NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English (Kaleidoscope) Drama 1 Chandalika

NCERT
SOLUTIONS
CLASS - 12th

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Book : Kaliedoscope - Drama Ncert Solutions | Chapter - 1 English - Drama

Class : 12th

Subject : English

Chapter : 1

Chapter Name : Chandalika

Q1 Why does something so ordinary and commonplace as giving water to a wayfarer become
so significant to Prakriti?

Answer. Prakriti belonged from the lower cast of chandals. She was a chandalini herself.
Throughout her life, she has faced contempt and was detested by members of the higher caste
as is the common fate of everyone belonging to the lower castes. She was considered ‘unclean’
and ‘untouchable’. As a result of the years of neglect and contempt, she had never grown to
love and respect herself for who she is. However, when the Buddhist monk Ananda made her
realise her worth, treating her with respect and even accepting water from her hands, despite of
her being a Chandalini - a feat which was considered a blasphemy in those times- she was
overcome with the newfound emotions of self-respect as well as regard, honor, and love for the
monk who had changed her through his words “Give me water” and washed away the years of
self-loathing in an instant. She found a new freedom as she says that it was a new birth which
the monk gave her through his words. She felt she was as much a human as others and had
every right to perform the common acts like others. An ordinary act of giving water to a wayfarer
liberated her from the chains of societal pressure and hence, it became so significant to Prakriti.

Q2 Why is the girl named Prakriti in the play? What are the images in the play that relate to this
theme?

Answer. Tagore’s play ‘Chandalika’ is interwoven with the decorations of language. Tagore has
used metaphors in his character’s names to express the themes of the play. ‘Prakriti’ which
means ‘nature’ stands for the character’s realization of being a woman and awakening to her
identity as a woman. Her yearning for natural desires depicts the workings of nature. She comes
to realize and embrace her identity, breaking free from the shackles of the society which had
unjustly treated her as an ‘untouchable’ throughout her life. Her realization instills in her new
courage and she understands that she is as much a human and a natural part of the society as

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Book : Kaliedoscope - Drama Ncert Solutions | Chapter - 1 English - Drama

any other person. She becomes sensitive to her natural needs as a woman, thereby justifying
her name.

The image of Prakriti finding liberation through the act of serving water to the monk hints at the
theme of the play. ‘Water’ is a part of nature and it washes away all the dirty and unwanted
things. Similarly, Prakriti, through serving water to the monk, washes away the years of unjust
oppression and tyranny of the society and truly becomes one with nature when she realizes her
worth as a human, thus justifying her name ‘Prakriti’. Her name proves ironical in another
instance in the play when she forces her mother to put the monk under a spell and bring him to
her so that she can offer herself to him and she yearns for his love in return. This very act goes
against the nature of the monk since he is sworn to celibacy and can neither reciprocate her
feelings nor satiate her womanly desires. Thus, despite her name being ‘Prakriti’, she goes
against the natural order of things by committing this act and it leads to a heavy price which she
had to pay.

Q3 How does the churning of emotions bring about self-realisation in Prakriti even if at the cost
of her mother’s life?

Answer. Prakriti’s mother, at her behest, had cast a spell on the monk to bring him to her
daughter. However, performing the spell demanded every ounce of her strength. While at the
very end of it, she asks Prakriti to look into the magic mirror to see how far the monk is from
their home. However, when Prakriti does so, she recoils in horror at the sight. Up until then, her
ego had blinded her to the point of being so selfish that she had begun to hope for the
impossible even at the cost of her mother’s death. She was ecstatic in her thoughts about the
monk. She had dragged the monk against his will to herself in the hope of receiving his love and
offering herself to him. She had forced her mother to perform the spell despite her mother’s
warnings. However, when she looked into the mirror, she saw a weary image of the monk. All
the radiance, the purity, and the heavenly glow had dissipated. His head hung low in shame
since he unwillingly went against his sworn of celibacy. When she witnessed how she had
reduced the purity of the monk to such depths, she understood the weight of her actions and
cried out for her mother to stop and undo the spell. She realized her mistake and begged for
forgiveness at his feet saying “the dust has soiled your feet, but they have not been soiled in
vain. The veil of my illusion shall fall upon them.” The realization finally dawned upon her about
the seriousness of her dastardly act and she had to pay the price in the form of her mother’s
death.

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Book : Kaliedoscope - Drama Ncert Solutions | Chapter - 1 English - Drama

Q4 How does the mirror reflect the turmoil experienced by the monk as a result of the working of
the spell?

Answer. The spell cast by Prakriti’s mother at her behest was a very powerful one. It manifested
its effects in the monk building up a turmoil within him between his duties and his natural desires
evoked by the effect of the spell. Tagore provides glimpses of the turmoil to the readers through
Prakriti’s eyes, as she looks into the mirror to trace the monk’s steps to her home. At the
beginning of Act 2 of the play, the readers are given a glimpse of the monk’s turmoil when
Prakriti says, “Must the king of the forest crash to the dust at last, his cloud-kissing glory
broken?” As the play progresses, another image of the monk engulfed in flames is portrayed.
This depicts the inner fire of purity in the monk fighting against the ‘serpent-like’ fire of the spell
cast by Prakriti’s mother, locked in a deadly duel to the finish. The image ended with torment on
the monk’s face symbolizing his defeat against the powerful spell.

Q5 What is the role of the mother in Prakriti’s self-realisation? What are her hopes and fears for
her daughter?

Answer. Prakriti’s mother acts as the voice of reason in her daughter’s life. In every step of the
way, she tries to make her see reason. Although she agreed to fulfill her daughter’s impossible
desire of being with the monk because Prakriti was the apple of her eyes, yet she warned her of
the grave consequences of this dastardly act that she was going to perform. While performing
the spell, she chides Prakriti continuously while sensing the monk suffering under the effects of
her spell. She even gives her life to make her adamant daughter realize the injustice of her
actions. Prakriti is overcome with grief when she realizes she has destroyed the purity of the
monk and subjected him to terrible suffering by trying to drag him to her against his will. Her
mother makes her look into the mirror and witness his suffering so that she comes to her
senses. Prakriti’s self-realization comes but it claims her mother’s life in undoing the spell.

Prakriti’s mother hopes that her daughter will find a better life through marriage. She tells Prakriti
that she had a good chance to be with the king’s son when he came deer-hunting and stopped
at the well near their house, saying ‘Women alone can in a moment overstep the bounds of
caste; when once the curtains of destiny are drawn aside, they all stand revealed in their
queenliness.’ However, she fears the reckless nature of her daughter. She is wary of her
adamant desire of obtaining the monk and warns her against the negative consequences of
such an act- a warning which indeed comes to be true.

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Book : Kaliedoscope - Drama Ncert Solutions | Chapter - 1 English - Drama

Q6 ‘Acceptance of one’s fate is easy. Questioning the imbalance of the human social order is
tumultuous’. Discuss with reference to the play.

Answer. The play ‘Chandalika’ deals with several themes of equality, human nature and the
self-realization of Prakriti, a girl born in the lower caste of chandals. Being from the community
of the ‘untouchables’ she had consistently faced the wrath of the upper castes and of society, in
general, treating her as ‘unclean’. Her fate, as dictated by society, was to rot under the burden
of ill-treatment and inequality. However, when the Buddhist monk Anand imparted her words of
wisdom regarding her stature as a human in the society, deserving of every right as others, she
began to question the imbalance of the societal and religious order. ‘A religion that insults is a
false religion….. I am afraid of nothing now’ she says. However, by questioning it (i.e. thing to
be with the monk, yearning for his love and offering herself to him) and trying to go against the
social order, she endangers the life of her mother and the devout nature of the monk subjecting
both to terrible suffering, which claims her mother’s life in the end. However, questioning the
imbalance brought forth the self-realization of her worth and imparted in her a sense of equality.
If she had accepted her fate then she would have lived as an ‘untouchable’ throughout her life,
which, although the easier path, wouldn’t have brought her happiness in the long run. Therefore,
‘Acceptance of one’s fate is easy. Questioning the imbalance of the human social order is
tumultuous’.

Page : 223 , Block Name : Thinking about the Play

Q1 How does the dramatic technique suit the theme of the play?

Answer. The play Chandalika is a social drama intertwining the themes of equality in caste and
gender, class struggles and the triumph of good over evil. Tagore through this play has
highlighted the social condition and the inequality existing in his time. The dramatic technique
used by him is symbolism. In various sections of the play, he uses symbolism to express the
themes. The first instance is the use of natural imagery of water. By serving water to the monk
who is a symbol of purity, Prakriti washes away all the stigma of her birth that society had
imposed upon her. She realizes her worth and this hints at the theme of class struggles and
social inequality.

The next instance is that of the names of the characters- Prakriti, Anand, and Mother. ‘Prakriti’
meaning nature, symbolizes the natural instincts of a woman when she realizes her stature and

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Book : Kaliedoscope - Drama Ncert Solutions | Chapter - 1 English - Drama

rights as a human. This relates to the theme of social equality. ‘Anand’ which means happiness,
is the name of the monk. It is a symbol of purity and happiness that comes with dissociating
oneself with material and worldly pleasures. ‘Mother’ is the name of the character of Prakriti’s
mother in the play. Just like a mother sacrifices her all for her children similarly the character
gives her own life to fulfill the adamant wishes of her daughter, ultimately making her daughter
realize her mistake. This relates to the theme of good over evil.

Page : 223 , Block Name : Appreciation

Q2 By focusing attention on the consciousness of an outcast girl, the play sensitises the
viewer/reader to the injustice of distinctions based on the accidents of human birth. Discuss how
individual conflict is highlighted against the backdrop of social reality.

Answer.The play ‘Chandalika’ depicts the individual conflict of its protagonist Prakriti, against
the backdrop of social reality. Being shunned her entire life by society due to the stigma
associated with her birth, she finds liberation in the self-realization of her value. The words of
the monk and his action of drinking water from her ‘untouchable’ hands, elevates her position in
her eyes and she finally begins to break through the farce nature of society’s unnecessary
impositions. Her reverence for the monk who had given her a new life through his words,
increased manifold. She felt liberated so much so that she began to desire him in ways which
were impossible. Despite being aware of the fact that he was sworn to celibacy, she began to
desire him, yearning for his reciprocation and wanted to offer herself to him. The societal norms
dictate a monk to be celibate and more so a Chandalika to be an ‘untouchable’, making such a
union impossible. Thus, the individual conflict of desire and freedom is highlighted against the
backdrop of the harsh social reality.

Page : 223 , Block Name : Appreciation

Q3 ‘I will enthrone you on the summit of all my dishonour, and build your royal seat of my
shame, my fear and my joy’. Pick out more such examples of the interplay of opposites from the
text. What does this device succeed in conveying?

Answer.There are many examples of the interplay of opposites in the play ‘Chandalika’. An
example of that is- “I started up trembling and bowed before his feet, without touching them.”
The interplay of words strongly brings out Prakriti’s emotions for the monk. She trembles before
him, very much aware of her desire to possess him. However, she is also aware of the fact that
her desire will lead to her being ostracised by society. It will never be honored. Inspite of that,

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Book : Kaliedoscope - Drama Ncert Solutions | Chapter - 1 English - Drama

she keeps the monk in high regard in her heart. The interplay of such opposite ideas strongly
expresses the ideas that the author wants to communicate to his readers.

Page : 223 , Block Name : Appreciation

Q4 ‘Shadow, mist, storm’ on the one hand, ‘flames, fire,’ on the other. Comment on the effect of
these and similar images of contrast on the view/reader.

Answer. Tagore uses similar images of contrast to create a lasting impression on the minds of
his readers. The impact of these phrases is similar to the societal order where human beings,
who are supposed to be equal, are discriminated against based on their birth. There are many
such instances of contrasting images used in the play since the contrast create powerful
connotations of the text. Hence, this device is used by the playwright.

Page : 223 , Block Name : Appreciation

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