ISSN 2320 – 6101

Research Scholar www.researchscholar.co.in

An International Refereed e-Journal of Literary Explorations

WOMEN AS THE “FENCE” AND THE “FORCE”: A DETAILED

STUDY OF REBATI

Mr.Mukesh Ranjan
Research Scholar
Centre for Comparative Literature
Central University of Punjab,
Bathinda

Dr. Rajinder Kumar Sen

Assistant Professor
Centre for Comparative Literature
Central University of Punjab,
Bathinda

Abstract
Present paper is a critical analysis of female subjugation in the name of
customs. The writer has depicted the social taboo against women
education in the rural society of Odisha.Rebati is the protagonist of the
story who is interested in education and suffers in the whole story. There
is no one to morally support her. She was the product of a society based on
communal rural tradition where values regarding women’s role were
historically embedded in socio cultural structures of the society.Through
this story Fakir Mohan Senapati has tried to empower Odiya society and
Odiya womanhood.
Keywords: Rebati, Society, Culture, Education, Family, Evils, Reforms
etc.

The position and practice of Odia Literature among the Indian literatures comprises
indisputably one of the predominant voices. A particularly conscious dealing with the social
issues of Odisha has been a visible factor of Odia literature. Be it the class struggle and agrarian
representation of Odisha landscape in Six Acres and a Third, or the comprehensive treatise on the
tribal life of Kondhs, Parajasetc as in Paraja, or dealing with the core issues related to women
emancipation as in the short story ‘Rebati’, consciousness of the complexities of the above
issues, like many others, have been not only a hall mark of the rich tradition of Odia literature
but also the markers of its modernity. ‘Rebati’ as a remarkable short story by the eminent
novelist Fakir Mohan Senapati is a testimony to support the intellectual forwardness of his time.

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Research Scholar www.researchscholar.co.in
An International Refereed e-Journal of Literary Explorations

The story has been presented by the writer in a typical way. Rebati is the only daughter of
Shyamabandhu who is interested in education. Shyamabandhu is the revenue collector of
Patapura village. Rebati was not only interested in education but also without any formal
education she had acquired knowledge to learn Odiya books and had an admirable determination
to learn by heart the holy Bhagavata with the help of her father. The educational system then was
not good. There was an upper primary school in that village and Basudev was the only teacher in
that school. As one of the leaders of the village Shyamabandhu calls Basudev to his house on
festivals and other occasions of the village. By knowing the enthusiasm of Rebati he teaches
Rebati and also encourages Shyamabandhu to give opportunity to Rebati to learn more. After
that Rebati gets opportunity to learn. But soon befalls misfortune on Shyamabandhu’s family.
All the dreams of Rebati get spoilt after the death of her father and mother. The landlord take
away all their properties. There remains no one to earn in the family. Her grandmother sells all
the accessories of the house to arrange for food for them. Except Basudev there is no one to help
them. The ruthless stride of time continues its terror as suddenly Basudev also dies of cholera.
Ultimately death of Basudevbrakes her, she falls ill and dies. The family of Shyamabandhu is
completely wiped out.
In ‘Rebati’, Fakir Mohan Senapati deals with the social taboo against women education
in the rural society of Odisha. The eponymous text has a Rebati that faces the severest criticisms
of her grandmother when she decides to get education. The grandmother, a symbol of old world
order and orthodoxy, does not favour the decision to educate Rebati. She becomes the principal
impediment on the way of Rebati. Further, with her superstitions about women education, she
creates a “fence” around Rebati. In truth, she herself embodies the reckless “fence” to confine
Rebati from the emancipating embraces of modernity knocking at the door through education.
On the other hand, Rebati as the lone “force” against the social taboo undergoes several trials
and tribulations. Rebati withstands humiliation and accusations in her enthusiasm to study.
It is interesting to note that the exploiter and the exploited being women does not dilute
the severity of women subjugation in this story. On the contrary, it sensitizes in a comprehensive
way the real problems of feminism. Vysakabi Fakir Mohan Senapati is seen here as a social
commentator, reformist and an artist of the highest order.
The main theme of the story ‘Rebati’ apparently revolves around Rebati’s education and
her dream. The way in which she was learning was absolutely different because it was informal
education or on the other hand it was home tuition only. In a pure sense ‘Rebati’ is all about
female education and about superstitions in the then Odia society. Fakir Mohan Senapati wanted
to highlight the importance of Women and to open the eyes of those people who were thinking
that women are just like puppets or they are born to serve male. Through this story Fakir Mohan
tried his best to show something different about that time when women had no identity in
society. Consequently in the story few peoples are supporting the protagonist Rebati to get
education and on the other hand her grandmother has been changed in to her enemy. She has
raised the age old question: What does it mean for a woman to be educated? Then towards the
end of the story after experiencing the agony of death of her son, daughter-in-law and Basudev,
she considers Rebati's education as responsible for all the misfortunes. It is very clear that
Rebati’s education is not responsible for this. But the argument is that blind belief and
superstitious attitude of a woman towards an innocent girl and towards the female education is
the central point. In the whole story the author has not supported the character Rebati but he has
proved that women have energy to fight against the anti-human society and cultural norms.

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Research Scholar www.researchscholar.co.in
An International Refereed e-Journal of Literary Explorations

Rebati was the product of a society based on communal rural tradition where values
regarding women’s role were historically embedded in socio cultural structures of the society.
Rebati is suffering in the whole story, she has lost her father and mother but the psychological
torture of her grandmother affecting her more. There is no one to morally support her. She has
lost everything, her dream has spoiled and her grandmother’s taunts are venomous. Here one can
understand the problem of a woman and the internal pain of a woman. Rebati became victim of
such Psychological torture and abuses because she inherited inequalities and discrimination,
being born as a girl in a traditional and conservative Oriya society. The tragic consequences of
Rebati’s life are symbolic of a highly oppressive, conservative social order.
Fakir Mohan Senapati as a social reformist, knowing the contemporary social philosophy
very well, he did not dare to endow Rebati with an identity of her own. After this vast changes
came in Odia educational system but still there are restrictions in conservative sections. Time has
changed but for some groups like tribal people nothing has changed. They are still living in a
world where there is no education and modern amenities. Like the grandmother of Rebati still in
tribal area there are so many grandmothers who do not permit their granddaughters to get
education. Women education is still very restricted and is not appreciated by the conservative
section. More than that, pre-marital love was almost forbidden. It is astounding for Fakir Mohan
to have empathized with such issues in those times of narrow living standards and superstitious
attitude in village folk.
‘Rebati’ is not only a story but also it is an image in the history of literature through
which Fakir Mohan Senapati has showed the society and its condition where an innocent girl is
suffering in the name of tradition and custom. It was the society of 19th century but still there was
a hope in the pen of Fakir Mohan Senapati, for which he created the character like Rebati and it
has been considered by the readers that it is a story which not only shows the rays of hope to
adopt girls but also it provides an energy for those fathers who still hesitate to send their girl
child to schools.
In this story Fakir Mohan Senapati has showed the traditional society where people were
thinking that girls are only for house hold work and they cannot acquire education because if
they will acquire education then their family will be destroyed and all the members of their
family will die. And all these things are happening in the story Rebati. When she is excited to
learn by listening her father’s decision and teacher Basu’s dedication at that moment her
grandmother is against this decision and grandmother’s reaction was like this: “What good will it
do? How does book-learning help a girl? It’s enough if you learnt cooking, baking, churning
butter and painting walls with rice-paste.” (Rebati)
She wants to join school for study but her grandmother denies her and strictly says to her
father that if she will learn then there will be problem in their home and without any cause their
family will be destroyed. Unfortunately all the sayings and hope of her grandmother becomes
true as all the members of her family die because of cholera. It is not the fault of Rebati but it
was the blind belief of her grandmother who thinks that all these things are happening because
Reba is learning. However, the matter is different because everyone is dying out of cholera. Here
it can be considered that through this blind belief Fakir Mohan Senapati has tried to show the
rights of a woman and also the dream of a woman. The story is presenting the scenario of 1871
in Odisha where for the first time a school was established for girls to get education. Rebati is the
artistic creation of Fakir Mohan Senapati but through this story he has showed the reality of
society, where there was no educational facility for girls and also girls were despised by their
parents. It is a story but Senapati has tried to show the bitter truth of society through this story.

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Research Scholar www.researchscholar.co.in
An International Refereed e-Journal of Literary Explorations

Because in profession he was a teacher and he was strictly fighting for the freedom of women. In
his short stories and novels he has showed the importance of women and talked about the rights
of women.
Fakir Mohan Senapati has raised question of education and identity of women through
the character Rebati. And through this story he has tried to experiment on all those things which
was totally different from modern world. This story talks about the situation of 19th century but
still these things are happening in 21st century. But here the question is on identity of individual
human being which shows the status of empowerment and conditional situation of women where
she acts as a puppet. In the late 19th century Odisha, women's identity was definitely a
problematic issue because it shows not only socio cultural issues but also economical condition
also. The story also talks about the identity of Odiya people and regional entity. Women were
treated differently at that moment as they were victim. If one will talk about the situation of 19th
century then it is not only a problem in Odia culture but also it was large problem in the whole
Indian culture. So on this basis the contemporaries of Fakir Mohan Senapati like Radhanath Roy
whose famous ‘Kavyas’ such as ‘KedarGauri’ and ‘Chandra Bhaga’ end with death of female
characters.
Fakir Mohan’s most acclaimed story ‘Rebati’ acts as an important adhesive force in
tracing the continuity of women literary tradition in Odisha. Through this story Senapati has tried
to show the private education and how women were getting formal education. Here the main
point is that at that moment those girls were getting formal education whose family was well
established or the girl happens to be the daughter of a zamindar. Through this story Fakir Mohan
Senapati has tried to show various conditions of women in traditional society. For example when
the teacher of Rebati is coming to their home to teach her at that moment there is so many
questions arise in the mind of Rebatis’s grandmother. According to the situation in the story
when Rebati is at the marriageable age at that moment her father thinks that he will accept the
teacher as his son-in-law but the grandmother is not ready to accept him as their son in law
because he has no caste identity and his standard of living. Here in this scene Fakir Mohan has
tried to reflect one important thing that is choice and wish of Rebati in an indirect way. Because
throughout the study of whole story the reader can understand the wish of Rebati because she is
secretly loving the teacher and as a human being the teacher is very good. But here the
grandmother is not accepting him. And when all the major characters are dying at that moment
she is scolding Rebati that everyone in the house dying because of her education. And women
are born to cook and not for education. And her Scolding is something like this:
Lo nea lo Reba lo pani
Chulikuja (Rebati)
Here this means you Reba go to hell, everyone is dying because of you and you are
responsible for everything. At last when Rebati is feeling alone she is not coming out because in
every moment her grandmother is scolding her that she is a witch. It is the time of 19 th century
but Fakir Mohan Senapati has reflected the image of woman through the character Rebati that is
very much contemporary. At last Rebati dies in Fever because there is no one to help and her
only grandmother is scolding her at last moment. Here Senapati has presented all the concepts
related to life of woman. How girl child became a demon in the eyes of her grandmother and it is
very clear that she is not responsible for all the matters but according to time and situation, she
became the victim.
.

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Research Scholar www.researchscholar.co.in
An International Refereed e-Journal of Literary Explorations

Thus it can be said that the protagonist Rebati is symbol of women education and
subjugation. In some sense characters like the grandmother and Mangaraj are essential podia
from which the stature and substance of a character like Rebati could be visible. So a
juxtaposition of these two charactershelps read the text better. As a responsible human being,
knowing all the social obstacles of society Senapati presented ‘Rebati’ in such a way that which
will provide a new way to all the girls like Rebati. Time has been changed still there is a woman
suffering for education and free life. After 19th century educational status has been changed and
there is so many opportunities on educational sector but still there are tribal girls who are
enthusiast to get education. Through this story Senapati has tried to empower Odiya society and
Odiya womanhood. It was his greatness and his understanding through which he has explained a
character that is very silent, courageous and her seclusion appearing in desolation and poverty.
But still she is strong and acts as victim for the modern world. It is about the reality of society
and the culture where a woman is suffering till the end of her life.

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