The Postmaster

The Post Master

       

      “The Postmaster”, a story by Rabindranath Tagore, the Postmaster is from the huge city of Calcutta and feels out of place in such a distant rural village. The post office seems to contain only two rooms: the office itself, and the postmaster’s living quarters.

                                          

     This is a touching story of a city-bread young man working as a Postmaster, in a remote village to earn his bread and butter. Rabindranath’s finely crafted poetic narrative brings out the haunting home-sickness of the educated young man at a place where he finds no suitable Companion as well as the mellow natural greenery and serenity that encompasses him here, on the other hand, the despair and agony of Ratan, the young orphan girl who foolishly identified her kind master as her elder brother as he took a personal interest in her, has also been worded very artistically in this moving story.

       

         The Postmaster did partly to pass his long leisure which hung heavy in his hand and partly not to be distracted by the memories of his near and dear ones who were in Calcutta. When the moment of parting finally came, and when the Postmaster, having felt a bit of compassion for the servant-girl, offered her recommendations and money, Ratan was rendered heart-broken. We find best relationship between Postmaster and Ratan, in the story. Having believed that she was going to find genuine love and a home sooner or later, the offer of money burned the very core of her being. Bursting into tears, she ran away refusing all the help.

       

      The Postmaster despite his not so little feelings for Ratan realized with a heavy heart that no lasting relationship was possible with her. Finally, as his boat begins sailing swiftly and the village of Ulapur  recedes further in the distance, he tries to find comfort in the thought that “There are so many separations and deaths” in the world.