Table Of ContentThe Plays of Tagore
LILA RAY
Oneandonlyoneideahasimperceptiblytakenpossessionofallmyworkuptothepresent.
appearinginvariousguises,theideathatthefiniteisnorlimitedbyirsboundaries.thaIit
ispossible/0perceiveandrevealdepth/essdepthsinthesmallestparticle.
-c-RabindranathTagore
1
JilmikiPratibhawas writtenin 188I.Asong-drama,itwasthepoet'sfirstplay.Prakritir
V
Pratishodh, which followed four years later, dispensed with music. Both were per
formed atthe private theatreofthe Tagore family atJorasanko.The history oftheBengali
theatre isdivided by historians into two periods.The first was the era ofwealthyprivate
theatres, and lasted from the beginning ofthe nineteenthcenturydown to 1872.Thesec
ond dates from 1872 to the present day, and is the era of the public theatre. The private
theatreswereinvaluableinthedevelopmentoftheatrebuttheycouldnotaccommodatethe
growingaudiences,andwereclosed tothegeneralpublicintheearly eighties.Theydidnot
gooutofexistence,however.and continuedtofulfilthefunctionoftittletheatresevery
whereas groundsfor testing new works.Throughouthis life,Tagore had athisdisposal a
well-equipped stage and a skilled group of performers to work with. His elder brother,
Jyotirindranath,was awell-knowndramatistandwrotethirty-twoplaysofhisown.Andthe
poet'shome was one ofthe centresofintellectual and artistic lifeoftheday.
The last quarterofthenineteenthcenturywasfullofintellectualferment.Religiousand
social reforms occupied the best minds, and political unrest, combined with growing
nationalism.fosteredarevoltagainstallthatwasoppressive.constricting.orauthoritarian.
The theatrewas intimately associated withthis stimulatingactivity,butthepassageofthe
DramaticPerformancesActin 1876checkeditsgrowth.Privatetheatres wereexempt,and
continued to developunhampered. Few ofTagore's playshave found popularitywiththe
professional theatre, though atone time Bisarjanwas the best-loveddrama in Bengal.
Thefirstthreeofthepoet'stragedies.Raja0 Rani,Bisarjan,andMalini, werewrittenin
1890, 1891,and 1895respectively.Thefirsttwoareinblankversewithsomescenesinprose,
and the thirdisa musicaLTagore useddifferingtechniquesandforms,combiningthemin
various ways-song-<!rama. blank verse,dramatic verse and dance-drama. Hishistorical
plays and tragediesare, forthe mostpart. in blankverse.
Raja 0 Rani(laterrewrinen as Tapati) is the poet's nearestapproacbtodomestic trag
edy, although the chiefconcern ofthe play is the relationship between a ruler and his
rebellioussubjects,athemewhichisfully workedoutlaterinRaktakarabiandMuktodhara.
st~ry,
As a domestic tragedy, the setting is too romantic to be realistic, and the though
based on historical foundation, is largely imaginary. Sumitra, the queen, finding that the
king'spassionforherissopossessivethatitinterfereswithhisdutyasaruler.leaveshim,
Sangtet Natd Vol.XXXVIII. No.2. 2004
LILARAY
70
goingbacktoherownpeople,theKashmiris.Itisnotuntilsheisdead thatthekingcansee
herand100eherforwhatshetrulywas.
BisarjanandMaiiniare concernedwiththeconflictofincompatible ideals, aconflict
whichinPrakritirPratishodhconcludeshappilyintheconversionofthesanyasi,buthere
endsintragedy.InBisarjan,Joysingh,theadopted sonofthe arrogantandbigoted priest,
isdriventosacrificehisownbloodatthealtarofthegoddessKaliinwhatisamagnificent
andsymbolicactofatonement Inhisdoubt andhesitation,Joysinghremindsusalittleof
Hamlet,buttheself-immolationofJoysinghisawhollyIndian wayofresolvingaconflict.
Asaplay,Bisarjan showssomeofthefaultscommontotheBengalitheatre ofthetime.
There aretoo manycharacters. too little stage action, and too many episodes. This is
caused by a mistaken conceptof action. Increasing the Dumberof episodes does not
necessarily increase theaction. norheightensthetension.Onthecontrary. itresultsina
rnulticiplicitythatisconfusing.Whatisrequiredingooddramaismoreactionaboutfewer
things. Itwas forthis reason that the Greeks restricted thetime ofa play to twenty-four
hours.Theremustbeconcentrationupontheinevitabilityofasingleevent.Ifthecharac
ters have to describe and comment too much upon off-stage action, they are, beyond a
certainpoint,apttobecomeinvolved inaswirlofwords.In thetraditionalIndian theatre,
actorstend tostand around and orate.This is a lesson whichTagore wasto learn very
quickly,andthesefaultsareabsentinhislaterwork.He became, infact, amasterofstage
action, andhis study ofsymbolic movement led him to develop the dance-drama, aform
which he pushed tothe peak of effectiveness inNatlr Puja, Shyama, and Chandalika.
TheactionofNatirPujaisconfinedtoa singleday,the full-moon day ofthemonthof
Baisakh, when the birth ofthe Buddha is to be celebrated in the evening. But the king,
Ajatshatru, has bannedtheBuddhist religion,and the altar marking the sacred spot inthe
gardenwhere theBuddha oncesat hasbeendemolished.Worship is forbidden onpainof
death.TheKingfurthercommandsShrimatitoprofanetheplacestillmorebydancingthere
atthevesperhour.Shrimatiisadevotee,thenoli,ofthe Buddha.The climaxoftheplayis
herimpassionedandawe-inspiringdance.Onebyonesheremovesherjewelsandcostly
garments,castingeachintumonthebrokenaltarasanofferinguntilshestandsrevealed
inthesimpleyellowrobeofaBuddhist nun,andpaysthe penaltyofher devotion.
Chandalika tells the story ofan untouchable girl who falls in love with Ananda, the
Buddha'sfavouritedisciple,whenheasks for adrink ofwater.She useswitchcrafttowin
him.butissomovedbythesadnessandpalenessofhisfaceasheapproachesherthatshe
repents and foregoes her triumph. Chandalika is perhaps the most fully psychologically
realizedofallhischaracters.Forthemostpart, Tagore iscontentto showthroughasitua
tion.with broadstrokes,howtragic forces work.buthepreventsemotionfromdegenerat
ing into sentimentality by balancing it with wit. In Shya1TU1, a beautiful courtesan ofthe
Buddhistperiod sends ayoungboywhoisdevotedto her tohisdeath inordertosavethe
life ofthe manshe loves.Her loverdiscoverswhatshehasdone and finds himselfunable
toforgiveher.
THE PLAYS OFTAGORE 71
Inthese plays,thecrisis isinternal,andtheaction developsaround anemotionalneed
or an inner change of attitude. Man is the centra] figurehere, andtheemphasis is on
character.Inthissense, theyare modem moralityplays,forthepoetispreoccupiedwiththe
developmentofthemoral man.ThisistrueevenofChitrangada. whichatfirstappearsto
beonlyaromanticcomedycombiningsong.drama,anddancelikeaseventeenth-century
masque. Its rea! theme, however, is the true nature of beauty. Chitrangada, the warrior
princess who loves Arjuna, fails 10 win him because she lacks sensual beauty. Ather
entreaty Madan, the god of love, grants her physica! beauty for a year, and Arjuna is
delightedwithher. Heridentity isthennotknowntohim.However,beforetheyearisout,
Arjunabeginstotireofher.andreportsofthefeatsofawarriorprincessgiveriseinhimto
a profound admiration for her.Chitrangada then reveals herselfin her true form,and he
lovesherallthemore,and the playendshappily.Thereisahinthereofatheme whichthe
poetexploredfullyinArupratan,alaterversion ofRaja.Inthisplay,writtenwhenthepoet
wasatthe heightofhispowers,theking isinvisihle;heisrepresentedonthestageonly hy
avoice. His queen, Sudarshana, seekshimeverywhere butfails tofindhimand, inher
impatienteagerness, garlands anearthlykingwhose beautyoffeaturefascinatesher.Inthe
emotionalturmoilwhichfollows,warsarewagedandkingdomsplungeintoflames.Atlast,
the proudqueen is forced to leave herpalaceand walksthe roadshumbly,happyatlastin
thecompanionshipofthetruekingwho speaks toherfromthefire.Sudarshana'ssearchfor
self-knowledge, aknowledgewhichisalsospiritualknowledge,providesthedrama. There
isdilemmahere. andawrong choice is made from whichSudarshana extricatesherself
through griefandsuffering.Thepresenceoftheinvisible kingasacharacter makesthisa
mystery playaswell as amoralityplay.
The invisible king ofArupratan is transmuted into the king behind the screenin
Raktakarabi. The king rules ina most impersonal and authoritarianmanner. Ranjan. a
young idealist,rebel" and the king'ssubjectsrallyaroundhim.Theconflictisrealisticand
political. the crisisexternal.The inevitability oftheclimaxarises outofthesequenceof
events,andtheaction,forallitssymbolism.isintheouterandnottheinnerworld.Ranjan
iskilled,much asSupriyain Malin;iskilled.Incharacterandtype, heresemblesSupriya.
The sympathyandattractionSupriyafelt forMa!inihas inRaktakarabidevelopedintothe
passionateJoveof Ranjan andNandini.ThekinginMalini, whoisasomewhat negative
though benign influence. takes on definition and strength in the screened king of
Raktakurabi, who, afterRanjan's death, breaks through his screen to lead his subjectsin
theirrevoltagainsthis vassals.
Muktadharaisalsosymbolic.anditssubjectappearstomenotsomucharevoltagainst
themachineascriticsdeclare.butmoreaprotestagainstthemisuseofscientificpowerby
meninauthority.Initsharshness,itrecallsEugeneO'Neill,The KingofUuarkuthasadam
built across the Muktabyhisengineersinordertocutoffthewatersupplytothepeopleof
Sivtarai who have become restive and unruly. The people 0f 5i·vtarai·start a satyagraha
undertheleadershipofthesaintlyDhananjaya.There isfamine inthecountry,theresultof
72 LILARAY
watershortage.andtheyrefusetopaytheirtaxes.ThecrownprinceofUttarkutisordered
to subdue them. Instead.he wins them over byhis concern for their welfare andbreaks
open a pass throughthe mountains so thatthey may have access to the outside world.
Embarassedbythisoutcome,thekingsendshisbrother-in-law toSivtaraiwhoseoppres
sion, added to the hardship of the famine, quickly drives the people to desperation. The
crownprince, disgraced andimprisoned, discoversheis afoundlingandbelongs, there
fore,totheentirepeople.Heisreleasedbyrebelsandtheprisonsetonfire,butherefuses
to flee. Instead,having come toknow ofa secret flaw in the construction ofthe darn. he
destroys it, knowing that by doing so he will himselfbe swept away in the rush ofthe
releasedwaters.Here,onceagain,wemeettheself-immolatingheroofBisarjan,drawnon
amuchlargerscale.inwhosedeathhumanismtriumphs.
If Muktadhara and Raktakarabi are the most political of all Tagore's plays, they are
alsoperhaps themostEuropean inmanner. Raktakarabiis aplain-spokenprotestagainst
regimentation. bureaucracy, andauthoritarianism. andMuktadharaprotestsagainstthe
abuseofmechanicalpower.Theyaretragedies. Tagore attackedthesameproblemsinhis
farces.Thelightnessofthisformenabledhimtobeevenmoremerciless.InBisarjan, weare
made tofeelacertainpityfor thepriestRaghupati,whoinhisfrenzycausesthe deathofthe
onepersonhereallyloves.Hissuddenandruthlessawakeningistherealclimaxoftheplay.
AndtheunrepentantstrengthofKshemankarinMallniarousesacertainawe.Butwhatcan
bemorebarbedthanthewitofTasherDesh, thefarceinwhichthepoet'scomicpowersfuse
with his fantasy and the symbolism ofhis mature years? Partfairy tale, partfantasy, and
partly acomedyof manners, itdescribestheadventures ofayoung andchanningprince
and hisfriend in akingdomregulatedby rules so absurdlystrictthatthe inhabitants,from
thekingdown,havebecomeasstiffandartificialasfiguresinplayingcardsanddresslike
them too. There is no pity here. The young prince is frightened by no shibboleths, he
respectsno personsor things,andtakes nothingseriously. laughing at inconsistencies
andsuperficialities.His triumphiscomplete.
Sheshraksha isacomedyoferrors, writtenwithoutmusicinplainlively prose;itssub
jectis the fate ofseveral young couples in love. Anotherplay ofthe same kind, equally
delightful, is Chirakumar Sabha, the subject being a bachelors' club. Both of these are
products ofthe poet's youth, Sheshraksha being a revised version ofGorae Galad, and
are written for sheerfun. In these plays, the poet takes people as they are and finds them
interesting. Hereis realisticcomedy atits best. Generallyspeaking. the love interest is
lackinginTagore'splays.buthesucceedsinrousingandholdingtheinterestoftheaudi
enceremarkablywell withoutit.
IsTagoredidactic?Isthedramaticspiritlostinhissymbolism.mysticism.anddesireto
preach? Tagore definitely does use thedramaas an instrumentof social andreligious
change. He leavesthe spectatorinno doubtas to wherehis sympathieslie. His attitudeto
societyiscritical,andheisquicktoperceivefolly.Hischaractersrepresentideasandideals
throughthe conflictofwhichheconstructshis drama. Ofthe twobrothersinAchalayatan,
THE PLAYSOF TAGORE 73
forinstance,one is thesymbol of revolt-the iconoclast-and theotheristhesymbolof
truetradition-thebuilder-whosetstoworkafreshamongtheruins.Ofthisplay,thepoet
writes,
Thesensethrough whichoursoulcomestoknowitself,transcendsconflict.breaking
throughthewallsofourcomfort,convenienceandhabit.Theadventoftherealization
whichsetsusfreeisannouncedtothebeatofdrumssoterrifyinguntilwehavefought
withit.
Tagore wasfondofstorieswithreligiousassociationsandretainedtheirreligiousinter
estandsignificance,interpretingthemintermsnotoforthodoxdogma,butaccordingtothe
new,enlightenedhumanismthatgrew tobe suchapowerful formative forceinIndian
intellectuallifeduringthenineteenthcentury.Itwasahumanismwhichregardedsympathy,
pity, mercy, love,tendernessandfriendlinessasthenaturalreligionofman.
Arehischaracters mereabstractions, nothuman enough? No,theyare human enough,
lovinglyso. Tagore sawinthechildthesweetembodiment ofhisideal religion, and its
symbol. Theclimaxof Valmiki Pratibha forms around achild's innocent, unoffending
figure. InPrakritirPratishodh, alittleorphanedoutcastegirllostbythe waysiderecallsa
sanyasi toaworldofbeautyhehas scorned. InDakghar,apoignantlyrealistictragedy,the
child dies, stifledby the weight ofadult ignorance andstupidity.Achildworkingatsums
onabeautifuldayinordertopayhisdebttoaheartlessmerchantisthestoryofSharadotsav.
InFalguni. agroup ofchildrensetoutinsearchoftheoldmanDeath.Whentheyfindhim,
they discoverthat he is no otherthan their own boyleader,Life.Aboutthisplaythepoet
said, "To know life truly one must make its acquaintance through death." The littlegirl
growsuptobe,inMalini, theprincess whoturns toBuddhism, thereligion ofmercy, in
revoltagainsttheancestral custom of hercountry; tobe Nandini inRaktakarabi;and to
dancetoherdeath inNatir Puja. Aparna, inBisarjan, isthesymbol ofallthegentleness
andcompassiondailyoutragedintheanimal sacrificesheldinthetemple.
Another familiar character inTagore's playswehave met inDhananjaya, the saintly
bairagiofMuktadhara.HeappearedforthefirsttimeasthejollygrandfatherinSharadotsav;
then in Prayaschitta, Dakghat; and Achalayatan. Sometimes, asinFalguni, heisabaul.
He is always happy-hearted, wise, the friend and counsellor of the oppressed, the gay
enemyofinjustice,thecomforter,thecommentator,thesharerofburdens.Heactsoftenas
thepoet'smouthpiece, instructingtheaudienceandinterpretingtheaction.Heisacharac
terwho is dramatically veryeffective and hascometobeinseparably associated with
Tagore's work. He develops into the guru before whom walls crumble and atwhose ap
proachdoors and windows fly open.
Tagore'sversatility,bothintechniqueandsubjectmatter,asthisrapidsurveymakesplain,
wasextraordinary. Themystery play,themoralityplay,thehistoricalplay,romantictragedy,
realistic tragedy, realistic comedy, romantic comedy,farce,thesong-dramaandthedance-
74· LILARAY
drama-heMotethem all.Whatismissing?Burlesque.Vulgaritywasrepulsive tohim.But
hischaractersare lessvaried,and rolesinhisplaystend toberepeatedthoughthe circum
stances change.
There is no doubt thathe absorbed all the influences, Eastern and Western, that came
his way and made something out ofthem which is entirely his own. He shared with the
popular Jatra and Kathak narrative traditions-as well as the sophisticated Calcutta the
atre-alikingforstoriestakenfromthescriptures.and hesharedhisinterestinsymbolic
actionwiththeformer.TheinfluenceoftheSanskritdramatictraditionismostnoticeablein
hisplaysofthe seasons,where arapport is established with nature thatis found nowhere
outsideShakunra/aand Meghadutam. For him, man's world and the world of nature are
identical,and he gives expression to this feeling with great delicacy and suggestiveness.
"My work", he says in Falguni,"is notto be understood so much as heard, like a flute",
Thatisto say,without seeinghisplays,withoutlistening tohis characters sing and talk, it
isimpossibletoeitherunderstandorenjoythemeaning andpleasureheconveys.
Adramacan bejudgedonly bydramatic tests, for no play iscomplete untilit hasbeen
performed.Tagore, as Ipointed out in the beginning, had his own stage to testthem.He
neverhesitated toreviseorrewritehisworkandmany versionsofhisplaysexist.Onthe
stagethey are,whenperformedwell, eminentlyeffective.
Is his work likely to be accepted as a model by future Indian dramatists? I think his
influencewillcertainlygrowashisworkismorewidelyunderstood.Alltheimplicationsof
hissymbolism and his subject-matterare still very far from beingunderstood. Fewofhis
seriousworks have beentaken upbytheprofessionaltheatre. Imitation, inthecircum
stances,will bedifficultand dangerous.Tagoreisfirstand last apoet, and all his dramais
poetic drama. And he is also amystic.Thisgiveshis work an illusiveness and adelicacy
thatisinimitable.Hestrives,ashe says in the passage quoled atthe head ofthis paper,to
maketheinvisiblevisible,torevealtheinfiniteinthefinite.Howcanoneimitateaperson
who sings:
Notwithbeautyshall Icharmyou;
Ishallwooyouwithlove.
S"otwithmyannsshallIopenthedoor;
Ishallunlatchitwithsong.
DISCUSSION
lilaRay:MyBengali friendshave protestedagainstmystatementthatnotvery manyof
Tagore'splayshave been put onthe professional stage. I wish 10say now that they have
been taken up by the professional theatre, just to correct any impression that the profes
sion has neglectedTagore. But I think that sinceTagore wrole forty-one plays, my using
the word 'several' isalsojustified.
THE PLAYSOFTAGORE 7S
SachinSengupta: Shrimati LilaRay'sstatementcannotbewholly rejectedasincorrect
when we considerthefact thatoutofforty-one plays writtenbyTagore, only seven have
ever been staged by the professional theatrein Calcutta. Seven out of forty-onedo not
makeverymany-Ihopeweallagreeonthat.Now,pleaseallowmetomentionthetitlesof
Tagore'splays whichhavebeenstagedbyprofessionaltheatres inCalcutta. They areRaja
oRaniandits revised version Tapati,Bisarjan,Sheshraksha, ChirakumarSobha,Shodh
bodh, andGrihaprabesh. Besidestheseoriginal plays. dramatized versions of someof
Tagore's famous novels and short stories have also been played. They are Naukadubi,
Gam,Jogajog and MaktirUpay. Our friend Sombhu Mitra'sorganization [Bohurupee] is
notaprofessional concern. Ithas,asyouare aware, produced oneofthemostdifficult
plays of Tagore, Raktakarabi. andalso a dramatized version of Tagore's novelChar
Adhyaya.Thenovelhadraisedaterrificcontroversyatthetimeofitspublication.Charges
werelevelledagainstTagorethathehadwrittenitwithintenttolowertherevolutionariesin
the estimation ofthe public, at the instance ofthe then ruling power. The Little Theatre
GroupinCalcuttahas givensevetalperformancesofAchalayatan,oneofthestiffestplays
ofTagore. Thisgroupisalsoanorganizationofnon-professionals.SomeofTagore'sdance
dramas arebeingplayedbynondescript amateurtroupeseverynowand then. ButImust
say in supportofShrirnatiLilaRay that plays ofTagore which beartheexactTagoretraits
andthedistinctiveTagoreflavourhavenotreceivedattentioneitherfromtheprofessional
orfromthe amateur theatre, excepting, ofcourse, Raktakarabi and Achalayatan. These
distinctive plays areDakghar, Falguni,Malini, Arupratan,Sheshbarshan, Basanta,
Sharodotsab,Sundar; andseveral others. While Tagore wasalive,hepresented them be
forethepubliconappropriate occasionsbywayof object lessons and alsoforhisown
satisfaction. SuccessiveSantiniketan troupes havemore orJess maintained the tradition.
Butthese playshave virtuallyremaineduntouchedbyprofessionalsandamateurs whocall
themselvesprogressive, becausetheyhavefailed tofixtheseplaysintheframework of
dramathey are familiarwith. ButIfeel that those arejust theplays togive usaclearidea
about the synthesisTagore hadachieved, yet theyseemtobepre-eminently Indian in
texture,colour,andspiritualexperience.
SareshAwasthi: Iwanttoknowwhetheranydifferentmethodandpatternofproduction,
other than the usual method of presentation generally adopted, are necessary when pro
ducing Tagore's plays?
Lila Ray: Well, in my paper I have not touched upon techniques because they wee:
outsideitsscope.ButatSantiniketan,wehavedonesomeexperimentalworkledby.Ta~ore s
family. Severalgenerationsofthisillustriousfamilyhavedevotedthemselvestothiskindof
work. I have seen themworking, and Ihope Iwill be ableto tell you something thatwill
interestyou. Theyhavebuiltamarvellousexperimentaltheatre there..OnlyTagore'~plays
areexperimented withatthistheatre forthetime being. Thetechmq~e adopted.IS very
simple.Thestageisequippedwithacompletesetoflightingparaphernalia.Thesettingsare
managed by students ofart. Youknow there is a school ofart and aschool ofmusic at
Santiniketan.Studentsfrom thelatterschoollookafterthemusicalsideofproducnons.Our
audiences sitonthegroundatalittledistance from thestage.
76 DISCUSSION
Mulk RajAnand:Do I understand you to mean that nospecial technique is necessary
forthepresentation ofTagore'splays?Is thatnot what you want, Mr Awasthi?
SureshAwasthi: I want to know if we need any particular methods of production in
respectoflighting,music.anddecor ingeneralwhicharedifferent from those requiredto
produce other plays?
lilaRay:PerhapsMrsShrimatiTagore willbeable topresentabetterpicture.
ShrimatiTagore:Tagorealwaysaimedatonething,andthatwassimplicityinproduc
tion. By referring to this quality, I do not mean to convey that he denied altogether the
necessity of creating the physical conditions a play demands. On the contrary, he was
almostmeticulousaboutthem.Light.music,movement,recitals.background-hewanted
everything10 beinperfectharmonywiththeinnerspiritofhisplay.What hedidnOIwant
was theintrusion of any external agency to frighten away the tender spirit that throbbed
inside hisplays.He used to keep offalldisturbing elements sothat the soul ofhis plays
couldfindacongenialatmosphere.AllowmetoillustratewhatImeanbycitinganexample.
LetustakeBisarjan.Whenheproduced the play.he never fora moment thought itneces
sarytocreatea settingtoshowthetemple. Hesimply placed some stone steps toindicate
thattherewasatemplethere.Thosestonesteps werenecessary for theuse ofthe players.
Buttheinteriorofthetemple wasneverintended to be usedinthe play.ThereforeTagore
did nOIcare torepresentthelemple itselfOnthe stage. That there was a temple wouldbe
known to theaudience when theyheard the linesofthe play.He wanted his audience to
listen to hisplay and not merely to see the surface ofit.And although he eliminatedthe
templeinBisarjan,hedidnotneglecttoshowtheplayoflightinthisproduction-fromthe
settingofthesun10darkness,andthen tothefullbloom ofthemoon.The soulofhisplay
demanded it;he could not let it go. He liked songs to be well sung but disliked tobe
disturbed by what isknown asbackground music. particularly when his lines demanded
raptanention.Nowifyoutakeallthesefeaturesintoaccount,youwill,Ihope.realizewhat
his technique was. And then you will know what particular technique is necessary to
represent aplayby Tagore.
Ahindra Chowdhuri:Tagore had produced so many different types of plays in such
various styles that it is almost impossible for anybody to say- this is the technique he
usuallyadoptedandhisplayshavetobeproducedinaccordancewiththistechnique. Ifeel
such an approach to technique is not sound, if not altogether wrong. After all, what is
technique?It is.asMrs ShrimatiTagore hasnicely put it,the use ofvarious skillstohelp
releasethe spiritthat liesdormant in thedrama. tohelp it lake a shape.Ifthatis so,then
every drama needs adistinctivetechnique totake shape on the stage. Andas amatterof
fact Tagore has, we know. adopted techniques quite different from one another in his
productions.AftergettingbackfromJapan,hetried hishand atsomeofthetechniquesthe
Japanese use. Returning from Java. he tried Javanese techniquesofdance.And I believe
nobody herewoulddeny thathehasusedEuropeantechniquestoo tobring outthesoulof
hisplays.Ihadtheprivilegetoassistinthe productionofthreeplaysofTagorewhileIwas
working with theAnTheatre.Weused different techniques to producethosethreediffer-
THEPLAYSOFTAGORE 77
enlkindsofplays.Tagore sawtheplaysand wasnotshocked10seewhatwehaddone.He
blessed us.
SombhuMirra: Ihad the privilege ofwatchingpeople producing some oftheplaysof
Tagore whenI was atSantiniketan. Onthesurface. aproduction presented byTagore
locked very simple, but I have rarely seen any producer more keen on details-and the
mysteryofdetails-thanTagorehimselfwas.Ihaveseenhimconductingarehearsalatan
initialstage.Whiledoingit,hereadoutthelinesofeachindividualcharacteroftheplayand
actedthem.Hereadthelinesinsuchawaythatbykeepingmyeyesclosedforsometime.
Icarne to feelas ifIwas listeningtotheplayperformedbyafullcastWhen Iopenedmy
eyes.Ifoundmathewasnotmerelyreadingoutthescriptasitwouldsuitthedifferentroles
me
buthe wasalsodemonstratingthemovements.Hewasemphasizing intonationsothat
theplayerscould,byobservinghimminutely,understandhisconceptionof thecharacters.
Hewasverymeticulous,asMrsTagorehassaid.Andhehatedanythingmechanicalabout
aperformance.Thegreatestpossibleinspirationfromwithin.andthegreatestpossiblecare
ingivingexpressiontoit,werewhatheusedtoinsistOn.Hewasamasterinthetechnique
ofdramaticproduction.Hisplayscannotbeproduced simplybygettingthelinesbyhean.
Theyrequireatremendousstudy.andmucheffort andhistrionicabilityareneededtogive
them thatsimplelock.
MulkRaj Anand: Will Mrs Rayplease tellus whatshethinksaboutTagore'scontribu
tionto Indiandramaasaplaywright?
Lila Ray:That is a difficult question to answer. He has written forty-one plays.That
itselfisacontributiontodrama.andtherearesomanyfacetswithinthatbodyofworktobe
considered.ButthemoststrikingcharacteristicofallhisplaysistheirIndianness.Itwashis
convictionthatthere wasnothingwrong intakinganygood thingfoundanywhere.There
is stilla tendency among ourwriterstoavoidborrowingfromabroad.Theyfeel thaiit
humbles them.Tagore never suffered from such a complex. He hasshown a way tothe
writers ofour generation bykeepingan open ntind.AndthatiswhatIcallhisIndianness.
Snehlata SanyaI:I agree with MrsRayontheopennessinTagore'soutlock.Hisplays
leadus onoverthewalls weourselves haveraised.andinviteusto acloserassociation
withhumanitystriving 10 attain freedomfrombondage-notonlyphysicalbutalsomental
andsupramental.Thatis hisabiding contribution toourdrama. Hisplays revitalizeour
traditionbybringingtousfromtheWestthelifeforcethatwaslanguishingforcenturiesfor
politicalandsocialreasons.
Shrimati Tagore: Anothergreatcontributionhemadewastheintroductionofdanceon
the stage through his fascinating dance-dramas. Dancing had become almost a vulgar
display ofthe female bodyincertain parts of the country beforeTagorecame forwardto
saveitandgive ititsownrespectableplaceinsociety.
