Rangalayer Rabi (“Rabi of the Public Stage”), a joint presentation by Wanderers Footprints Travel Boutique and Sthapana Santiniketan, took place at the India Habitat Centre’s Amaltas Auditorium in New Delhi.

Prakriti Mukhopadhyay’s curiosity about Rabindranath Tagore‘s connection to the Bengali public theater tradition led her to create the program. Backstage tales and songs from a variety of productions selected from almost twenty-five stage adaptations—including Tagore‘s plays as well as theatrical adaptations of his stories, novels, and poems that had been presented in public theaters—formed the framework of the presentation.

The show demonstrated how the patriarchal and discriminatory politics of the time prevented the Bengali public theater from embracing Tagore in his authentic artistic spirit. Commercial considerations played a major role in the productions it decided to present. Despite his lack of enthusiasm for public theater, Tagore went to see his plays performed there. He also thought highly of the public actresses’ acting skills and appreciated their artistic brilliance.

The program’s conclusion highlighted the necessity of reevaluating and reinterpreting Tagore’s dramatic works for the modern era and considered the plays’ ongoing relevance in the current sociopolitical context, particularly in light of shifting political landscapes.

Renowned actor, elocutionist, and multidisciplinary artist Sujoy Prasad Chatterjee narrated Rangalayer Rabi. Surajit Das and Nilanjan Sengupta provided instrumental accompaniment for Pratyush and Prakriti Mukhopadhyay’s musical performances.

“For me, this production is a form of time travel. It also illustrates Tagore’s pivotal role and the politics of culture within the sociological framework of the arts,” said Sujoy Prasad Chatterjee.

A great cultural event.

Priyanka Dutta