Bina Kutir – Class 12 Alternative English Chapter 5

Bina Kutir

Note for Students: Understanding “Bina Kutir”

Saurav Kumar Chaliha’s “Bina Kutir” is a unique and imaginative story that explores themes of memory, urban change, and the power of storytelling. The narrative is presented through the eyes of a narrator who, while searching for a rented house, becomes fascinated by a dilapidated, old Assam-type house named “Bina Kutir.”

What makes this story special is its narrative technique. The narrator doesn’t just find out the history of the house; he actively imagines it. He pieces together fragments of information from a local shopkeeper and weaves them into vivid, cinematic scenes of the family who once lived there. The Coca-Cola bottle he drinks from becomes a magical lens through which he visualizes the past.

As you read, pay attention to the contrast between the old, decaying Bina Kutir and the new, concrete buildings surrounding it. This represents the clash between a romanticized past and the commercial, fast-paced present. The story is a beautiful meditation on how we construct our own realities and how places hold memories, both real and imagined.

Comprehension

This section will help you test your basic understanding of the plot, characters, and key details in the story.

A. State whether these sentences are True or False.

1. Bina Kutir is an RCC building.
   • Answer: False. (It is an old, lone Assam-type single-storey house).
2. Rehana is the name of the daughter.
   • Answer: False. (Rehana is the name of the younger son’s wife; the narrator imagines the daughter’s name is Bina).
3. The narrator sips Coca-Cola.
   • Answer: True.
4. The young man is preparing for an Economics exam.
   • Answer: True.

B. Answer these questions in one or two words.

1. Which car brand is mentioned in the story?
   • Answer: Ford.
2. Mr Mehta’s office is located in which city?
   • Answer: Calcutta.
3. Which alternative location was offered to the narrator regarding a rented accommodation?
   • Answer: Lachit Nagar.
4. Where does the younger son go to pursue medical studies?
   • Answer: Dibrugarh.
5. Who is Brajen Kalita?
   • Answer: A PWD overseer.

Short Answer Questions

This section requires you to recall specific details and connect ideas from the text in complete sentences.

C. Answer these questions in a few words each.

1. Name the places from Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram mentioned in the story.
   • Answer: The places mentioned are Pasighat (Arunachal Pradesh) and Aizawl (Mizoram).
2. What is the name of the younger son’s wife and in which part of the house are they seen to be engaged in conversation?
   • Answer: The younger son’s wife is named Rehana, and they are seen in conversation in the backyard of Bina Kutir.
3. Who enquired about the monthly shipment of a product, and what was that product?
   • Answer: A couple enquired about the monthly shipment of Glaxo.
4. To which school were classes shifted for six months, and why?
   • Answer: The classes were shifted to Bishnuram High School because the narrator’s original school was taken over by the military.
5. What did the girl go to watch when it passed by the gate?
   • Answer: The girl ran to the veranda to watch a horse-driven carriage, adorned with film posters and accompanied by a band-party, pass by.

Brief and Detailed Answers

These questions require a more detailed analysis of the story’s themes, narrative style, and character development.

D. Answer these questions briefly in your own words.

1. What is your impression of the neighbourhood where Bina Kutir is located?
   • Answer: The neighbourhood is a rapidly commercializing area undergoing significant change. It is a “motley assembly” of newly constructed concrete buildings, godowns, and transport companies, creating a noisy and chaotic environment. The old, quiet, residential character of the area is being replaced by the “lure of commercialism,” making the dilapidated Bina Kutir stand out as a relic of a bygone era.
2. What does the presence of trade and commercial establishments signify regarding the growth pattern of city life depicted in ‘Bina Kutir’?
   • Answer: The presence of establishments like ‘Harlalka Trunk and Bucket Works’ and ‘Speedwell Road Transport Corporation’ signifies the rapid and somewhat haphazard urbanization of the city. It shows a shift from a residential, community-focused lifestyle to one driven by commerce and profit. This growth pattern prioritizes utility and commercial gain over aesthetics and open space, as seen in the new concrete buildings that are “cramped” and “lifeless” compared to the old-world charm of Bina Kutir.
3. How does the narrator use the Coca-Cola bottle to facilitate the flight of the narrator’s imagination in the story?
   • Answer: The narrator uses the Coca-Cola bottle as a magical, crystal-ball-like device to bring his imagination to life. As he sips the drink and gazes into the bottle, the “red dregs” seem to reflect cinematic scenes of the past. It becomes a portal through which he visualizes the family of Bina Kutir—the professor son, the girl Bina, her lover Bhabananda, and the estranged doctor son with his wife Rehana. The bottle acts as a physical anchor for his speculative storytelling, making his imagined histories feel tangible and real.
4. What plans do the two sons have regarding commercial growth mentioned towards the end of the story?
   • Answer: Towards the end, the narrator learns that both sons have plans driven by commercial interests. The elder son, the Professor, now writes profitable textbooks and notes and plans to open his own press. The younger son, the doctor, wants to demolish the old house to construct a huge RCC building to rent out, with a chamber for himself on the ground floor, showing a clear intent to capitalize on the property’s commercial value.

E. Answer these questions in detail.

1. Comment on the significance of the title of the story ‘Bina Kutir’.
   • Answer: The title “Bina Kutir” is deeply significant as it represents the central theme of the story: the power of imagination and the creation of a personal, romanticized reality.
     • An Invented Name: Firstly, “Bina Kutir” is not the actual name of the house. The narrator invents it based on a “bina” flowering plant he sees, immediately infusing the place with his own narrative. The word “Kutir” (cottage) adds to this romantic vision, contrasting with the impersonal, concrete buildings around it.
     • Symbol of a Bygone Era: The house itself symbolizes a past rooted in intellectual pursuits and emotional values rather than commercial gain. It stands for a time of quietude, open spaces, and deep-rooted family histories. The narrator imagines it as a place of scholarship (the father), romance (Bina and Bhabananda), and family drama (the estranged son).
     • The Locus of Imagination: Ultimately, “Bina Kutir” is less a physical place and more a space within the narrator’s mind. It is the focal point of his creative storytelling, a canvas onto which he projects his desires for a life of meaning and memory in a world increasingly dominated by “tasteless buildings of reinforced concrete.” The title encapsulates the narrator’s entire imaginative journey and his longing for a world where commitment and memory are more valuable than property.
2. How much of the narrator’s speculation do you think is responsible for the characterisation in the story? Give a well-reasoned answer.
   • Answer: The narrator’s speculation is almost entirely responsible for the characterization in the story. The characters are not presented as objective realities but are constructs of the narrator’s fertile imagination, pieced together from minimal facts and woven into rich, detailed personas.
     • Building Characters from Fragments: The narrator learns only a few basic facts from the shopkeeper: the house belonged to a teacher, who had two sons and a daughter. From this bare-bones information, he creates a full cast of characters. He names the daughter “Bina,” imagines the elder son “Paramesh” as a dhoti-clad professor dedicated to preserving his father’s scholarly legacy, and pictures the daughter’s husband “Bhabananda” as a robust man with a Ford car.
     • Cinematic Visualizations: The characterization is developed through vivid, cinematic scenes that the narrator “sees” in his Coca-Cola bottle. For example, he doesn’t just hear about the professor son; he visualizes him in a specific chair, talking to a visitor named “Ganeshda” about filial duty and the sanctity of his father’s memory. He imagines the entire dialogue, the gestures, and the emotional weight of the scene.
     • Conflicting Narratives: The power of his speculation is most evident when he creates two conflicting narratives. First, he imagines a family that values memory over money. Later, upon learning the sons are in a legal tussle over the property for commercial reasons, his imagination re-calibrates to create a new drama of the estranged doctor son and his wife, Rehana.
     • Conclusion: Therefore, the characters in “Bina Kutir” are not just described; they are willed into existence by the narrator. His speculation is the primary tool of characterization, making the story a brilliant exploration of how we tell stories to make sense of the world and the people in it. The characters are memorable precisely because they are born from this deeply personal and creative act.