Prof. Ranabir Chakravarti, Retired Professor, Centre for Historical Studies, JNU was invited as a Scholar in Residence for three days under the aegis of the Institution of Eminence programme. He delivered lectures particularly pertaining to the course on Social and Economic History of Early India and devoted one day for discussions with the doctoral students working on Early Indian History. Along with this he was invited to deliver a distinguished lecture under the auspices of Golden Always lecture series of the school of Social Sciences. The title of his lecture was ‘From the Sardulakarnavadanam to Tagore’s Chandalika: Literary Journeys and Socio-Cultural Contexts.’
Prof. K. K. Kailash, Head of the Political Science Department, extended a warm and gracious welcome to the esteemed speaker. Prof. Suchandra Ghosh, Head of the Department of History, School of Social Sciences, University of Hyderabad (UoH) warmly introduced the speaker, expressing sincere gratitude and appreciation.
Prof. Chakravarti began his lecture by acknowledging the honor of his invitation and express gratitude to the organizers and the University of Hyderabad. He then delved into the fascinating story of Sardulakarnavadanam, a Buddhist Avadana tale from Divyadana. It is a hybrid Buddhist Sanskrit text from the early centuries AD, brought to scholarly attention by Rajendra Lala Mitra in the 19th century. The text has not yet been translated into English and was edited by Sujit Kumar Mukhopadhyaya in 1954.
It is recognized as one of the earliest Sanskrit texts that sharply critique the varna system. Prof. Chakravarti then further mentioned the striking similarities between Matanga Jataka and Sardulakarnavadanam. Both the texts challenge the caste hierarchies. Matanga Jataka focuses more on social mobility through marriage and personal merit. Sardulakarnavadanam found new perspective in the 20th century through the literary and performative works of Kumaran Asan and Rabindranath Tagore. Prof. Chakravarti argued that Tagore’s Chandalika transforms the story into a deeply psychological and philosophical exploration of selfhood.
Tagore’s staging of Chandalika as a dance drama was revolutionary in early 20th century Bengal, particularly as it incorporated female performers in an era when women’s public participation was still contested. In contrast, Kumaran Asan’s Chandalabhikshuki is a politically charged critique of caste oppression, shaped by his personal experiences of discrimination as a member of the Thiyya community and his involvement in the Kerala social reform movement under Sri Narayana Guru.
The lecture concluded with a lively Q&A session, as inquisitive students and faculty posed critical questions, further enriching the discussion. At the end of the session, a beautifully crafted maritime-themed pata chitra was presented to Prof. Chakravarti by Udaya Jojo, a second semester Masters’ student from the Department of History. Chitran D, a Doctoral Candidate, Department of History, proposed a vote of thanks and profusely thanked Prof. Chakravarti, Prof. Jyotirmaya Sharma, who conceptualized the series and IOE for funding the programme along with others.
Contributed by Titas Sarkar, Doctoral Research Scholar, Department of History, School of Social Sciences