Mahamaya by:Rabindranath Tagore

Rabindranath Tagore was an Indian polymath who was active as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer, educationist and painter during the age of Bengal Renaissance. He reshaped Bengali literature and music as well as Indian art with Contextual Modernism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.(Wikipedia)

Rabindaranth Tagore story "Mahamaya" opens with a plot presenting a dreadful and lonely life of a woman who becomes a widow the day after her wedding. Mahamaya is a beautiful young maiden that comes from a family of Kulin Brahmans, the highest rank of Brahmans. She fell in love with his childhood companion, Rajeev who is a low class Bramo. Their love story is like Romeo and Juliet wherein they were like “me and you against the world” as well as the tragic ending and like Cupid and Psyche at the end of the story because there’s a barrier between them like it was forbidden to see the face of your beloved. The author of the story tells the reader about the importance of social rank in ancient India, where the poor cannot marry someone of higher rank, and it exposes the reader to one of the most terrible fates a woman can face. It also aims to inform readers that a single decision can affect our life forever; no matter how much we wish for it takes us back to the past, we will never be able to bring back what has been done. 

 The story of Mahamaya contains three subject matter and themes such as societal norms, mythology and romance. The societal norms reflect when Mahamaya can’t marry Rajeev no matter how much she loves him because of their social class. She is strictly following their marital law which is marrying someone within your social standing. Love and marriage were always a different thing back then and up until now somehow. 

Additionally, societal norms also reflect when "Mahamay "was cremated alive with her deceased husband who is already a dying Brahmin, leaving her a widow the next day. When Rajeev proclaimed his love for Mahamaya, he became a part of Indian mythology. At that point, Rajeev had been inspired by Kamadeva, the god of love, who remains vigilant even when their lord of creatures is in a drowsy state. These gods are deities in Indian culture. The love story between Rajeev and Mahamaya in the story is a mirror of romance. The love they have for each other was torn apart by the god of love and society, but despite that they got reunited again, fulfilling the promise Mahamaya made to Rajeev. Sadly, their reconciliation didn’t last long when Rajeev violated his pledge to Mahamaya, causing Mahamaya to flee instantly. 

The story generally informs the reader the importance of social status in ancient India, wherein the poor can’t be wed to a person who is has higher social status, it opens the eyes of the reader to one of the most hostile fate of a woman. It also seeks to inform the readers that one single decision could change our lives forever; we can never bring back the things that are lost no matter how much we pray for it. What we can do is to live with, accept our decision and try to bring out good things from it.