Atithi/Guest – Rabindranath Tagore

Short Answers
[Link] jatra troups had Tarapada left before meeting Motilal babu?
Tarapada was an adorable and intelligent boy. He had great love for
wandering and exploring life. After having left his home twice he joined a
touring jatra-troupe. He won the hearts of the group easily. When the
master of the troupe began to treat him like his son and the members of the
troupe, young and old, had all fallen for him and even the people in the
houses where they performed, especially the women began to make a special
fuss of him, Tarapada disappeared one day without telling anyone. He was
wary of the ties of affection. Love for music impelled him to join a group of
panchali singers. The leader of the troupe carefully taught him songs and
trained him to recite Panchali by heart. He began to love him as his own,
Soon he left this group and joined a group of gymnasts, where he had to
play Lucknow thumris during the gymnastic display. But soon after he left
this group also.
[Link] spite of being a darling of his family and his neighbourhood, why had
Tarapada left them?
Tarapada was his parents' fourth son. He was the darling of all - his mother,
brothers, sisters and even neighbours. All showered affection on him. Even
then he left his home because he had a great love for wandering and
exploring the outside world. He could not accept ties of love. Throughout his
life he remained a free bird enjoying his flights of imagination, following his
sweet will.
3. How did Tarapada make the most of his time on the boat?
When the boat set sail Tarapada took refuge on the roof of the boat in the
shade of the sail. He spent his time watching the beauties nature, and
talking to helmsman and oarmen. Sometimes he took the oars and punted
the boat himself. When the helmsman needed a smoke, he would take the
tiller, When the sail needed to be turned, he helped skilfully.
[Link] did Motilal Babu and his wife treat Tarapada? What did Annapurna
want to learn about Tarapada?
Motilal and his wife. Annapurna treated Tarapada with love and affection.
Motilal took the help of Tarapada in cooking food or steering the boat.
Annapurna too treated Tarapada as her son. She felt disturbed by
Tarapada's indifference to her hospitality. She longed to feed, clothe and give
succour to him. Annapurna wanted to know about the family background of
Tarapada. She wondered why such a good natured boy left his home and
ran away.
5. Why did Tarapada seek a lift on the boat in which Motilal Babu was going
to his village?
Tarapada had heard that the Zamidars at Nandigram had founded, on a
lavish scale, an amateur jatra-group. Having stayed with the gymnasts for
sometime Tarapada was already feeling bored. His only task here was to
play Lucknow thumris at the top speed on the flute. When he came to know
that a boat moored near a riverside market was going to Kathaliya and
Nandigram was on the way, he met Motilal and requested him to give him a
lift. His request was granted and he boarded the boat.
[Link] kind of girl was Charushashi? What kind of feelings she had about
Tarapada?
Charushashi was the only child of her parents Motilal and Annapurna. She
was the sole claimant on her parents' affection. She was wilful and
obstinate. She had her own views about food, clothes and hairstyles but
there was no consistency in them, she was a big puzzle, an enigma.
She was burning with envy and jealousy at tarapada. It was beyond her
tolerance to notice her parents showing affection to Tarapada. She disliked
him because she felt that he was stealing from her the affection of her
parents.
[Link] did Charu smash Tarapada’s flute? What were her feelings
afterwards?
Sonamani, Charu's friend, had not visited her for some time due to her
illness. When she came to meet Charushashi, the latter was eager to talk to
her about Tarapada. She did not know that Tarapada had already met
Sonamani and was intimate with the family. This created jealousy in
Charu's mind. She would pick up quarrel with Sonamani over trifles. One
day overpowered by anger after a quarrel with Sonamani Charu picked up
Tarapada's flute and smashed it badly. But this did not upset Tarapada.
After the incident Charushashi was overpowered by feelings of guilt in her
mind. She wanted to seek Tarapada's forgiveness but she failed to do so.
[Link] kind of a girl was Sonamani? What kind of relation did she have
with Charushashi and Tarapada?
Sonamani was Charushashi's friend and playmate. She had been widowed
at the age of five. She had been ill for a while and had not seen Charushashi
for sometime. When she met Charushashi and told her that she had already
met Tarapada the latter did not like it. Charu grew jealous of her. Like
Charu, Sonamani too liked Tarapada and wanted to come closer to him but
Charu, observing this tried her best to keep her at an arm's length,
Charushashi wanted that others should admire Tarapada's talents from a
distance, they should not come near him. For this envy Charu started
quarrelling with Sonamani.
[Link] did Motilal babu and his wife think of marrying their daughter to
Tarapada?
Motilal Babu and his life thought that Tarapada was good to look at. He was
also good in every outward aspect. They thought that if they married their
daughter to him, they could keep him at home. Moreover, they realized that
Charushashi's foibles which they ignored easily would not be received so
well by the in-laws. They collected the information that Tarapada belonged
to a poor high-caste Brahmin family. They sent a marriage proposal to
Tarapada's parents who were well-pleased to accept it.
[Link] impelled Tarapada to make his disappearance amidst the marriage
festivities?
Tarapada had a strong wander-thirst. Nature had made him of such
elements that obey no restriction. He could not accept ties of love. He always
wanted to be free to explore the outside world.
One moonlit evening Tarapada, when the famous chariot festival was due to
be held, Tarapada went to the ghat and saw the preparations. To him the
whole world seemed like a chariot festival - wheels turning, flags flying,
earth trembling. His wander-thirst held him so strongly that he decided to
disappear from the scene. The thief of all hearts returned to unemotional
arms of mother earth.
[Link] the love-hate relationship of Charushashi and Tarapada?
Charushashi was the wilful and obstinate daughter of Motilal Babu. Her
relationship with Tarapada, the boy whom her parents had kept at their
house as a guest, was quite conflicting and confusing. She had a kind of
love-hate relationship towards him. She wanted to draw his attraction and
win his love. On the other hand, she expressed her dislike and anger also.
She could not help being attracted towards his 'pure body' worthy of a
young water-god. But she tore his books to show her hatred and dislike for
him. The nature of her relationship has been well expressed in these words
of the author, 'why Charu who had tried to strike the boy down with arrows
of hatred was so anxious to claim sole rights over him?' In fact, her
possessive nature becomes a cause of her love-hate relationship with
Tarapada.

Long Answer Questions

[Link] the suitability of the title of the story.
The title of the story 'Atithi' which means a guest, is quite appropriate and
significant. The story is about a handsome, young and passionate boy with
great thirst for travelling. He does not stay at one place for long. He moves
away like a guest after a few days stay at a place.
As a guest, he comes into contact with different people at different times. In
his early life, he is liked and loved by his parents, siblings and the
neighbours. But he leaves his house and moves on to join a musical group.
After some time, he becomes a member of the family of a Zamindar. Motilal
Babu, the Zamindar wants to get his daughter Charushashi married with
him. Tarapada simply disappears like an unattached person. Here again he
behaves like a guest and moves on. At the symbolic level, the title of the
story indicates that human beings are not to stay in this world for ever. Man
too is just a guest on this earth.
[Link] made Tarapada an almost ascetic who was totally detached from the
worldly affairs? Discuss.
Tarapada has an insatiable desire to travel. He has no desire or inclination
to stay tied or attached to any person or place. This wander lust and a sense
of resignation and detachment keeps him moving from one to the other
place. His short stay and his detached attitude towards people and places
keeps him wandering like an ascetic.
In the absence of a long stay, he does not have any permanent and stable
relationship with the people he comes across. He learns different things
from the people during his visits to different places but he never thinks of
having a permanent place to live in. This attitude develops in him a feeling
of remaining away from others. He likes freedom more than the prison of
attachment. His love of music, interest in singing and rowing a boat, all fail
to keep him tried to one place. His inability to remain fixed to one place even
forces him to slip away when Motilal Babu makes arrangements for his
marriage with Charushashi. All this happens due to his inherent
wanderlust.
[Link] makes this story interesting?
The uncertainty and the mystery surrounding Tarapada's experiences make
the story interesting. He appears all of a sudden and takes lift in a boat with
Motilal Babu and endears himself to this family. The readers always expect
something to happen next. It maintains their interest in the story.
Tarapada's earlier experiences with a group of panchali singers and his
joining a group of gymnasts indicate his love for travelling and add to the
interest of the story. The story becomes most interesting when
Charushashi's love-hate relationship comes out. The visit of her friend
Sonamana arouses jealousy in Charushashi. It brings out some more
interesting aspects of the story in the form of a conflict between the two
friends. The mystery surrounding the sudden disappearance of Tarapada
keeps the readers guessing. It makes the story interesting and open ended.
[Link] the different jatras undertaken by Tarapada symbolise something?
Elaborate.
Tarapada is a young and charming boy. He has a great love for wandering
from one place to the other. It takes him to different jatras. He joins a group
of singers and then enjoys the company of gymnasts. He likes to steer a boat
also. His jatras carry symbolic meanings also.
These jatras symbolize man's journey in this world. On this earth every
human being undergoes different journeys. It makes Tarapada's jatra
symbolic. Another symbolic significance of these jatras is that human beings
remain dissatisfied with life and their varied experiences, like Tarapad. They
ultimately disappear somewhere like this young boy. The jatras undertaken
by Tarapada thus symbolize human life, Tarapada stands for everyman, and
his disappearance signifies ultimate human fate.
Tarapada's jatra with music singers symbolizes man's desire to seek internal
peace with the help of music. His moving in the company of gymnasts
stands for man's interest in the physical and his working with the boat man
indicates the joining of worldly affairs. All of these activities carry symbolic
meanings.
[Link] the restlessness of the youth convey any significance? Do you think
Tarapada is doing right by not staying long at one place?
The restlessness of Tarapada represents the restlessness of our youth. The
youngsters find it difficult to stay tied to one place or one thing forever. They
like to keep wandering from one place to the other. This results in
restlessness and instability among them. It conveys the idea that one can
never become a good learner and an expert in a particular field if one keeps
on wandering from one place or position to the other. A restless person like
Tarapada does not remain trustworthy.
We believe that Tarapada is not doing something good by not staying at one
place for long. It creates hurdles in learning different aspects of a particular
experience. One remains a Jack of all trades and becomes master of none.
Had Tarapada stayed with the singers, he could have become a famous
singer. He could become a great gymnast if he stayed with them for long. He
did not remain a lovable and dependable person when he suddenly
disappeared from Motilal Babu's house.
All these details establish that by not staying for long at one place. Tarapada
gained nothing. He proved a failure who could not face the world.
6. Discuss the theme of the story, ‘Atithi’.
The story,’Atithi’ is about a gentle teenage boy Tarapada who is consumed
into wanderlust, as he is a restless soul, not to remain confined to the
pleasures of a domestic life. He lives in a dream like world of clouds
wandering freely in the sky, birds chirping full hearted, unchecked waves of
the rivers and trees growing naturally in the forest. He wishes to see life in
its fullest. He wanders with different troupes – jatra, Panchali and gymnasts,
but no one can bind him. His heat is swept away by the sight and sounds
around.
The story of Tarapada’s renunciation and detachment clearly illustrate the
conflict between domestic duties and free life. This also show Tarapada’s
attitude towards life of being just a guest in the temporary stay in this
world. If we consider ourselves as guest, not as masters, most of our worries
will disappear because as masters we feel attached to things or persons
which is the cause of all human sufferings. Tarapada does not stick to one
place, profession or bound by ties of love. Therefore he remains a free bird.
Nothing can check his ever-consuming wanderlust.
Tarapada becomes the symbol of ever-marching life in which an individual
never stays at one place but keeps on exploring the vast universe for the
food of his soul.
[Link] sketch of Tarapada, Charushashi, Motilal Babu & Annapurna.
(Refer Prism Workbook)