Indigo by Satyajit Ray – Semi-Long Q&A (5 Marks)
Answer within 100-150 words incorporating the details mentioned in (a) and (b).
Q 1. How does the supernatural event begin in the dak bungalow?
(a) An old man appears at night during a storm asking for shelter and to light a fire in the bedroom
(b) After Aniruddha lights the fire and falls asleep, he experiences a transformation to the past
Answer:
The supernatural event unfolds mysteriously when an old man appears at the dak bungalow one stormy night. Aniruddha, alone in this isolated place, opens the door to find the stranger seeking shelter from the raging storm. What makes this encounter unusual is the old man's specific request—he urgently asks Aniruddha to light a fire in the bedroom. Without hesitation or question, Aniruddha complies with this strange demand. As the fire crackles to life, Aniruddha falls into an unusually deep sleep, almost like a trance. This moment marks the turning point where reality begins to shift. Once asleep, Aniruddha's consciousness slips backward through time. He no longer remains himself but begins experiencing the life of a 19th-century indigo planter. The fire seems crucial to this transformation—perhaps it acts as a bridge between the present and the past. Ray leaves the exact mechanism deliberately mysterious, suggesting that supernatural forces don't follow logical rules. The old man's peculiar request and Aniruddha's immediate compliance create the conditions necessary for the paranormal event. This opening sequence masterfully draws readers into a world where the impossible becomes real.
Q 2. What is the planter's condition on the night of his death?
(a) He is dying of malaria and covered with indigo stains from exploitation of workers
(b) He is tormented by guilt about the suffering and deaths he caused to the workers
Answer:
On his final night, the indigo planter exists in a state of complete torment—both physically and emotionally destroyed. The malaria ravages his body, leaving him weak and feverish, yet his physical suffering seems minor compared to the mental anguish consuming him. His reflection in the mirror reveals something horrifying: his face and body are covered with deep indigo stains that he cannot wash away, no matter how hard he tries. These stains symbolize more than just dye—they represent the marks of his crimes and cruelty etched permanently into his being. What truly destroys him is the crushing guilt. The planter remembers the workers he mercilessly exploited, forcing them to labor in brutal conditions while he stole their earnings. Many fell ill and died as a direct result of his greed and indifference. Their suffering haunts him relentlessly, appearing in his feverish dreams and waking moments alike. The combination of malaria and guilt proves unbearable. He cannot escape his memories or his conscience. Desperation drives him toward his final act—suicide seems like the only escape from a guilt that has become as deadly as the disease consuming his body. His condition reveals how moral corruption and physical decay intertwine, each amplifying the other's destructive power.
Q 3. Why does Aniruddha experience both his own identity and the planter's identity at the same time?
(a) He remains aware of being Aniruddha Bose in 1968 even while experiencing the planter's consciousness
(b) This double consciousness allows him to witness the planter's guilt and suffering from both perspectives
Answer:
Q 4. What does the indigo color represent in the story?
(a) It represents the stains on the planter's body showing his guilt and crimes
(b) It symbolizes the suffering of workers and the planter's exploitation that cannot be washed away
Answer:
The color indigo functions as the story's most powerful symbol, operating on multiple levels simultaneously. On the surface, indigo refers to the crop that defined the planter's business and wealth. But Ray transforms this simple agricultural detail into something far more profound. When Aniruddha witnesses the planter looking in the mirror, he sees indigo stains covering the man's face and body—stains that no amount of scrubbing can remove. These physical marks represent something invisible yet inescapable: the permanent damage caused by exploitation and cruelty. The indigo stains suggest that guilt leaves traces that cannot be erased. Just as the dye penetrates fabric beyond washing, the planter's crimes have stained his soul beyond redemption. Simultaneously, the indigo represents the workers' suffering. The crop they were forced to grow under brutal conditions symbolizes their pain and the many deaths that resulted from the planter's callous exploitation. The color becomes inseparable from human suffering. By naming his story "Indigo," Ray ensures that this symbol dominates every reader's memory. The color connects the planter's personal guilt to the larger historical injustices of colonialism. It reminds us that exploitation, whether individual or systemic, leaves indelible marks on everyone involved—marks that demand acknowledgment and justice.
Q 5. How does the 100-year time gap contribute to the story's theme?
(a) The planter dies in 1868 and Aniruddha experiences the event exactly 100 years later on April 27-28
(b) This precise timing suggests that supernatural justice operates on cosmic scales beyond human understanding
Answer:
Q 6. Why is the dak bungalow an important setting for the supernatural event?
(a) It is isolated and historical, having existed for over 100 years in the same location
(b) Its emptiness and abandonment make it a perfect place for supernatural forces to operate freely
Answer:
The dak bungalow functions as far more than a mere location in Ray's story—it becomes a crucial character itself. This structure, built during the colonial era, stands as a physical monument to India's complicated history under British rule. For over a century, it has occupied the same ground where indigo plantations operated nearby, where workers suffered exploitation, and where colonial injustice flourished unchecked. The bungalow has absorbed all this history into its very walls and atmosphere. Its isolation proves essential to the supernatural event. Located far from modern civilization, surrounded by darkness and an empty landscape, the bungalow exists outside normal society's protective boundaries. This isolation creates the perfect conditions for supernatural forces to manifest without witnesses or interference. In populated areas, the natural rhythms of daily life would repel such paranormal occurrences, but the bungalow's emptiness welcomes them. Additionally, abandoned or semi-abandoned buildings hold a special quality in supernatural narratives—they become thin places where the barrier between past and present grows permeable. The bungalow's emptiness and age seem to call out to Aniruddha, making him available to the forces that wish to communicate across time. Ray's choice of setting is deliberately symbolic: this building, surviving from the colonial era, still contains the unresolved moral debts of that period, waiting for someone to witness and acknowledge them.
Q 7. What is the caretaker's reaction to Aniruddha's story and what does it reveal?
(a) The caretaker is surprised but skeptical about Aniruddha's extraordinary supernatural experience
(b) His skepticism reflects reality's resistance to accepting things beyond normal explanation and logic
Answer:
Q 8. How does Ray use the story to explore the theme of guilt and its supernatural consequences?
(a) The planter's guilt about exploiting workers is manifested physically in indigo stains covering his body
(b) The supernatural haunting 100 years later shows that guilt cannot escape death and demands eternal payment
Answer:
Ray presents guilt not as a mere emotional state but as a living force with supernatural power and consequences. The planter's exploitation of workers—stealing their labor, wages, and dignity—creates guilt so profound that it becomes as destructive as a physical disease. When Aniruddha witnesses the planter's final night, he sees guilt manifested visibly in indigo stains that cover the dying man's body. These stains refuse to wash away, symbolizing how guilt permanently marks those who commit moral transgressions. The planter cannot escape this mark even in death. Remarkably, his death doesn't end the story—guilt pursues him across a century. When Aniruddha experiences the supernatural possession in 1968, it becomes clear that the planter's moral debt remains unpaid. The universe demands justice even if colonial courts never convicted him. This suggests Ray's deeper belief: cosmic moral law operates beyond human legal systems. Exploitation carries a supernatural price tag. The planter must relive his crimes and suffer their consequences through Aniruddha's consciousness. He cannot simply die and be forgotten. His victims' suffering reaches across time, pulling him back to account for his actions. Through this narrative, Ray argues that guilt is ultimately inescapable. Whether immediately or eventually, whether in life or beyond, those who exploit others must face consequences. The story functions as both warning and meditation on the nature of justice—reminding us that morality matters not just legally but cosmically.