Varanasi

Varanasi is the destination Devdas Mukherjee’s mother chooses after her husband’s death, when grief has made the family home feel like a cage. Her initial journey there is temporary, but she intends ultimately to settle in the city for good; the plan also ties her departure to Devdas’s marriage and the completion of family rites.

A Refuge from the Family Home

After her husband dies, Devdas’s mother feels that joy has left her life and that the house has become unbearable. She considers moving to Varanasi, but believes she cannot leave before Devdas is married. The city thus enters the story not simply as a place to visit, but as the future home she imagines once her son is settled.

The Six-Month Journey

As the period of mourning continues, Devdas’s mother tells him she can no longer bear staying and wants to go to Varanasi. He agrees with her and proposes that she stay there for six months before returning. Devdas makes the arrangements and takes her to the city, then returns to Calcutta without her.

A Destination and a Deferred Plan

The departure is organized around a sequence his mother hopes to complete: after she returns, the family will perform the annual rites, Devdas will marry, and she will move back to Varanasi permanently. The city therefore marks both an immediate separation between mother and son and the prospect of a later, lasting relocation. The account establishes the plan and Devdas’s return to Calcutta, but does not describe his mother’s life in Varanasi or whether the intended permanent move takes place.