Chokher Bali

One of the most famous novels of Tagore and a timeless classic of Bengali literature. First published as a serial, a novel on love, family and sexuality in Bengal society.

Chokher Bali is a 1903 Bengali novel by Rabindranath Tagore that depicts the life of the central character, Binodini, and her relationships with three individuals. It explores the extramarital affair between Binodini, a young widow, and Mahendra, one of the three other main characters, the complicated friendship with Asha, his girl-wife, and her mutually conflicting feelings with Behari, Mahendra’s adopted brother. The content also highlighted issues of women literacy, child marriage, patriarchy within the family and the fates of three widows.

The title of the book can be translated as “a grain of sand”, a “constant irritant to the eye”, or an “eyesore”. “Eyesore” was used as the title for its first English translation by Surendranath Tagore published in 1914. Tagore had used a working title Binodini before its publication.