A Neocolonial Outlook on Satyajit Ray’s Calcutta
Trilogy
Alik Roy
Ph. D. Research Scholar
Department of English and Foreign Languages
Guru Ghasidas Vishwavidyalaya
Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, India
Abstract:
The terms 'Colonialism' and 'Imperialism' are
often used, interchangeably, but there is a fine
demarcation- ‘Colonialism’ is the idea of expanding and taking control over
other people and their lands, but, when this process eventually turns out to be
a political, military and economic control, it becomes imperialism. The liberation
struggle and consecutive World Wars has wrecked the sailing boat of
colonialism, and thus, the old practice of direct domination has metamorphosed
itself into a new form of domination generally masked under progressive terms
like- development, globalisation, neoliberalism. And all these terms assemble
to develop an entirely new idea of domination- Neocolonialism. The paper
focuses on Satyajit Ray’s ‘Calcutta Trilogy’- Pratidwandi (The
Adversary), 1970, Seemabaddha (Company Ltd.), 1971
and Jana Aranya (The Middleman), 1976. These films,
tough made separately by Satyajit Ray but can be encapsulated under the
umbrella term of "Calcutta Trilogy" for its staunch depiction of
society and its eloquent realism. The films give us a greater understanding of
how Satyajit Ray pictured the neo-colonial experience of Bengal. The study also
theoretically elaborates and contextualizes Frantz Fanon’s Black Skin,
White Mask (1952), in the context of neocolonialism and the films of
Satyajit Ray. The harsh urban experience of Siddhartha in The
Adversary, who desperately searches for a job but without success,
Somnath’s opening of his own business in The Middle Man, and
Syamalendu's desire for promotion despite having a safe job in Company
Ltd., foretells our dependence and desire for a better life even if it
costs loss of indigenous values and culture. The films also underline the
politics of newly growing markets and investments which has eventually crippled
the native markets and their culture.
Keywords: Neocolonialism, White Mask,
Calcutta Trilogy, Frantz Fanon, Satyajit Ray
Understanding Neocolonialism
The 17th Century introduced
modernization and industrialization which has stimulated the concept of
'development'. The prospering European markets and factories required more
labour, raw materials to consummate their products to the comparatively less
developed regions (Asia, Africa and South America) of the world. This apparent
trade between the colonies and the European countries created a mirage of development
and thus it shifted the power dynamics in the hands of the Europeans. The
'development' has not only catered the political and military control, rather,
it has also escalated into cultural domination. The 'development' acts as a
parasite to the colonies, not only the political and economic power structure
transposed to the hands of the colonizer, rather, it also creates a new
discourse that represents the native history, culture and traditions through
their tailored lens. This 'new discourse' created by the colonizers subjected
the natives as the 'other', 'exotic' and 'wild'. The massive industrialization
of Europe apart from its virtues has also bought two major problems for them -
firstly, the surplus products produced by the industries require an outlet for
the companies to export their goods and earn profit. And secondly, the
industries need labour for their flourishment, thus, to solve this problem, the
European countries started looking for uneducated natives, this led to the
exportation of raw materials and import of cheaply available labour for the
factories.
This ongoing trade between the native
countries and the European industries transformed the economy into a capitalist
enterprise. This trade was never both way flow of wealth; rather it was the
continuous drain of natural, human and economic wealth from the native
countries. But, exporting the products into the native countries would never
solve the problem for the European capitalist, as the natives are not educated
enough (according to the European) to reciprocate with the market, and thus,
the natives are needed to be civilized and elevated from their status quo. This
led to the abolition of the traditional institutions, and new capitalist
Eurocentric discourse was imparted to metamorphose the native markets and
eventually native culture and ethos as well. The capitalist economy and the
institution of democracy cannot be accommodated together. Capitalism erodes the
institution of democracy and it makes human society and nature the servant of
the economy.
The traditional colonial rule which
was bringing economic and political prosperity to the imperialist nations was
suddenly over after the Second World War due to the rise of liberation struggle
across the continents. The massive drain of the wealth of the imperialist
nations due to the prolonged war and also heavy resistance from the colonies
led to the downfall of the colonial enterprise. But, though the imperial powers
have repatriated after the liberation struggle, colonialism never ended. The
old practice of direct domination has metamorphosed itself into a never-ending
form of domination - Neocolonialism, which is often synonymous under some
progressive terms like development, globalisation, neoliberalism, free
market.
Though the war has graved the old
system of colonial domination, the end of colonialism hasn’t ameliorated the
situation of the colonies. Colonialism ended with the drain of the wealth of
the colonies as well, so to restructure the economy and politics the native countries
needed some aid from the newly evolved superpower like the USA. Though this
‘aid’ from the wealthy nations has bought economic prosperity into the native
countries, it has also paved the way for a new volatile as well as parasitic
domination.
By definition, Neocolonialism is the
economic and political and cultural control (indirect) of a previously
colonized nation. Unlike the barbaric and inhuman colonial domination,
neocolonialism has no distinguishing ruler to rule a country from upfront;
rather it has disguised itself with the terms like globalisation and
modernisation. Neocolonialism, unlike colonial domination, is not focused on
the military and political control of land, rather it focuses on dominating the
cultural and economical sphere of a country. It is more subtle and parasitic:
“Neocolonialism is…the worst form of
imperialism. For those who practice it, it means power without responsibility
and for those who suffer from it, it means exploitation without redress”
(Nkrumah xi).
Neocolonialism has not only obliged
the native countries to submit economically but there is a lasting
psychological and cultural influence as well. The introduction of multinational
companies and private enterprises has undoubtedly ameliorated the living
standard of the native people, but it took away their indigenous culture,
values and ethos and left them with the experience of duality in existence.
And, to deal with the heteroglossia of identity, Fantz Fanon says, in his
book Black
Skin, White Mask (1967)
the natives were trying to be as white as possible, and in doing so, they are
losing their own culture and identity.
Socio-political condition of Calcutta
Neocolonialism is not an
institutionalized form of domination and thus, it has no specific oppressor like
France for Algeria or British for India. The second world war has led to the
creation of the Third World Countries, and the rapid globalisation led to the
unequal distribution of economy between the Third World and the First world
countries. Empire (2000), written by Michael Hardt
and Antonio Negri, sees neocolonialism as “decentered” and “deterritorialized”,
which means, there is no particular controlling body and neither it is
restricted within a specific territory, rather it is infused into the newly
emerged globalised culture. Neocolonialism is intangible because it often takes
advantage of a country’s social, economical and cultural confusion.
The independence of India followed by
the partition of Bengal had pushed the country midst of chaos and confusion.
With the partition of Bengal, there was a sudden influx of immigrants and
refugees (as most people were fleeing from Bangladesh to India because of
Riots). The majority of the people got settled in the city of Calcutta. This
mass exodus of people from Bangladesh started around the 1950s with Noakhali
and Barisal riots and continued till the 1970s. Over ten million people entered
and settled around Calcutta and its outskirts during this period. In addition,
there was the sudden rise in the Naxalite movement from the village named
Naxalbari, situated in the northern part of Bengal worsened the economic and
political situation of Bengal.
After independence, the city of
Calcutta became the podium for rallies, protests, strikes. Due to the massive
influx in population, Bengal went under severe food crisis resulting in mass
starvation, suicides, massive migration of people from villages to the city of
Calcutta in search of jobs and better living standards. The food movement, the
Naxalite activities, the riots and migration has not only shaped the cultural,
political and economical identity of Bengal, rather, it has also cemented the
neocolonial domination into its roots.
Neocolonial Bengal and Satyajit Ray’s Calcutta Trilogy
The 1970s was the time of turmoil and
convulsion in Bengal which was burnished by the massive food crisis, refugee
influx and migration, increasing Naxalite activities, followed by the
Bangladesh liberation war, massive inception of private companies and corporate
sectors. Midst of these social and individual upheavals, Satyajit Ray, after
finishing his magnificent Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne in 1968, Satyajit Ray started the 1970s
with The
Adversary (Pratidwandi) (1970), the first film of his Calcutta Trilogy. The second and third films of this
trilogy, Company
Limited (Seemabaddha) in
1971 and The
Middleman (Jana Aranya) in 1975, respectively. Though Satyajit Ray never intended to make
it a trilogy like he previously did with Apu and his world. This was rather an
unintentional trilogy made by Ray. As, all the three films share a borderline
portrayal of contemporary Calcutta, the world of the rapid growth of
industries, unemployment, urban poor, cosmopolitan expansion, refugee and
massive migration of people from villages to the city in search of jobs and
better living standards, Naxalite movement and changing psychology of the
people. The films staunchly depicted the rejection of ingenious products and
the decline of native markets by the native. The film portrays the
heteroglossic existence of the people who are oscillating between choices.
Moreover, the film also talks about the neocolonial domination through aid and
development by foreign companies and investors. Satyajit Ray in his Calcutta
Trilogy echos Charles Dickens’ famous depiction on Victorian London in
his A Tale
of Two Cities:
“It was the best of times, it was the
worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was
the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of
light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the
winter of despair” (Dickens 4).
The Adversary (Pratidwandi), the first film of this trilogy,
pictures the rise of the Naxalite movement in Bengal. It was set during a time
when communist sensibilities are at their peak. The Adversary staunchly depicts
the transformation of young educated men and women from prosperous families
believing in the ideology of the Naxalite movement. Even Siddhartha, the
protagonist of the film, has a younger brother who was driven by the Naxalite
ideology in the film. But, the protagonist, Siddhartha, unlike his younger
brother, was not driven by the ideology of the Naxals. He is simply a
middle-class man caught up between turmoil and social unrest. Ray deliberately
crafted the character of Siddhartha as a symbol of resistance to neocolonial
domination. Satyajit though never joined the party directly but he was always
leaned to the left. Through the character of Siddhartha, Satyajit Ray
delineates the contemporary neocolonial Calcutta wrapped in the passivity of
capitalism, corruption, unemployment and bloody revolution. The Adversary pictures a chaotic
post-independent city doomed by uncontrolled capitalism and development.
Economically troubled by the death of
his father, Siddhartha went out in search of a job. And while returning, he
went to a Swedish film, which turns out to be boring for him. Here we see a
blunt rejection of foreign culture by Siddhartha. Siddhartha is Ray’s vocal for
revolution and abolition of the Zamindari system and foreign capital
investments. Siddhartha understands the implication of foreign investments, but
still, he cannot actively reject them because he is a part of this new
coexistence. The only way Siddhartha could manage to escape from this
heteroglossia of existence is by leaving the city by taking up a modest job as
a salesman in a far small town. In the last phase of the film, we see
Siddhartha cherishes his life midst of birds and trees and nature. But in the
final scene of the film, he hears sombre chants of the funeral procession. The
ending scene is reminiscent of his father’s death which symbolizes the end of
Siddhartha’s aims and aspirations to get a job in the big city. The end of
Siddhartha’s quest to get a job and his final rejection of the neocolonial
domination by retreating and accepting the basic indigenous living, but, the
flashback of his father’s death, in the end, suggest the dullness and
lifelessness inside him. Satyajit Ray beautifully crafted Siddhartha’s duality
of existence - between his aspirations and his contempt for the newly evolved
culture. Film Critic Dennis Schwartz observed that “Satyajit Ray, gives his nod
of approval to world-wide counter-culture revolution, the revolt of youth
against the stagnant older generation, and the social upheaval taking place in
his beloved Calcutta. But he also points out that India is a different animal
than the Western countries in upheaval. He says it's because India has a
different temperament after being oppressed so long by being colonized by the
British and therefore the youth has to re-establish their own true identities
before they can change things for the better…" (Schwartz).
The second film of the trilogy
is Company
Limited (Seemabaddha), unlike the quest of Siddhartha to get a suitable job for him, Company Limited focuses more on the aspect of
rampant modernization of the culture, the rise of corporate sectors leading to
the end of the indigenous market, greed and quest to climb the social and
financial ladder by atrophying indigenous values and culture.
Shyamalendu, the protagonist of the
film, works at a British fan manufacturing company as a sales manager and
aspire to be the company’s director, is a typical prototype of native created
by Satyajit Ray, who is oscillating between the choices of climbing the social
ladder to be as white as possible and holding back his indigenous values. The
film focuses more on the erosion of the native value system in the quest for an
affluent lifestyle. At the beginning of the film, Satyajit Ray pictured
Shyamalendu as a man with a modest background and as an idealistic teacher. But
eventually, as the story progresses we see his loss of self-identity in the
glamour, money, ambition and charm of the corporate world.
Shyamalendu’s wife’s sister, Tutul,
comes to visit them from Patna. She is a small-town girl with a very organic
sensibility. Tutul has always looked on to Shyamalendu in a very idealistic
manner - a principled young man with a refined taste of life. Tutul’s initially
enjoys going out with his brother-in-law around the city, fancy dining
restaurants, clubs, racecourse, shopping malls. But her mirage about
Shyamalendu breaks when she discovers his greedy plans just to get a promotion.
In Company Limited, Ray highlighted unchecked greed not
only to seek money but also to climb the social ladder. Satyajit Ray never
tried to make Shyamalendu a villainous character; rather he is a victim of the
circumstances. He is a mere pawn whose ideas and instincts are motivated by the
illusion of development and progress created by the Neocolonial enterprises -
in Company
Limited, it is the
British fan manufacturing company.
Satyajit Ray made the last film of the
trilogy The
Middleman (Jana Aranya) (1976), more bleak and pessimistic. The film tells the story of a
college graduate Somnath who fails to get a job in this big competitive world.
Somnath starts business as a middleman and soon money starts flowing in, but
his moral code breaks down in the climax of the movie when Somnath discovers
that his best friend’s sister is a prostitute by profession and he has to sell
her to a wealthy man just to get business done. The Middleman is Ray’s most ruthless and
unmerciful representation of a neocolonial society. One of the important scenes
in the movie where Somnath’s father, who himself was a freedom fighter during
the independence of India, asks him about the ongoing Naxalite movement in the
city, he wonders about the idea of young men and women sacrificing their lives
just to hold up an idea. Ray was not interested in depicting the generation gap
between Somnath and his father, rather he was keen to reflect the fact that it
was incomprehensible for Somnath’s father that unlike his days of struggle with
the British Raj, now the enemy is within the system. People are fighting
amongst each other and turning against each other just to climb the mirage of
the social ladder created the new neocolonial culture. Satyajit Ray
deliberately created the character of Somnath as a who is transiting with shock
and surprises into a neocolonial world that has a fragmented value system and centering
into the idea of rapid commercialization of ingenious markets as well as native
values.
Conclusion
Though Satyajit Ray filmed his Calcutta Trilogy twenty years after the
independence of India and in the first reading, the film reflects deep social
disorder persisting in the city of Calcutta in the 1970s. But Ray never shifted
his focus from the neocolonial domination of the country. The movies lambently
chronicle the plight of educated unemployed men to get a suitable job, it also
talks about the rat race to climb in the quest for climbing the social ladder,
moral and social degeneration of people, the transformation moral
transformation of people just to earn money. Apart from this, the films also
focus on the change in the market system, the introduction of new multinational
companies which is eventually leading to the end of domestic markets.
Be it Siddhartha in The Adversary who was troubled by the death of his
father and wrapped under the passivity of corruption and unemployment, or
Shyamalendu in Company
Limited who has
lost his morals just to seek the position of manager and climb the social
ladder, in a British fan manufacturing company, or be it Somnath in The Middleman, who is himself in shock and wonder of
the new social order as he has to unwillingly break his moral codes and his
values just to complete his assignment.
Rapid globalization has initiated the
alteration and mixing of cultures, values commodities and people. The
separation of countries is now restricted in maps only. The global flow of
products not only created the world a small stage where everyone has access to
everything, but there is a cultural exchange too. And since the economically
superior countries already have superiority in the market, the cultural
authority also went with them. So, the neocolonial domination of the native
countries, culturally and economically, went into the hands of economically
superior countries. This cultural control of the land is taken by discoursing
the native culture, values and ethos as primitive. The narrative of West as culturally
superior leads to the loss of self-identity of the natives as they reject their
own culture in quest of becoming as white as possible, just like Siddhartha,
Shyamalendu and Somnath in Ray’s Calcutta Trilogy, struggling with the loss of self-identity in the quest of footing into
the elite class (economically superior) of the society. Neither three of them
can atrophy the desire to be in that section of the society nor they can leave
their indigenous values and thus they deal with psychological inadequacy
leading to an existential crisis.
Work Cited
Fanon, Frantz. Black Skin, White
Masks (Penguin Modern Classics). Penguin Classics, 2019.
Neo-Colonialism : The Last Stage of
Imperialism. Panaf
Books Ltd., 2022.
Said, Edward. Orientalism. 1st Ed., Vintage, 1979.
(Phiz), Hablot Knight Browne. “A Tale
of Two Cities Complete Illustrated and Unabridged Edition.” A Tale of Two Cities Complete Illustrated
and Unabridged Edition, Independently published, 2022, p. 4.
Schwartz, Dennis. “ADVERSARY, THE.” Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews, 5 July
2019, dennisschwartzreviews.com/adversary.
“Pratidwandi (1972) Satyajit Ray.” YouTube, uploaded by Dadabhai, 13 Sept.
2015, www.youtube.com/watch?v=-inaeJjndRg.
“Simabaddha | সীমাবদ্ধ | Classic Movie | English Subtitle | Sharmila Tagore, Dipankar Dey.” YouTube,
uploaded by Bengali Movies With English Subtitles, 23 Apr. 2021, www.youtube.com/watch?v=HORb6BwyHkY.
“Jana Aranya (জন অরণ্য)-The Middleman, 1976 Satyajit
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2020, www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEMA1upF0rw.