕೈ ತುಂಬಿಸಿ ಕೇಳುತ್ತಾನೆ ನಾನು ಯಾರು ಅಂತ. ಆದರೆ ಅವಳು ರೆಹಮತನನ್ನು ಗುರುತಿಸುವುದೇ ಇಲ್ಲ. ರೆಹಮತಗೆ ದುಃಖದ ದೊಡ್ಡದೊಂದು ಚಾಟಿ ಏಟು ಬಿದ್ದಂತಾಗುತ್ತದೆ. ಕಾರಣ ಅವನಿಗೆ ಮಗಳ ನೆನಪಾಗುತ್ತದೆ. ಅವಳು ಕೂಡ ದೊಡ್ಡವಳಾಗಿರಬಹುದು, ಅವಳು ಇವನನ್ನು ಗುರುತಿಸುತ್ತಾಳೋ ಇಲ್ಲವೋ, ಹೇಗಿದ್ದಾಳೋ ಏನೋ ಅಂತ ದುಃಖದ ಸಾಗರದಲ್ಲಿ ಮುಳುಗಿ ಕಂಬನಿಯನ್ನು ಸುರಿಸುತ್ತಾ ತನ್ನ ದಾರಿಬೆಳೆಸುತ್ತಾನೆ.

[Rinusha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is like a single stringed instrument,where the string of your 'heart' gets plucked to generate a different tune everytime.

The deep winding narrative in some of the stories may irritate you once in a while.But some stellar narratives, that beat all visualisations ever done, will make up for all those dreary moments.

[Shaswato Saha Roy · Rating 5 out of 5]

No matter what i say about the short story and specially its ending, it won't be fair enough . Give it a read. Tagore has earned lots of respects around the world and slowly i am getting to know why.

[Marine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Très joli recueil d'histoires à la fois belles et si tristes. Un voyage fait de mots.

[V · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection (by naxos audio) is not volume 1 of Ratan Kumar Chattopadhyay's translation of a selection of stories from Galpaguchchha although it unfortunately has the same title as that volume. About five of the eighteen stories in this collection are the same as in aforementioned volume 1. There are probably other collections of Tagore's short fiction with the same or similar title that contain different sets of stories. "Kabuliwallah" is a very good story and I don't blame editors for wanting to name collections for it.

I imagine the editors of this collection wanted a representative cross-section of Tagore's short fiction. Maybe not. In any case, I found this bunch of stories to vary wildly in their appeal. I liked (but didn't love) most of the stories and really hated a few. One thing I can say for Tagore is that he can't be accused of being overly sentimental.

Stories in this collection are: The Kabuliwallah, The Postmaster, The Hungry Stones, The Trust Property, The Home-coming, Living or Dead?, The Skeleton, My Fair Neighbour, The Babus of Nayanjore, The Child's Return, The Castaway, Subha, The Son of Rashmani, The Devotee, The Auspicious Vision, The Supreme Night, The Riddle Solved, and The Renunciation. (Different translations may use different titles.)

[Dalip Shandil · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Time Frame May Blurred To Remind When I Got To First Read This Classic And Nor Is It Vividly Etched As To Whether I Possibly Read This Tale First Or Saw The Classic Film Before I Returned To Read This Tale. Over The Years In No Particular Order What I Do Definitely Remember Is That Time And Again I Have Been Revisiting Both And Each Time Fresh Nuances Pop Up Adding Additional Dimensions That Were Surprisingly Missed Earlier.
It Is The Sheer Simplicity And The Manner In Which It Has Been Told In All Innocence That It Tugs On The Heartstrings And Brings A Lump To The Throat More So If You Have Had The Pleasure Of Watching The Legendary @sahni_balraj In The Kabuliwallah.
How Popular This Classic Evergreen Tale Is Can Be Gauged From The Very Fact That So Far Till Date There Have Been As Many As 22 Reprint Editions To Date And Like Any Classic The Kabuliwala Continues To Fascinate And Keep Both The Readers As Well As Viewers Deeply Engrossed As The Film Too Has Withstood The Passage Of Time To Emerge As A Cult Film.
As A Matter Of Fact It Is Hard To Tell If The Epic Tale Makes The Film A Classic Or Is It The Other Way Round.

[Danish Prakash · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've to admit, that I picked this up because of Amartya Sen's Home in the World. Although I read Kabuliwala back in my school days, this read ended up being a nice refresher. I never thought about the filial dynamic that was the center of this short story, I still remember that for the much younger me, this story was all about the exotic dry fruit seller from a faraway land. It's now that I more aptly understand the last act of this story.

The Post Office — I loved the recitation of this play, it's partly the narration of Rajat Kapoor but more so, the pure love for life by the sick child. I particularly liked how in one of the acts the kid forces the other characters in the scene to appreciate the jobs they had due to which they can move about wherever they want, while all this kid could do was sit in a room and wait for days to pass. This scene reminded me of a story by Helen Keller I had read in school about how we realize the value/importance of something once we lose it. Good nostalgic read.

[Shahira8826 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book almost as a challenge to myself--I don't usually read short stories, I prefer novels.
I couldn't have imagined that Tagore's masterful writing style and perfectly crafted plots, his deeply human characters and haunting atmospheres would captivate me so much!
I don't know how he does it! How can a man born over a century before I was, from a country I know nothing about, write such relatable stories about such sympathetic characters?
I believe some of these stories will stay with me long after I close the book!

[Mahesh Karthik]

It seemed like a original version of Malgudi Days, reminiscent of the village stories happening in and around Kolkata during the British era. I read until mid way and found a few stories interesting and a few others not so. Because it was a translated copy, it did not resonate with me and I felt the stories kind of lacked essence and soul to them. If I were to read it in the original language, perhaps I would have liked it more and finished the book.

[Vaishak Mahadevan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cabuliwallah! A story which gives a strong feeling of a Cabuliwallah whom is been judged by his looks,which shows the human attitude on seeing people.
Also the story talks about the relationship of a child and the wallah whose emotions for each other are beautifully expressed and narrated through this SHORT story!

[Praveen (பிரவீண்) KR · Rating 4 out of 5]

A set of short stories from Tagore. The book seems a very easy and quick read. But as each story ended there was a pull at my heart. Of them Kabuliwallah always had a special spot in my heart; having read it during my school days. The last story which was Postman was not close to heart like the stories. Barring that; a quick but beautiful Read.

[Bhavna Gupta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rabindra Nath Tagore.....wd ds name comes a mixed ocean of emotions...his short stories are worth reading...sweet n simple....full of emotions....wn u hv lil tym or stressed...pick up his book n read a chptr or 2...u ll end up either smilimg or crying...happy reading guys

[Madhan Rajasekkharan · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first attempt at reading Tagore. Found it very interesting. Stories about common people mostly set in Calcutta in the colonial period. Almost all stories have an emotional ending. Good break for me from reading more serious books.

[Joydrath · Rating 5 out of 5]

মিনি চলিয়া গেলে একটা গভীর দীর্ঘনিশ্বাস ফেলিয়া রহমত মাটিতে বসিয়া পড়িল। সে হঠাৎ স্পষ্ট বুঝিতে পারিল, তাহার মেয়েটিও ইতিমধ্যে এইরূপ বড়ো হইয়াছে, তাহার সঙ্গেও আবার নূতন আলাপ করিতে হইবে-- তাহাকে ঠিক পূর্বের মতো তেমনটি আর পাইবে না।

[Roli Sehgal · Rating 5 out of 5]

awesome..
each story leaves you with a tear in you eye.

[Anil D · Rating 2 out of 5]

All stories are sad, sorrowful and tragic. Only a slight sense of beauty of Ravindranath Tagore’s prose can be felt, rest of it is lost in translation.

[Natty S · Rating 3 out of 5]

A charming collection that mixes the humorous, the poignant, and the fabulous into (mostly) compelling stories.

[Prashasti Aryal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Readings for Uni

[Antonietta tesfaye · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy listening to other cultural and faiths folk stories. It’s very entertaining and the book is very vivid in its descriptions.

[Samaira SP · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most of the stories were good but the ones that come after the 11th chapter were quiet boring. Do look out for the 7th and the 14th chapters.

THIS WAS MY FIRST TAGORE

-Samaira 10 yrs

[Paul Narvaez · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent collection.

[sanjna · Rating 5 out of 5]

#criedwhilereading

[Lopamudra Kalangutkar · Rating 4 out of 5]

रवींद्रनाथ टागोर एका कुशल चित्रकाराप्रमाणे या कथा रंगवतात आणि वाचकाला तल्लीन होऊन वाचण्यास भाग पाडतात.

[Vivek · Rating 4 out of 5]

I must admit that the entire experience of reading this book from cover to cover has left me in a rather awkward mindset. I feel entangled in the magical web of words that has transported me across a wide net of diverse characters, locations and eras.

Though many of the stories have some common elements, the flow and depth of each varies by huge factors, making me steadfastly believe that it could not be penned by the same person.

Of the language I became a huge fan and I can only merely point out in the direction of my own feelings for it by equating it to something simpler within my reach to explain. This is akin to the beauty generated by the most sensuous decoration of choice ornaments on a not-so-bad looking woman and ending up being the most desirable sight on earth. Without the beauty of the sentimental and imaginative roles of various elements of nature, time and hundred of myriad things one doesn't notice, all these stories are mere dry or even sad ones without any particular charm.

I was also glad to notice the impact such pieces of literature has had on various artists active in poetry,writing and even filmmaking in the past as well as the present.

This is a must read for anyone interested in casual to serious literature and also for those who love the rural settings of an older India. A great motivation and guide into writing as well it is..

[Karthika · Rating 5 out of 5]

My six-word memoir: Touching, soulful, human emotions. Master Storyteller
I read 'The Kabuliwallah' for the first time when I was thirteen years old. I read it now again after almost two and a half decades. I got tears in my eyes both the times. This is a classic story of the sensitive relationship between a father and a daughter. There are several other stories in this collection which deal with different aspects of human relations and emotions. Packing so much of story and substance in a short story is not easy. But Tagore has done it so easily. I listened to the audio book. In some places the narrator has modulated more than is needed. Nevertheless it was very enjoyable. I recently discovered the joy of audio books and I am liking them.