About the Book: Rabindranath Tagore’s Ghare Baire (1916), translated as The Home and The World (1919), is a powerful blend of political drama and emotional conflict set during the 1905 Partition of Bengal. The novel follows Nikhilesh, his wife Bimala, and Sandip, a fiery Swadeshi leader who draws Bimala into a passionate and dangerous love triangle. As Bimala is torn between tradition and political awakening, her choices lead to personal tragedy and foreshadow the greater turmoil of India’s eventual Partition in 1947. Tagore offers a sharp critique of nationalism and a nuanced exploration of women’s roles in feudal Bengali society. A landmark in Indian political fiction, feminist literature, and Bengali classics, this novel remains deeply relevant.
