01 June,2010 09:10 AM IST | | Priyanjali Ghose
What happens when two great thinkers of the twentieth century meet and become friends? The Prophet and the Poet, plays out their collaboration and friendship on stage
Diametrically opposite people meet and become friends but that's probably an everyday appearance. But this was one friendship that the world will always remember.
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A friendship between two formidable thinkers: Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore.
When Gandhi and Tagore met, they got along like a house-on-fire. Both were associated strongly with the Indian freedom movement. But their friendship was not without obstacles and differences of opinion.
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They soon realized that despite similar aims their means were very diverse. If you are wondering about the fate of their comradeship then the English play The Prophet and the Poet should answer all your queries.
"What runs through the play is how great people differ in thoughts but they both have immense respect for each other. It is the kind of political maturity that India lacks now," Vijay Padaki, the director of the play, says.
The play, which is being staged as a part of Bangalore Little Theatre's golden jubilee celebration, begins when three young researchers stumble upon correspondence and articles exchanged between Gandhi and Tagore for over 25 years.
The Prophet and the Poet moves to an era where they show these two stalwarts writing to each other against the background of India struggling to gain independence from the clutches of the British.
The script is based on the research done by Sabyasachi Bhattacharya, the former Vice Chancellor of Visva Bharati University, West Bengal.
The exchange begins in 1915 with Gandhi's arrival in India after a most crucial period of 23 years in South Africa and ends with Tagore's death in 1941.
The play set mainly in Sabarmati Ashram, Shantiniketan and Tagore's ancestral home in Jorashanko, brings out the difference in their sensibilities.
Both desire for political and economic freedom, Hindu-Muslim unity and the caste system but their approaches are entirely different.
Tagore, a product of European enlightenment looks at India's freedom with a poetic bent while Gandhi visualises it from the common man's point of view.
The play brings out the nuances of this complicated camaraderie and divulges what Tagore and Gandhi meant to each other.
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It shows how Tagore was the only person that Gandhi wanted to meet while he was fasting in Yerawada Central Prison in Pune.
u00a0"The play shows the quality of human transaction that used to takes place in those days. It speaks of a deep friendship.
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Those coming to watch the play can understand the emotions showed and relate to the issues discussed,"Padaki says.
Humane, warm and affectionate, the letters chronicles a friendship that was the deciding factor of India's future.
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It brings out the tender characteristics of the both the icons and shows that true friendship can and does transcend all disparities.
At Ranga Shankara, JP Nagar
On June 4, 7.30 pm
June 5 and 6, 3.30 and 7.30 pm
Call 98863 70614
Ticket Price Rs 100u00a0
