Kadambari Devi ( born Matangini Gangopadhyay; 5 July 1859 – 21 April 1884) was the wife of Bengali playwright, musician, editor and painter Jyotirindranath Tagore, daughter-in-law of

Debendranath Tagore Debendranath Tagore (15 May 1817 – 19 January 1905; birth name: Debendronath Thakur) was an Indian philosopher and religious reformer, active in the Brahmo Samaj (earlier called Bhramho Sabha) ("Society of Brahma", also translated as ''Socie ...

and sister-in-law of

Rabindranath Tagore Rabindranath Thakur (; anglicised as Rabindranath Tagore ; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengalis, Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer, and painter of the Bengal Renai ...

Early life

Kadambari Devi was born as Matangini Gangopadhyay to Shyam Ganguly and Trailokyasundari Devi in

Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...

West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...

on 5 July 1859. She was the third child to her parents. Her grandfather Jaganmohan Gangopadhyay was a famous musician whom she took her music lessons from.

Marriage

She was ten years younger than her husband Jyotirindranath Tagore whom she married on 5 July 1868 (২৫শে আষাঢ়, ১২৭৫ বঙ্গাব্দ), at the age of nine and was nearly the same age as her brother-in-law

, being only two years older than him. Her husband arranged for her to be educated. She inspired young Rabindranath in composing many of his poems with her creative feedback and comments. She was also a good friend and playmate. She was one of the women who played a very important part in his life. Her relationship with Tagore was controversial and had elements of tragedy.

Death

For reasons unknown, Kadambari committed

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

on 21 April 1884, by consuming

opium Opium (also known as poppy tears, or Lachryma papaveris) is the dried latex obtained from the seed Capsule (fruit), capsules of the opium poppy ''Papaver somniferum''. Approximately 12 percent of opium is made up of the analgesic alkaloid mor ...

four months after the marriage of

. The Tagore family always remained silent about her suicide. Rumours of family problems having led to her suicide have circulated. Allegedly, she wrote a letter before her death revealing her husband's affair but again, there was no one to prove. After Kadambari Devi's death, Rabindranath was completely broken. For a long time after her death, he wrote many songs and poems in her memory.

In popular culture

* The classic film '' Charulata'' by

Satyajit Ray Satyajit Ray (; 2 May 1921 – 23 April 1992) was an Indian film director, screenwriter, author, lyricist, magazine editor, illustrator, calligraphy, calligrapher, and composer. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest and most influ ...

which was based on

's '' Nastanirh'' was reported to have been speculated to be based on her life and her relationship with Tagore. * In Sukanta Roy's Bengali film ''Chhelebela'' (2002)

Debashree Roy Debashree Roy (born 8 August 1962) also known as Debasree Roy, is an Indian actress, dancer, choreographer, politician and animal rights activist. She was a bankable star of Bengali cinema during 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s. She received mo ...

played the character alongside Jisshu Sengupta portraying

Tagore Rabindranath Thakur (; anglicised as Rabindranath Tagore ; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengalis, Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer, and painter of the Bengal Renai ...

. * In Bandana Mukhopadhyay's Bengali film ''Chirosakha He'' (2007) Deepanjana Paul played the character alongside Sayandip Bhattacharya playing Tagore. * In

Rituparno Ghosh Rituparno Ghosh (; 31 August 1963 – 30 May 2013) was an Indian film director, actor, writer and lyricist. After pursuing a degree in economics, he started his career as a creative artist at an advertising agency. He received recognition for h ...

's Bengali documentary film ''Jeevan Smriti'' (2011)

Raima Sen Raima Sen (born Raima Dev Varma) is an Indian actress and model, born into the royal family of Tripura to Bharat Dev Varma and Moon Moon Sen. Sen is known for her work in Hindi and Bengali films. Early life Raima Sen was born on 7 November ...

played the character alongside Samadarshi Dutta playing Tagore. * In Suman Ghosh's Bengali film '' Kadambari'' (2015)

Konkona Sen Sharma Konkona Sen Sharma (; born 3 December 1979) is an Indian actress and filmmaker who works primarily in Bengali and Hindi films. She has received several awards, including two National Film Awards and three Filmfare Awards. The daughter of filmm ...

played the character alongside Parambrata Chatterjee portraying Tagore.

References

External links

* https://m.youtube.com/watch?list=PLEJ8D7mRSBafh9G0B82n0ilmuRQbYYjtd&v=qDUdC_4XxuE * ''The Telegraph''
Spotlight on the women in Tagore's life
7 May 2004. People from Kolkata People from the Bengal Presidency Suicides in India Painters from British India 1859 births 1884 deaths {{India-bio-stub