Dr Kadambini Ganguly

Book Review by Farah Imam

Title: Her Story: Beyond Dimension

Author: (Raina) Rituparna Khan

Publisher: Haoajan Publishers

Rituparna Khan, an academic professional and artist, devotes her collection of short stories, Her Story: Beyond Dimension, “to the strong and beautiful being underneath the sky who runs and propels the globe in the truest direction… The Woman.” The singular destiny and universal history of women across time and space echo forbearance, creation, nurture, passion, perseverance, and more through every odd of society, recalling Virginia Woolf’s words, “As a woman I have no country. As a woman I want no country. As a woman, my country is the world.”

Her Story: Beyond Dimension is a collection of tributes to nine real-life historical revolutionary women whose contributions to society came at great sacrifice and were largely unsung in their time. Questioning the traditional realism, her stories offer multi-vocal, polysemous narratives with a story enclosed within a story and with exploratory, informative details about each influential historical woman character. In the genre of historical fantasy fiction, she highlights contributions as well as sacrifices of these remarkable women and synchronises historical and mythological facts with fantasy, offering us a compendium of breathtaking magical stories.

The short story ‘Myth to reality’ is a tribute to the last pharaoh of Egypt, Cleopatra VII Thea Philopater (70 BC – 31 BC). In the story, Orion Dasgupta was fascinated by the history and culture of Egypt and venerated the glorious queen to the point of obsession, so he readily agreed to the opportunity of his dream project of rehabilitation of dwellers in the vicinity of Aswan Dam over the Blue Nile. To his surprise, during his project, he encounters Cleopatra herself. An imaginative melding of magically connected experiences not only across time but also across identity is presented by the author when Cleopatra addresses him as her lover, Mark Antony. In the mythology, the enigmatic queen was estranged from her lover, Mark Anthony, at the Battle of Actium in 31 BC. This encounter of Orion Dasgupta with Cleopatra as the incarnation of Cleopatra’s lover Antony is a wish fulfilment having a cathartic effect on him and breaks the curse of unrequited longing of lovers.

The cycle of history resonates in her short story, ‘Reni and Gauri’. This story is a tribute to Gauri Devi (1925-1991), the leading woman figure who advocated the Chipko Movement to prevent deforestation in the Himalayan region of Uttarakhand, India. Inspired by the story of bravery and courage of environmental activist Gauri Devi, the author reincarnates her as Reni. The voice of Gaura Devi inspires across time, speaking through Reni. Her voice testifies to the lineage of ordinary women who changed the course of history with determination and consciousness and would continue to fight for environmental protection. The author nudges us to refrain from hero worship and continue to have faith in the spirit and courage of the common man.

The story ‘Last Flight’ is a tribute to and inspired by the life and sacrifices of Neerja Bhanot (1963-1986), an Indian head purser who died while saving passengers on Pan Am Flight 73. The flight had been hijacked by terrorists during a stopover in Karachi, Pakistan, on 5^th September 1986. The story, ‘Cosmic Connection’, pays tribute to the Indian-born American astronaut Kalpana Chawla. Riya is a teen aspiring to become a space scientist. On her thirteenth birthday, she is gifted a magical sojourn to Columbia, the space shuttle, where she meets Kalpana Chawla and her crew. To her surprise, Kalpana addressed her as her mother, urging her ‘to live my dream, live your dream, and live the dreams of numerous children, especially the girls to fulfil their dreams’, thereby motivating and inspiring the young teen and emphasising the connected nature of our experiences and journey.

The story, ‘Rendezvous with Reflection’ is a tribute to the legendary Anne Frank (1929-1942), author of Diary of a Young Girl, which documents her hidden life during the Holocaust. During the COVID quarantine period, the protagonist feels in a slump, perusing through the pages of Anne Frank’s book ‘Diary of a Young Girl’ multiple times, only to find Anne Frank herself conjured up in the mirror as her reflection. Often reality proves not too congenial to our existence; this doesn’t always leave us in despair because the imaginative and creative power of humans’ triumphs through tough times. The spectacle of Anne Frank leaves an imprint upon the protagonist.

The short story, ‘First Lady’, is a tribute to Dr Kadambini Ganguly (1861-1923), the first practising lady doctor of British and South-East Asia. She narrates her life of hardship and courage, where even in her early years she puts her life at risk to treat her ailing cousin suffering from cholera in an abandoned cow shed. This is a tribute to all the female doctors who have worked hard for the cause of people but instead faced prejudice and distrust due to unquestioned patriarchal assumptions of society.

Rituparna’s short story ‘A Self-Taught Artist’ is centred around Sunayani Devi (1875-1962), the first modern woman artist of the Bengal School of Arts. Hiya, a twelve-year-old daughter, has an fondness for painting. To the surprise of her mother, she etched perfectly a portrait of a woman gazing at the full moon from her terrace, the same picture that was found in the archive of Sunayani Devi in the wash technique, a technique in which she had no prior training. Possessed by the spirit of Sunayani Devi, she begins to narrate the story of the artist’s difficult and courageous life. Her voice is shared by the authorial voice that criticises the patriarchal culture with the inflamed rhetoric that is direct, empowering and persuasive.

In ‘A Mellifluous Evening’, Arun Chowdhury, a young man in his late twenties, trained in Hindustani classical music by his mother with no formal training or certifications, suffers from failures to make a musical career and struggles through paltry economic conditions. His icon is the famous Indian Thumri singer, Begum Akhtar (1914-1974), the queen of ghazal. Disheartened by the vagaries of life, a ray of hope illuminates his existence with the vision of Begum Akhtar’s spectre, and her mellifluous voice leaves him mesmerised. Only his love for music could sustain him in these trying times with an indomitable spirit.

Fantasy, in these stories, provides an outlet for the artiste within. It challenges the unified constrained self to go beyond limits in the realisation of their dreams.

In ‘A Liberated Soul’, while awaiting the second dose of vaccine during bitter COVID times, the protagonist meets a little girl seeking to sell a little bird to the only person who would readily set the bird free as a symbol of “a COVID-free world, a happy and free world of peace and liberty”. We hear the poignant, tragic story of Joan of Arc, who was burnt at stake in 1431 BCE, through the voice of the little girl who reveals the bird to be none other than Joan of Arc’s only friend, Balami.

Rituparna’s collection Her Stories: Beyond Dimension is a riveting and astounding read, gripping the readers to the edge of their seats with lore from mythology and history, with fantastical gymnastic poetic renditions of supernatural coincidences and timeless messages of consciousness and diligence for society. Each of her stories is also accompanied by the character sketch of the historical figures done by Juli Baruah, a renowned painter from Jorhat, Assam. History is not a dated, fixed historical time but returns to inspire, encourage and motivate.

Farah Imam is an avid reader, passionate creative writer, poet, and literary critic. Her works are recognised in various publications.

PLEASE NOTE: ARTICLES CAN ONLY BE REPRODUCED IN OTHER SITES WITH DUE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT TO BORDERLESS JOURNAL

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First Lady

A short story by Rituparna Khan about Dr. Kadambini Ganguly, the one of the first practising lady doctors of British India and South East Asia.

“New Eden Hospital for Women and Children, Calcutta,” an engraving, 1882

It was 1894, Eden Hospital, Kolkata. A young, married woman was brought to the hospital by her husband and mother-in-law. They were in a state of confusion and plight. The young woman was smarting with acute abdominal pain. The lady doctor present in the emergency department was asked to look into the matter by the Hospital Super.

“What! A lady doctor? Is she a doctor or just a mid-wife?” exclaimed the arrogant husband of the poor, suffering wife. “So many doctors have checked my wife and tried to diagnose the cause of her pain and bulging abdomen. They couldn’t understand how to operate the tumour. They all failed. Now, what will this woman do? Does she have a proper degree?” He almost created a scene at the reception.

The poor wife lay quietly on a bench, suffering in patience.

Disturbed by the din and bustle a lady came out. Attired in an impeccable, sober get up she tried to understand the reason for such a cacophony in the hospital corridor. In a while, she came to know that she was the reason of that humdrum and confusion. Hardly paying any attention to the arrogant husband, she asked the attendants to take the woman inside a cabin to examine her thoroughly. After proper examination she was certain that the woman was pregnant. Though there were some complications, it was far from a case of a tumour.

She came out of the cabin to share the good news of motherhood of the arrogant husband’s wife.

“Chatterjee Babu, you might have doubts on my medical abilities and degrees, but the fact is, your wife is not suffering from any tumor. She is going to be the mother of your child. Though there is some complication in her pregnancy, it can be sorted with proper treatment and regular checkup.” explained the lady doctor with her usual self composure.

The mother-in-law was elated to get the news. After so many years, her beloved bouma (daughter-in-law) would be giving an heir to the family. The husband was befuddled, yet happy to gather the news.

“Take her home now. I shall visit her every alternate day for check up, if you really believe that a so-called mid-wife like me can be any good to your pregnant wife Chatterjee Babu,” she spoke with composed and authoritative demeanor.

The embarrassed husband fell short of words to apologise for his misbehaviour. He was inquisitive about the identity of that lady doctor. However, he felt it would belittle him to ask her for her name openly.

The lady could read his mind from his inquisitive eyes. She invited him to her chamber to remove his doubts. The she began another story:

“A girl was born in 1861 in Chandsi, in Bengal’s Barisal district (now in Bangladesh). A born protagonist in a family of five siblings and guided by a very stern and orthodox mother, she was the apple of her father’s eye. A few years after she was born, the family shifted to Bhagalpur district of Bihar and settled there. Her childhood was strongly influenced by the Bengal Renaissance and her father, Braja Kishore Basu, was a renowned champion of the Brahmo Samaj. He was the headmaster of the local school and a dedicated soul to female emancipation. He was also the co-founder of Bhagalpur Mahila Samiti in 1863, the first of its kind of women’s organisation in India.

A steadfast, straight forward, fearless girl from the early days of her life, she was always at the forefront of all social services in her village for which most of the time she received brickbats rather than bouquets. But that couldn’t curb her indomitable spirit. Much to the society’s annoyance, her mother’s dismay and much to her father’s ardent belief in her, this little girl wanted to be a doctor, the first female doctor who could serve people, especially, women.”

After delivering this short yet mesmerizing monologue, she paused. She asked the husband to follow her to the cabin to see his wife. Happy, yet befuddled, the man followed the stately lady.

Chatterjee Babu was relieved to find the real reason for his wife’s ailment. He comforted his shy wife and asked her to rely on the doctor’s advice.

“Madam, please continue with the story,” he pleaded.

“Yes, I shall, and I wanted to share this other half of the story with both you and your wife. So, I asked you to come here. Please sit there on the chair.” She instructed.

Again, she began: “The little girl reached adolescence. She was more determined than ever to go for higher studies to become a doctor and serve her nation. All were against her rebellious ideals except her father, who supported her.

“It was 1875. The village and its vicinity were badly infected by cholera. This young girl along with her brothers went from door to door providing required aid to the poor, hapless patients. That was not all since more challenges awaited her.

“One fine morning her cousin, Braja Babu’s niece, was dropped off in her uncle’s home because she was suffering from cholera. Her orthodox in-laws were not ready to keep her in their house. Braja Babu’s family members, including the mother of the ailing girl were not prepared to accept her entry into their house. The poor girl was given refuge in the shabby cow shed. She was left to die in grief. This young girl couldn’t bear the plight of her cousin sister. She asked the family members to call a doctor for her treatment. In those days getting treated by a Saheb (British) doctor was a sin. It was considered to be more glorious to die than get touched, examined and treated by a male British doctor.

“With no other options left, the younger cousin hatched a daring plan. She went to the British doctor at the local dispensary and asked him to visit her cousin in disguise of a female mid-wife. She also requested the doctor not to touch her sick cousin. She requested guidance to help him examine her cousin. She wanted to be his hands effectively. The doctor was stunned at the courage and self-confidence exhibited by the young teen. Half-heartedly, he went to the patient. The girl examined her cousin exactly in the way the doctor instructed. To his utter surprise, the girl could successfully diagnose that her cousin was not infected with cholera. She was just pregnant. Later, the family members came to know the truth. Though they were angry to start with. As a result of her father’s intervention and the doctor’s certification about bravery and wisdom of the young girl, she was spared. In a few months her cousin gave birth to a healthy baby girl.

“That was also a story of a true diagnosis of a pregnant woman. After eighteen years, this is also a story of diagnosis of pregnancy of another woman. In both the situations, the examiner who could make the proper diagnosis was and is this lady, sitting in front of you, a lady doctors at this hospital. That day also no one wanted to believe in her, a young teenager from a village. Today also the scenario has not changed much. Why should you believe that an Indian lady may be competent enough to be a successful doctor! But you believe it or not Chatterjee Babu, the fact is that I am a lady doctor with proper degrees and am interested to treat your wife if you allow me to do so.”

Ashamed of his earlier arrogant presumptions, the man apologised. He was certain that his wife was in safe hands under the treatment of this lady. Happily, he came out of the chamber with his wife.

At the next instance he exclaimed to his wife, “Oho Monorama, I forgot to ask her name. Who is she?” With these words he turned towards her chamber again.

Dr. Kadambini Ganguly, FRCS, LRCP, England: the board at the entrance of the chamber blinded his eyes with utter befuddlement.

“How stupid of me! She is Dr. Kadambini Ganguly, the first practising lady doctor of India and South East Asia. How could I be so blind, arrogant and prejudiced? Who could be the best option for my Monorama and our family than this magnanimous human being and a great doctor? Oh God! I have no face to stand in front of her and beg an apology. You please forgive me.”

Ref:

Rituparna Khan is a creative writer. “Tales told and Untold” is her collection of short stories. “Melting Thoughts” is her collection of poetry. By profession she is a geographer.

PLEASE NOTE: ARTICLES CAN ONLY BE REPRODUCED IN OTHER SITES WITH DUE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT TO BORDERLESS JOURNAL.