• ISBN13: 9788126903535
• Binding: Hardcover
• Subject: English Literature
• Publisher: Atlantic Publishers & Distributors (P) Ltd
• Publisher Imprint: Atlantic
• Publication Date: May 22, 2004
• Pages: 176
• Original Price: INR 395.0
• Language: English
• Edition: N/A
• Item Weight: 200 grams

Rabindranath Tagore’s drama Chitra is aimed at reminding man that the ultimate truth is to be found not at the physical level but in the steady evolution of the self. The illumination of a young princess’ mind lies in the recognition and realization that it is in Truth alone that true happiness resides. Similarly Aurobindo’s epic Savitri seeks to narrate the story of a young princess who saves the life of her husband from Death to suggest the ultimate liberation of man from universal Death. Chitra and Savitri are Upanishadic works in the sense that their principal theme is the search for vidya (knowledge) that liberates man from avidya (ignorance), and that their main stylistic device is the conversation between the human and divine characters. Evolution thus becomes the watchword of both Aurobindo and Tagore. The awakening of the self or raising the life and existence to a higher level of consciousness is one of the parallel themes observed in Chitra and Savitri. Further, the integral transformation of Chitra and Savitri and their inner intuitive development has a much wider connotation to mankind at large. Chitra and Savitri are thus established as works of self-discovery. Although there are fundamental differences in terms of the nature of Chitra and Savitri’s awareness, there is no denying the fact that these legends from the Mahabharata are exquisite examples of the female aspect of the Indian Women.

Dr. Ketki N. Pandya, after securing her M.A. (1988) from Sardar Patel University, Vallab Vidyanagar and Ph.D. (2002) from Saurashtra University, Rajkot, has been teaching for the last 15 years. She began her academic career with Shri Shardagram Arts and Commerce College, Mangrol (1988-1994) and is presently serving as a Senior Lecturer in Gurukul Mahila College, Porbandar. She has specialized in Indian Literature and is presently engaged in translation work.

• 1. Tagore’s Chitra and Aurobindo’s Savitri: A Study in Background
• 1 Introduction
• 1.1 The Indian Renaissance
• 1.1.1 Social, Cultural and Religious Conditions of the Indian Renaissance
• 1.1.2 Political Conditions of the Indian Renaissance
• 1.1.3 Economic Conditions of the Indian Renaissance
• 1.1.4 Literary Conditions of the Indian Renaissance
• 1.2 A Brief Survey of Indo-English Poetry (1857, 1950)
• 1.3 Literary Output of Tagore and Aurobindo
• 1.4 Objectives of the Study
• 2. Tagore’s Chitra and Aurobindo’s Savitri: A Study in Content
• 2 The Chitra Legend
• 2.1 Tagore’s Chitra
• 2.2 Variations in Tagore’s Chitra
• 2.3 The Savitri Legend
• 2.4 Aurobindo’s Savitri
• 2.5 Variations in Aurobindo’s Savitri
• 2.6 The Comparison between Chitra and Savitri
• 3. Tagore’s Chitra and Aurobindo’s Savitri: A Study in Form
• 3 The Evolution of Drama
• 3.1 Chitra as a Play
• 3.2 The Evolution of the Epic
• 3.3 Savitri as an Epic
• 3.4 The Comparison between the Play Chitra and the Epic Savitri
• 4. Tagore’s Chitra and Aurobindo’s Savitri: A Study in Philosophy
• 4 The Philosophy of Tagore in Chitra
• 4.1 The Philosophy of Aurobindo in Savitri
• 4.2 The Comparison between the Philosophy of Tagore and Aurobindo
• 5. Conclusion
• Bibliography
• Index