‘Chiye Chiye Radha,’ presented by Iman recently, at Gyan Manch, though many-layered, was basically about gender equality based on the works of Rabindranath Tagore.
‘Chiye Chiye Radha,’ presented by Iman recently, at Gyan Manch, though many-layered, was basically about gender equality based on the works of Rabindranath Tagore. The idea originated from the creative thinking of Iman’s Artistic Director, Saibal Basu.
The piece was an out-of-the-box production. In the choreographer’s note, the director says that there is no quick method of bringing about social changes because of the deep-rooted regressive societal ideas that do not accept advanced ways of thinking.
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Therefore, the struggle to protect the right to equality of women in a misogynist society is also going to take aeons.
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People with an ‘I am here for you no matter what’ feeling cannot remain apathetic with arms folded and not take any step towards equal rights for all. The ‘Prakarana’ Chiye Chiye Radha was an attempt towards it. According to Bharat Muni—the writer of Natya Shastra—a Prakarana is that which resembles a Nataka in all respects except that it takes a less elevated range. Its plot has to be original and drawn from real life, and the most appropriate theme of a Prakarana is love. It does not follow all the rules laid down in the Natya Shastra.
We may safely relegate the drama to the category of a Prakarana.
In the drama staged, there was an underlying layer of Bhakti-Sringar, besides.
The script of ‘Chiye Chiye Radha’ is based on Tagore’s autobiographical works ‘Jeeven Smriti’ and ‘Chelebela,’ as well as his letters, memoirs, and pieces from his plays and fiction.
The play began with the narrative of Bhanusingha Thakur—Rabindranath Tagore’s pseudonym—which resonates with the character of the 15th-century Bhakti saint Chaitanya Maha Prabhu. Both celebrated the Sringar Rasa of Radha and Krishna.
Using theatrical idioms, the director Saibal Basu has subtly touched upon the metaphor of Ardha-Nariswara of our ancient texts, in keeping with Tagore’s ideas that all human beings are Ardha-Nariswara. (In one of his two hundred and fifty letters to his pen pal Hemantabala Devi Tagore, he had mentioned that all human personalities are Ardha 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 ‘Ogo sono ke bajay’ in Raag Behag Kirtan both carried you away to love’s calling, where rasikas basked in the sunshine of tender feelings. Natya Geeti ‘Pramode dhaliya dinu mon tobu keno pran kande re,’ from Parijay in Raag Behag Khambaj, spoke of a lingering and unexplainable heartache.
‘Olo Soi, toder ache moner katha amar ache koi’ in taal Dadra and Raag Bhibash Kirtan in Kirtan ang added to the theme of love that ran parallel to the main theme. ‘Esho Nipobane Chaya Bithi Tale’ from his favourite season—the monsoon—was in raag Kafi and took you to nature to enjoy its sublime beauty.
The line from Vidyapathi’s verse ‘bhara badar maha badar sunyo mandiro mor. Mayura nachato matiya’ presented as a song by Rabindranath Tagore in Raag Mishra Mallahar and Taal Teyora, was used as a refrain, which created untold beauty of eternal value.
It was the only pada in the Drisya Kavya not taken from Tagore’s works.
In this one-of-a-kind drama, the nritya used was from both the polished traditional dances of India as well as the indigenous folk dances.
Sreekhol, which is a kind of Mridangam used by the Vaishnavites of Bengal, structured upon the Gaudya Vaishnava tradition of Taal, along with references from the Manipuri Charis, which are part of the Vaisnava philosophy, was used.
A variety of movements from the traditional dance forms of Odissi and Kathak were used, along with the Bhramarirs and Charis of the Baul and the hand movements of Bengal’s very own Padavali Keertan, woven in with excellent results.
The presentation was interlaced with fiction and fact, realism and fantasy, and naturality and stylisation to proliferate the message to the audience to build a society of equals.
For gender equality, it resorted to ‘Strir Patra,’ where Tagore had challenged patriarchal ideologies. It was the voice of pathos and the sufferings of women in epistolary form.
There was a reference to ‘Chokher Bali’ of Tagore in the play, which, through the character of Binodini, touched upon the pain of widows in the societal setup that ignores the needs of women and considers widowhood a bad omen, and keeps them away from happiness.
The director drew from Tagore’s pathbreaking novel ‘Ghare Baire,’ where Bimala changes from a good wife to an independent woman.
The play was rich in imagery and was aesthetically presented.
In the drama, the saree was used not as a mere drape, but also as a symbol of bondage as well as liberation. Gyanadanandini Devi, wife of Satyendranath Tagore, wrapping her saree in her very own creative style, and Mrinal in ‘Strir Patra’ untying the last knot of her saree and holding the piece of cloth in her hand almost like a flag, symbolising freedom from bondage, was soul-stirring. So was the scene where Tagore’s protagonist Bimala of Ghare Baire (Home and the World) reminds us of her husband Nikhilesh’ final departure to face the communal violence, holding a torn piece of red muslin like a flag.
Amidst the two highly theatrical moments, we found the Dhakai Jamdani Saree of Kadambari hanging from the dark night of the stage down toward a fiery light symbolising her suffering as well as her secret cremation at the burning ghat.
Moumita Roy in Mrinal’s role, Rujina Lama as Binodini, Rumki Ghosh as Bimala, and Srishti Basu as Kadambari were incredible.
Music used was unparalleled.
The writer is a senior dance critic.
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