Tagore’s Triumph Over Tyranny

Kolkata Centre for Creativity presented Raktakarabi - a theatre-cum-dance presentation, in collaboration with Bimbavati Devi, Arnab Bandopadhyay, and Upali Chattopadhyay, to celebrate the 165th birth anniversary of its writer, Rabindranath Tagore.

- TAPATI CHOWDHURIE

Raktakarabi (Red Oleanders) was penned between 1923 and 1924. A century and two years ago, the drama seemed a passing thought of an imaginative author, its impact little understood. It was a time before the Second World War, a time when the world had seen less and heard much less about oppression caused by greed facilitated by intense technological advancement. Rabindranath Tagore’s Raktakarabi will always remain relevant so long as fascism exists.

Rabindranath Tagore conceived the character of the Raja in Raktakarabi to represent unleashed greed. He is impersonal, a symbol of exploitation and, much like a fascist, so much so that in the play human beings are seen as machines and are reduced to mere numbers.

The Raja of the drama is pitted against Nandini, the central character in the play, who is a symbol of love, courage, and freedom. She is fearless; she awakens human qualities in the people trapped in Yakshapuri and leads them towards light, symbolized by Ranjan, who rebels against mechanization only to sacrifice his life to usher in freedom. It is a symbolic play that critiques a polarized society.

Rabindranath Tagore’s Raktakarabi, an allegorical protest play, was presented following the tenets of the Natya Sastra. The drama included dialogue, music, and dance. The dances were choreographed by Arnab Bandopadhyay and Bimbavati Devi in the Odissi and Manipuri genres. Very imaginatively, the production was infused with a great deal of folk elements, which gave it a richness that was truly jaw-dropping.