I was very young when I first read Kapalkundala by Bankimchandra, I remember that I loved Kapalkundala since our first introduction.. though I was too young to understand her then, still I wanted to be as brave and honest as her. Being a book worm I have devoured hundreds of books but I have not met a character like kapalkundala again.. she is unique, perfect in my eyes.
A little girl most probably abducted by a tantrik, being brought up by him with not very honorable intentions in a scary forest. She grew up roaming in the forest completely alone, serving the tantrik she called father, her only other companion was the priest of a nearby temple.
He rescues the hero, nabakumar who gets lost in the forest. Though she knew that the tantrik will kill both of them, still she saves him from being sacrificed and takes him to the priest. He marries them off and requests nabakumar to take her with him. Who happily does so, first reason because she saved his life and second reason was she was gorgeous, even though she was a perfect tomboy.
He brings her home, her family members too start to love her. She was a very charming lady, her domestic skills were perfect, but she just did not knew any thing about married life and was not least keen to learn any thing about conjugal life. Her husband’s love for her was so deep that he did not forced any thing on her but waited patiently.
Fate had something else in plan, nabakumar’s first wife who deserted him for money comes back to his life and falls in love with him. She slowly poisons his mind, convincing him that kapalkundala refuses him because of infidelty.
In a strange irony of fate nabakumar hands her over to the same tantrik from whose claws she has saved him risking her own death..
The tantrik asks nabakumar to bathe her and bring her back to his hut for sacrificing. As they both were standing in the river bank, Nabakumar’s love overpowers his hatred and he begs her to tell him that she is not infidel. She calmly says that he is the only man she has ever loved. When nabakumar asks her why had she not told him before, she calmly says because he did not asked.
The river bank collapses and they both perish in the raging river.
The traits which make me Kapalkundala’s admirer are her complete un atachment to material things..she gave away her entire box of jewellery to a beggar.
Her extreme honesty and truthfulness is the second trait of her which is magnetic to me.
Her fearlessness.. lack of fear for any thing including death is something I would have loved to have within me.
