Crossing the Thresholds: Unsung Bengali Travelogues by Women
Abstract: It is a common perception that women in general and Indian women in particular were by and large confined within the narrow space of domesticity. The trope of being imprisoned or “a caged bird” and dreams about stepping out into the world. Travelling, whether on pilgrimages or on secular journeys was considered as a liberating experience that gave women immense freedom. In Bengal, the most obvious reason for travel was “tirtha” or pilgrimages to holy places which the typical middle-class Bengali families undertook. Travelling beyond the boundaries of one’s homeland could be for many reasons. Bengali women like Krishna Bhabini Das, Hariprabha Takeda, Chitrita Devi travelled after their marriages, accompanying their husbands. The travelogues by these Bengali women in colonial period bore testimonies to the openness of the mind of the women who came out of the womanly barriers of the closed society. These travels gave them a much wider view of the world.
Keywords: Travel: Foreign Land: Women: Bengali.
