The Postmaster -Summary

Summary of “The Postmaster”1: Rabindranath Tagore’s short story, “The Postmaster” centers around a young postmaster named Dadababu. Dadababu has been transferred from Calcutta to a small Indian village, Ulapur, for a position as postmaster. He finds himself feeling very lonely and unable to relate to the factory workers around him. Conversation and companionship comes to Dadababu in the form of a young servant girl names Ratan. In an attempt to appease his loneliness Dadababu tells the girl stories about his distant family and even begins teaching her to read. Ratan quickly becomes attached to Dadababu and develops strong, seemingly romantic feelings for him. When Dadababu unexpectedly falls ill Ratan does not leave his bedside. However, Dadababu does not view Ratan in the same way. As soon as he recovers from sickness, Dadababu requests a transfer out of Ulapur. When his petition is denied, Dadababu simply resigns and informs Ratan of his departure. Ratan is extremely upset and asks Dadababu to take her with him. He finds her question absurd and denies her request. Ratan is left depressed and grieving. With only a passing thought of Ratan’s grief, Dadababu boards a ship and is quickly engrossed in thoughts of business. Tagore’s “The Postmaster”: Exploring Cultural Miscommunication Within A Society Growing up in the midst of Britain’s colonization of India, Rabindranath Tagore experienced the rapid pace at which a society can change. Much of Tagore’s writing deals with the issue of a changing society and its political, economic, and cultural implications. The introduction of Western ideals within India resulted in a blending of Indian and British cultures. This cultural intermingling often caused a miscommunication between not only the British and Indian people, but amongst Indians themselves. The influx of a non-native people brought an entirely new culture to India. While some Indians only partially assimilated Western tradition into their culture, others