Chiye Chiye Radha: Gender and Tagore's vision

The play Chiye Chiye Radha, which followed the tradition of a Prakarana according to our Shastras, had included multiple padas (texts), as is the practice in classical Indian theatre.

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Nariswara.) The play Chiye Chiye Radha, which followed the tradition of a Prakarana according to our Shastras, had included multiple padas (texts), as is the practice in classical Indian theatre.

In Chiye Chiye Radha, Saibal Basu has connected with the audience through the character of Bhanu Singha. A number of songs from the collection of Tagore that were used brought the story alive and made it surrealistic, such as ‘Sakhi oi bhujhi bansi baje bono majhe ki mono majhe’ from the play ‘Raja O Rani’ in Raag Pilu and Taal Tritaal, taken from Prem Parijay. A number of songs were taken from what was later compiled in ‘Bhanu Singha Thakurer Padabali’, like ‘Sangono Gagane ghoro ghana ghata nishito jamini re’—a song of the Rainy Season, in Raag Pilu and Taal Trital; ‘Satimiro Rajani Sachakito Sajani Sunya Nikunja’ in Raag Desh Kirtan; ‘Sunolo sunolo Balika Radha Kusuma malika’ in Raag Bhairavi Kirtan and Taal Khemta; ‘Maranere tuhu mamo shyam saman’; and ‘Bajao re Mohona Bansi.’ These were all written when the poet was a slip of a boy.

The love song ‘Morilo mori amay bansite dekheche ke sunechi ki kunja bane Jamuna tire’ had an unimaginable emotional depth that transported the audience into an unreal world of beauty where there was only love. The songs ‘Ekhono tare chokhe dekhini sudhu bansi sunechi’ in Raag Iman Kalyan in khyal ang and ‘