On August 26, 2022, South Asia Research Center organized a Symposium on “Women and Home in Tagore’s Writing.” Speaking on the topic, Prof. Mukesh Williams mentioned the 6 strong female characters such as Charulata, Binodini, Kalyani written by Rabindranath Tagore, and the portrayal of women’s aspirations through them. Dr. Somdatta Mandal spoke on “Tradition vs Modernity: The Myriad Worlds of Tagore’s Women.” She mentioned Tagore’s real physical relationships with women in his own household and his writings about emancipated women, and asked the question “Was Tagore a feminist?” Following that, there was a Q&A and discussion session.

*The video of the event is linked below.

About the speakers:

Prof. Mukesh Williams: Advisor & Professor, South Asia Research Center, Soka University
Dr. Somdatta Mandal: Author and Former Professor & ex-Chairperson, Department of English, Visva-Bharati, Santiniketan