561:. She is often described as unchaste and to have developed the adulterous affair and even lived with him for some time despite the fact that he first rapes her. In one play, Elokeshi's character is debated by village wives and prostitutes. The wives vilify Elokeshi as an unchaste woman, question her devotion for Nobin and express the belief that a woman cannot be raped without her consent. The prostitutes empathise with Elokeshi, another victim of male lust and lament her fall from grace, which for them illustrates the brittle status of a wife. Some plays depict Elokeshi as having no choice but to surrender to the
372:
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inappropriate by a large section of society. Her murder was considered justifiable. Some songs criticise Nobin's stupidity of trying to save his adulterous wife and thereby risking his own life. Police reports, confirming Nobin's love, read that after the murder, Nobin rushed to the police saying: "Hang me quick. This world is wilderness to me. I am impatient to join my wife in the next ", a line reported verbatim in newspapers as well as used in plays and songs. Some public petitions argued that given a choice to leave
Elokeshi in the arms of the
270:
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403:), it was the popularity of the plays combined with "the rhetoric of sin and morality" that inspired Kalighat painters to present this "tragedy as a spectacle". Kalighat painters often chose to paint mythological themes and Bengali day-to-day life; the paintings on the Tarakeswar affair were a unique exception.
469:
Most accounts agree that Nobin loved his wife dearly, evidenced by the fact that he was ready to accept his wife at first and run away with her, even after knowledge of the affair. In an era where the chastity of a wife was highly valued, Nobin's blind love and acceptance of a guilty wife were deemed
387:
At least 34 farces were published by the "popular press" on the events of the
Tarakeswar affair—the rape, the murder and the trial. At least four of these were reprinted several times. This is the largest number of 19th-century farces in Bengal created in response to a contemporary event. Farces and
314:
s affair with
Elokeshi was still discussed by the common people of Bengal, who did not know of other current affairs, even six months after the murder. Bengali newspapers followed the court trial on a day-to-day basis, often reporting it verbatim and capturing the responses of all parties involved:
265:
punishment was termed lenient by the
Bengali public. Nobin was released in 1875, following several public petitions for pardon. Such pleas came from members of the Calcutta elite and district town notables, local royals and "acknowledged leaders of native society", as well as from the "lower middle
168:
When Nobin returned to the village, he learned about the affair from village gossip. Nobin was publicly humiliated following the discovery of the affair. He confronted
Elokeshi, who confessed and begged him for forgiveness. Not only did Nobin forgive her but he decided to run away with her from
123:
was generally presented as a womaniser, who took advantage of young women. The murder victim
Elokeshi was sometimes blamed as a seductress and the root cause of the affair. In other plays, she was absolved of all guilt and was portrayed to have been tricked and raped by the
584:) who bartered his daughter's virtue". In many plays, Elokeshi's father, who is now sexually incompetent, is driven by the greed of Elokeshi's young stepmother and he resorts to pleasing his wife by giving gifts like jewellery, for which he sells off his daughter to the
173:
did not allow the couple to escape; his goons blocked their way. Overcome with anger and jealousy, Nobin slit his wife's throat with a fish knife, decapitating her, on 27 May 1873. Full of remorse, Nobin surrendered to the local police station and confessed his crime.
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judges, jury, lawyers and the common man. The "culpability" of each of the characters of the scandal was debated, and
British justice and Hindu norms were analysed, especially by British-owned newspapers. While Missionaries interpreted the public outcry against the
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was rumoured to seduce women like
Elokeshi who came to him for childbirth medicine and appropriate them with the help of his goons. After being raped, the women could not return to their family and languished in the brothels of Tarakeswar. In most plays, the
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government employee Nobin
Chandra (Nobinchandra/Nabinchandra/Nobin Chandra) Banerjee, lived in the village of Tarakeswar with her parents, while Nobin was away for work in a military press in Calcutta. She approached Madhavchandra Giri, the "powerful"
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being performed". The courtroom drama became a public spectacle. Authorities had to charge an entrance fee to control the crowds at the Hoogly
Sessions Court. The right of admission was also restricted to those literate in English, citing that the
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to live a life of dishonour—which was worse than death—and to kill her, like a true husband, Nobin chose the latter to end her misery. However, some plays portray that Nobin has a mistress in town so leaves his wife in the village.
110:
s actions as punishable and criminal, while justifying Nobin's action of killing an unchaste wife. The resulting public outrage forced authorities to release Nobin after two years. The scandal became the subject of
297:), while the 1824 scandal hardly created any public outrage and faded quickly from public memory, the 1873 affair was embedded in public memory and created a huge sensation in contemporary Bengal. When a
201:, with whom she was seen "joking and flirting". Judge Markby, who presided over the case in the High Court, also accepted the evidence proving adultery. The High Court convicted both Nobin and the
334:
in the jail oil press. Such commemorative items were still in sale in as late as 1894. These items were unique in the sense that they were the only such commemorative items modelled on an event.
253:(Bengali gentleman class) and the colonial state and nationalist subjects. The court proceedings were disturbed several times by crowds demanding clemency for Nobin or stringency for the
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plays of the era were often inspired by the real courtroom drama. At least 19 plays were also based on the scandal, all of which became very popular and big money-makers; especially
399:
and Battala woodwork prints—created in the decade after the scandal—depicted the "immoral" affair, the gruesome murder and the resultant trial. According to Chattopadhyay (author of
330:, fish knives, betel-leaf boxes and other memorabilia with Elokeshi's name printed or inscribed on them were made. A balm for headache was advertised as using the oil made by the
319:
as the "disenchantment" of the Hindus, British-owned newspapers also pondered over the question of asserting more control on Hindu temples and organisations. In an era when
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offering her childbirth medicine in order to drug her before raping her; Elokeshi embracing Nobin and asking his forgiveness; the three stages of the murder such as
247:), the court proceedings were seen as an interference by the British in local matters. The court represented a conflict between village and city, the priest and
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as a womaniser and the temple as "a haven for pimps". He was also described as "a vile seducer". The Tarakeswar shrine was a famed cure for barren women. The
323:
were blossoming in Bengal, the scandal led the reformist as well as orthodox society to re-examine "the relationship between Hindu norms, leaders and women".
193:. The Indian jury acquitted Nobin, accepting his plea of insanity, but the British judge Field overruled the jury's decision and forwarded the matter to the
502:'s activities. Elokeshi, "the object of desire", had to be killed by Nobin to restore his honour. Titles of such plays reinforce the theme and focus on the
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is punished for misusing the authority and money of the temple. One newspaper describes Elokeshi's father as "the still worse scoundrel (worse than the
553:, a reformist newspaper, presents a rare view of the true victim Elokeshi being forgotten in the debate of the trial and sympathy towards Nobin. In the
565:
s lust on her father's command. Such plays concentrate more on scenes where Elokeshi gives in to her father's orders than on the depiction of rape.
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in jail, enduring rigorous labour turning an oil press or working as a jail gardener, while jail guards or the superintendent watch over him.
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The overruling of the Indian jury's decision by the Sessions Court judge was heavily debated. According to Swati Chattopadhyay (author of
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misuses Elokeshi, his love is portrayed to be genuine and her seduction by him a resultant after-effect. However, later he is repentant.
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Most of the plays were named to suggest the main crime was not Elokeshi's murder by Nobin, but the immoral activities of the
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of Tarakeswar, Satish Giri, in 1974 for his sexual and financial misconduct, the 1873 affair was alluded to several times.
588:. Elokeshi's staying at her parents' home—and not with her husband—is also blamed for their excessive control over her.
450:(Nobin with the decapitated body of Elokeshi). The Kalighat paintings also depict a courtroom scene of the trial of the
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became a huge hit on stage. Plays written as late as 1924 referred to the affair as if it was common public knowledge.
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71:. It resulted from an illicit love affair between Elokeshi, the wife of a government employee Nobin Chandra, and the
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Shrimanta Giri was executed in 1824 for the murder of his mistress's lover. However, according to Sarkar (author of
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The plays and the paintings suggested the theme of loss of traditional Indian culture in the face of colonialism.
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572:, but also of her parents, who are portrayed as being equally guilty. Elokeshi is condemned for seducing the
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The trial of the Tarakeswar scandal. Clockwise from left top: the court clerk, British judge, lawyer, the
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painting, Elokeshi is sometimes depicted as a courtesan, indicating that she is the one who seduces the
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is described as drugging Elokeshi—by offering fake childbirth medicine—and then raping her. In the play
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Often painted as a series, the Kalighat paintings depict various scenes related to the affair: the
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is portrayed as the root cause of Elokeshi's death, which was an "inevitable conclusion" of the
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remarked: "People flock to the Sessions Court as they would flock to the Lewis Theatre to watch
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allegedly seduced and raped her. An affair began with the "connivance" of Elokeshi's parents.
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his wife Elokeshi because of the love affair. A highly publicised trial followed, dubbed the
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of the popular and prosperous Tarakeswar temple, seeking fertility medication; however the
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722:"Legal throwback: The Tarakeshwar murder case of Hoogly involving infidelity, adultery"
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Representing Calcutta: modernity, nationalism, and the colonial uncanny
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Representing Calcutta: modernity, nationalism, and the colonial uncanny
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Representing Calcutta: Modernity, Nationalism and the Colonial Uncanny
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Many products were specially manufactured to commemorate the event.
148:(policeman). Elokeshi's corpse and the murder weapon in the centre.
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Chattopadhyay, Swati (2005). "Representing sexual transgression".
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offers Elokeshi childbirth medicine, to drug her before raping her
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and his English lawyer were often attacked outside the court. The
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and tarnishing the name of the holy shrine of Tarakeswar. The
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One farce depicts a divine trial of not only Elokeshi and the
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The Kalighat paintings and Battala woodcuts often depict the
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class"—from whom a 10,000-signature mercy plea was received.
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plays, which often portrayed Nobin as a devoted husband. The
446:(Nobin about to decapitate Elokeshi with a fish knife) and
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420:—Elokeshi goes to the temple with her sister and meets the
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285:–Elokeshi incident was not the first incident against a
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s British lawyer and the judge only spoke in English.
935:Sarkar, Tanika (2005). "Talking about scandals".
903:Sarkar, Tanika (2005). "Talking about scandals".
822:Sarkar, Tanika (2005). "Talking about scandals".
784:Sarkar, Tanika (2005). "Talking about scandals".
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613:"The Mahant arrives in jail; Tarakeshwar affair"
152:Elokeshi, the sixteen-year-old housewife of the
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185:) first stood in the Hoogly Sessions Court at
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63:) refers to a public scandal in 19th-century
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100:were found guilty in varying degrees.
939:. Permanent Black. pp. 79–82.
907:. Permanent Black. pp. 85–90.
826:. Permanent Black. pp. 72–74.
788:. Permanent Black. pp. 56–62.
310:A regional daily reported that the
303:was organised against the reigning
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353:Elokeshi (in blue sari) meets the
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701:Moving Here: Migration Histories
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1002:Violence against women in India
668:. Routledge. pp. 229–237.
183:Queen vs Nobin Chandra Banerjee
144:in the witness box, Nabin with
103:Bengali society considered the
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179:Tarakeswar murder case of 1873
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277:turns an oil press in prison.
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506:s crime. Examples include:
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856:Victoria and Albert Museum
621:Victoria and Albert Museum
205:. Nobin was sentenced to
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438:fans Elokeshi and/or the
169:Tarakeswar. However, the
937:Hindu wife, Hindu nation
905:Hindu wife, Hindu nation
824:Hindu wife, Hindu nation
786:Hindu wife, Hindu nation
295:Hindu wife, Hindu nation
982:19th century in Kolkata
852:Official site of Museum
617:Official site of Museum
508:Mohanter Chakrabhraman
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434:(betel nut leaf), the
410:riding on an elephant
321:Hindu reform movements
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94:Tarakeswar murder case
61:Mahant-Elokeshi affair
997:1873 murders in India
967:Sex scandals in India
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217:and a fine of â‚ą2000.
215:rigorous imprisonment
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88:. Nobin subsequently
848:"Tarakeshwar affair"
520:Mohanter Ei Ki Dasha
444:The Fatal/First Blow
115:and several popular
428:—Elokeshi offering
390:Mohanter Ei ki Kaj!
195:Calcutta High Court
55:(also known as the
972:Religious scandals
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397:Kalighat paintings
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113:Kalighat paintings
57:Tarakeswar scandal
540:Mohanter Dafarafa
516:Mohanter Karabash
207:life imprisonment
53:Tarakeswar affair
16:Scandal of Bengal
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626:5 September
338:In the arts
90:decapitated
69:British Raj
67:during the
961:Categories
592:References
363:Tarakeswar
361:shrine of
300:satyagraha
83:Tarakeswar
726:News9live
395:Numerous
281:The 1873
250:bhadralok
187:Serampore
81:) of the
551:Bengalee
263:mahant's
227:Bengalee
146:havildar
732:29 July
563:mahant'
504:mahant'
312:mahant'
238:mahant'
232:Othello
154:Bengali
132:Summary
117:Bengali
73:Brahmin
59:or the
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494:. The
492:mahant
484:mahant
472:mahant
456:mahant
452:mahant
440:mahant
436:mahant
422:mahant
413:howdah
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379:mahant
355:mahant
332:mahant
317:mahant
305:mahant
291:Mahant
287:mahant
283:mahant
275:mahant
259:mahant
257:. The
255:mahant
211:mahant
209:; the
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199:mahant
191:Bengal
171:mahant
163:mahant
159:mahant
142:mahant
126:mahant
121:mahant
105:mahant
98:mahant
78:mahant
65:Bengal
328:Saris
108:'
941:ISBN
909:ISBN
863:2011
828:ISBN
790:ISBN
734:2023
708:2011
670:ISBN
628:2011
549:The
518:and
482:The
431:paan
273:The
177:The
51:The
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