Durgesh Nandini, Bankim Chandra's masterpiece that ushered in a fresh breath of air in Bengali literature is, on the surface, a tale of instant attraction and infatuation of two young hearts. But the most effective symbol of heroic-romance in the novel is the matchless Bimala whose inimitable character, sophisticatedly handled by Bankim, offers unusual and engaging possibilities of multiple readings and presents a vision that rejects narrow divisions and discriminations on the grounds of religion, caste and sex, in short, a world without social barriers.