Rabindranath Tagore's vision comes to stage

Illustration/Uday Mohite

In 1933, Rabindranath Tagore wrote a short story titled Ekti Ashade Golpo which he adapted into a ballet Tasher Desh. The story, says Anusree Bonnerjee, who has directed Elem Notun Deshe, is a satire on fascism. It follows a young prince who on a travel reaches Land of Cards where rules dictate every aspect of life.

For the prince, to whom newness is everything and change is constant, this seems like a wrong situation. Through music, songs and creativity, then the prince brings about a change in the land. A shorter version of this story is Elem Notun Deshe (Arrived A New Country) which will be performed by the Shahana Tagore Centre for Indian Music and Culture on its 43rd foundation day.

The play, says Bonnerjee, will be performed in Bengali, though a gist of the play will be made in English at the start. Even if you don't understand the language, heading there just for the dance might be worthwhile. The performance, says Bonerjee, is loosely based in Rabindra Nritya, a combination of Bharatnatyam, Manipuri and Kathakali. The play has been conceptualised by Udayan Bhattacharya and the script adaptation has been done by Upamanyu Bhattacharya.

When: 7 pm, September 15
Where: St Andrew's Auditorium, Bandra West
Entry: Rs 300
Call: 26410926

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