A Critical Study of Social and Moral Values in Toru Dutt’s Lakshman and Tagore’s Deeno Daan

 

Hello Readers! 

This blog post is part of the Thinking Activity assigned by Megha Trivedi Ma’am. The task allows us to engage critically with Indian English poetry and Bengali literature in translation, focusing on Toru Dutt’s “Lakshman” and Rabindranath Tagore’s “Deeno Daan.” Both works, though composed in different contexts and centuries, explore deep questions of human values, social mentality, duty, and relationships. Through this exercise, we sharpen our ability to read poetry not only as art but also as a mirror of culture, society, and timeless human dilemmas.

Question : 1

Write a critical note on Lakshman by Toru Dutt.

Introduction : 

👉🏻     Toru Dutt (1856–1877) was one of the pioneering figures in Indian English literature. Though she died at the young age of 21, her works left a remarkable impression on both Indian and global literary history. In her poetry, she often drew upon Indian mythology and classical stories, retelling them in English verse while blending Indian ethos with European literary sensibilities. Lakshman, a poem from her celebrated work A Sheaf Gleaned in French Fields and other writings, is a fine example of her literary craft.

The poem retells a well-known episode from the Ramayana where Sita urges Lakshman to leave her in order to search for Rama, who is lured away by the golden deer and whose cry for help disturbs Sita’s peace. What distinguishes Toru Dutt’s version is not the mere retelling, but the way she humanizes the mythological figures and presents their inner conflicts with emotional depth.

Analysis :

• The Core Theme:
  The central conflict in the poem revolves around duty, obedience, and misunderstanding. Sita, full of anxiety, believes Rama is in danger, but Lakshman knows that Rama is invincible. Torn between Sita’s insistence and his own devotion to his brother, Lakshman suffers an intense moral dilemma.

• Characterization of Lakshman:
  Toru Dutt paints Lakshman as a figure of unwavering loyalty and devotion. His character embodies restraint, respect for Sita, and faith in Rama’s power. Lakshman’s dilemma is not only mythological but symbolic of the larger human conflict between reason and emotion, duty and compassion.

• Sita’s Anxiety and Accusation:
  Sita’s role is equally crucial. Her fear for Rama’s safety makes her blind to Lakshman’s explanations. She even accuses him of having selfish motives, which deeply wounds Lakshman. Through Sita’s words, Toru Dutt shows how even love can become possessive and irrational under the pressure of fear.

• Emotional Tension:
  Toru Dutt’s poetic skill lies in capturing emotional tension in vivid English verse. The dialogue-driven form makes the poem dramatic, almost like a scene from a play. Lakshman’s hurt feelings, Sita’s desperation, and the looming tragedy of her eventual abduction by Ravana are all foreshadowed.

• Blend of Indian and Western Sensibilities:
  Toru Dutt adopts Western literary forms and diction, yet her content is rooted in Indian tradition. The mythological episode becomes a universal story of loyalty, misunderstanding, and human frailty.

Narrative & Key Lines :

👉🏻      The poem dramatizes Sita’s plea to Lakshman, revealing her suspicion and anguish. Sita, hearing Rama’s desperate cry, demands Lakshman to rescue him:

“Fly, brother, to his aid, haste, haste away,

Or surely they will slay my Rama — slay!”

Here, the immediacy of repetition (“haste, haste”) captures Sita’s panic. But Lakshman, bound by duty and intuition, resists leaving her unguarded:

“O noble lady, who can work him harm?

Is he not proof against all earthly charm?”

Lakshman’s lines show his unwavering faith in Rama’s invincibility, but also highlight a rational male perspective against Sita’s emotional urgency.

Sita then accuses Lakshman in cruel suspicion:

“Why dost thou linger? Why dost thou delay?

Thy evil purpose plain as light of day.”

This sudden reversal — from reverence to accusation — becomes the poem’s tragic core. Toru Dutt captures the feminine vulnerability twisted by fear, and the masculine loyalty misinterpreted as betrayal.

 

Themes & Critical Insights :

1. Duty vs. Emotion

One of the central themes in Lakshman is the conflict between duty and emotion. Lakshman represents loyalty, discipline, and responsibility — he is bound by his dharma to obey his brother’s command and protect Sita. His choices are dictated by reason and by the cultural ideal of maryada, which values obedience and self-control. On the other hand, Sita embodies the intensity of human emotion. Her love for Rama manifests as fear, anxiety, and urgency. She views the situation through the lens of personal affection rather than rational calculation. The clash between Lakshman’s rational adherence to duty and Sita’s emotional insistence creates a tragic miscommunication. This theme illustrates a universal truth: duty and emotion often stand in opposition, and when they do, human relationships are strained, sometimes with irreversible consequences.

2. Gendered Misunderstanding

Another significant theme is the miscommunication between male and female sensibilities. Lakshman’s perspective is shaped by logic, discipline, and faith, while Sita’s perspective arises from intuition and emotional vulnerability. Their inability to reconcile these different approaches reflects a larger pattern of gendered misunderstanding. Women’s fears and emotions are often dismissed as irrational, while men’s calm restraint is sometimes misread as indifference or coldness. Toru Dutt captures this tension in the dialogue, where Sita interprets Lakshman’s restraint as a lack of concern, even questioning his motives. This reflects the broader social truth that gendered expectations frequently distort communication between men and women, leading to mistrust and conflict.

3. Foreshadowing of Tragedy

The episode in Lakshman functions as a foreshadowing of Sita’s future suffering in the epic. Her suspicion and mistrust toward Lakshman anticipate the larger trials she will face, such as her abduction by Ravana and her later ordeals of suspicion and rejection. The theme of foreshadowing highlights the inevitability of tragedy, suggesting that even small misunderstandings can trigger catastrophic outcomes. By focusing on this particular moment, Toru Dutt deepens its symbolic significance: Sita’s mistrust of Lakshman mirrors the mistrust that will eventually dominate her destiny. This demonstrates how fragile trust can be, and how easily it can unravel into sorrow and separation.

4. Colonial Echoes

Although Lakshman retells an ancient Indian story, it also resonates with the historical context of Toru Dutt’s own time. As a poet writing during colonial rule, Dutt may be seen as projecting the struggles of her society into the myth. Lakshman’s loyalty but ultimate helplessness can be read as a metaphor for colonized Indians — devoted to their traditions yet restricted by forces beyond their control. Sita’s suspicion of Lakshman can reflect the misunderstandings between colonizer and colonized, where loyalty was often perceived as weakness or deceit. Thus, the poem acquires a double meaning: while it dramatizes a mythological conflict, it also subtly echoes the tensions of colonial identity and the burden of cultural misunderstanding.

Conclusion :

“Lakshman” is not just a retelling of a myth; it is Toru Dutt’s meditation on human frailty, suspicion, and the cost of miscommunication. The dramatic dialogue, rich in emotion, makes the poem universal. Toru Dutt’s craft ensures that even a legendary moment feels intensely personal, and in it, we glimpse not only the destiny of Sita and Lakshman but also the struggles of all relationships tested by loyalty and doubt.

Question : 2

What type of social mentality does Rabindranath Tagore present in the poem Deeno Daan?

◼️   Introduction: 

👉🏻      Rabindranath Tagore (1861–1941), the Nobel laureate poet, novelist, and thinker, often used his literary works to critique Indian society and expose its contradictions. In the poem Deeno Daan (translated as The Gift of the Poor), Tagore offers a satirical yet profound commentary on the social mentality shaped by pride, hypocrisy, and false generosity. Unlike devotional or romantic poetry, Deeno Daan explores the psychology of charity in a hierarchical society where giving is often motivated by arrogance rather than compassion.

Analysis : 

• Central Theme:
  The poem centers around the mentality of a wealthy man who prides himself on giving charity to the poor. But Tagore reveals the irony—the so-called “gift” of the rich is actually insignificant and insulting compared to the sacrifices made by the poor themselves.

• Exposure of Hypocrisy:
  Tagore critiques the superficial generosity of the rich. The wealthy often give alms not to help the poor but to feed their own egos. Charity becomes a performance rather than a genuine act of empathy

•   Satire and Irony:
  Tagore’s tone is satirical. The title itself—Deeno Daan—is ironic. True giving, Tagore implies, comes not from wealth but from sacrifice. The poor give from their need, while the rich give from their surplus. Thus, the so-called daan of the rich is morally inferior.

• Contemporary Relevance:
  Even in modern times, Tagore’s critique remains relevant. Large donations by corporations or wealthy individuals are often publicized widely, while the daily sacrifices of common people go unnoticed. Tagore invites us to question whether charity is truly selfless or merely a tool for social prestige.

• Philosophical Dimension:
  In Tagore’s spiritual outlook, real giving is rooted in humility. The mentality of arrogance destroys the sanctity of charity. The poor, despite their material deprivation, are spiritually richer because they give with sincerity.

• Language and Style:
  The poem uses simple yet sharp diction, making its satire more effective. Tagore combines biting irony with moral earnestness, forcing readers to confront uncomfortable truths about social behavior.

◼️ Social Mentality Reflected in Tagore’s Deeno Daan :

1. Hypocrisy of the Rich 

One of the sharpest criticisms in Deeno Daan is aimed at the hollow generosity of the rich. Tagore writes: “He who gives with one hand, makes sure ten eyes are watching.” This line exposes how acts of charity become staged performances meant to impress society rather than acts of genuine compassion. Instead of easing suffering, charity is turned into an ornament of prestige, a way of inflating one’s social image. Through this irony, Tagore unmasks the ego-driven mentality of the wealthy, who value applause more than the relief of the poor.

2. Dehumanization of the Poor

In the poem, the poor are not treated as full human beings but as props in the theater of generosity. Tagore emphasizes this when he writes: “The beggar’s silence is his offering, his bent head the coin he pays.” Here the poor are stripped of dignity, reduced to mere passive bodies that confirm the rich man’s glory. Their contribution to society — their labor, their endurance — is ignored. The mentality that Tagore critiques is one in which the poor are viewed as recipients without voice or agency. They exist only to make the rich appear benevolent.

3. Moral Blindness of Society

Tagore’s genius lies in turning the idea of daan (gift) upside down. He declares: “It is not the rich who give, it is the poor who give ceaselessly.” By highlighting this reversal, he attacks society’s blindness in confusing charity with justice. The wealthy think of their donations as a benevolent favor, but Tagore insists that society actually runs on the hidden sacrifices of the poor. Their sweat, silence, and endurance sustain the system, yet they are told to remain grateful for crumbs. This moral blindness sustains inequality because it refuses to acknowledge the real debt owed to the poor.

4. Colonial Context and Power Dynamics

Tagore also embeds the poem in the colonial atmosphere of his time. He notes: “In the name of charity, the landlord fattens, the master rules.” This cutting observation reveals how colonial elites and native landlords used philanthropy as a mask for oppression. By distributing alms, they constructed an image of benevolence while continuing to exploit labor and resources. This mentality of philanthropy was thus not innocent generosity but a political tool, designed to keep the poor submissive and silence resistance. Tagore’s voice pierces through this hypocrisy, exposing how charity can function as a veil for structural injustice.

Critical Insights :

1. The Paradox of the Title
   The very title Deeno Daan is a critique in itself. Literally meaning “gift to the poor,” the phrase is paradoxical because the poem reveals that it is the poor who are constantly giving — their work, their suffering, their silence — while the rich only offer superficial tokens in return. The mentality reflected here is one of inversion, where social realities are deliberately misrepresented.

2. Hollowness of Pride
   Through sharp, almost aphoristic statements, Tagore tears down the pride of the wealthy. Their sense of moral superiority is shown to be hollow because it rests on false premises. The mentality reflected here is one where social respectability and reputation matter more than ethical truth.

3. Shift from Compassion to Ego-Driven Charity
   Finally, the poem reflects a broader shift in social mentality. Traditional Indian culture placed value on genuine compassion, selfless giving, and community solidarity. But in the modern world, especially under colonial influence, charity becomes institutionalized, performative, and ego-driven. The mentality has shifted from seeing charity as a duty to viewing it as a way of displaying wealth and consolidating power.

Conclusion :

➡️     Through Deeno Daan, Tagore highlights the flaws in social mentality regarding wealth, poverty, and charity. He critiques the arrogance of the wealthy and elevates the dignity of the poor. The poem is not merely about economic disparity but about moral and spiritual poverty hidden beneath material riches. It challenges us to rethink what it means to “give.” At a deeper level, Tagore teaches that true giving is not about money but about selflessness, compassion, and humility.

References :

     Bylund, L. (n.d.). Rabindranath Tagore’s ‘Deeno Daan’: A Timeless Critique of Materialistic Spirituality. Retrieved September 25, 2025, from https://www.gandhiforchildren.org/tagore-deeno-daan/

      Desai, R. (n.d.). “Lakshman” by Toru Dutt, “Deeno Daan” by Rabindranath Tagore, and “To a Hero-Worshipper” by Sri Aurobindo.pdf. Slideshare. Retrieved September 25, 2025, from https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/lakshman-by-toru-dutt-deeno-daan-by-rabindranath-tagore-and-to-a-hero-worshipper-by-sri-aurobindo-pdf/271752189

      Kumar, P. (n.d.). 248176628-Lakshman.pdf. Scribd. Retrieved September 25, 2025, from https://www.scribd.com/document/445012882/248176628-Lakshman-pdf

       SabrangIndia. (2020, August 6). Deeno Daan, Rabindranath Tagore, about a temple, 120 years ago. Retrieved September 25, 2025, from https://sabrangindia.in/article/deeno-daan-rabindranath-tagore-about-temple-120-years-ago/