“Chitrangada”, the dance-drama created by Rabindranath Tagore, drew a full house in the port city.
In observance of 151st birth anniversary of Tagore, Jatiya Rabindra Sangeet Sammilan Parishad (JRSSP) in association with the Assistant High Commission of India, arranged the programme at the city’s Theatre Institute (TIC) on Thursday evening.
Indian Assistant High Commissioner to Chittagong, Somnath Ghosh, and
Premier University Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Anupam Sen, spoke on the occasion.
In his speech Somnath said Tagore’s thoughts and philosophy are still relevant. “His works are eternal,” he said adding, “Through his work Tagore made the point that to comprehend a human being, his/her inner beauty is more important.”
Anupam Sen said, Tagore’s “Chitrangada” shows that human actions and contributions are more precious than physical beauty. “Physical beauty exists for a definite time but human’s actions and contributions are everlasting,” he added.
At the beginning, artistes of the Parishad rendered Tagore songs. Later, dance-drama “Chitrangada”, choreographed by artiste Proma Obonti, was staged.
Based on a story from the epic “Mahabharata”, the dance-drama narrates the tale of Chitrangada, princess of Manipur, who falls in love with Arjun, the warrior prince. To win the love of Arjun, Chitrangada was transformed into an attractive woman by the god of love. The dance-drama ended with focusing on the truth that the real spirit of a woman lays beyond her physical beauty.
Proma Abanti and Kanta Dey enacted the roles of Chitrangada (Surupa and Kurupa). Swapan Barua and Prabir Paul performed the roles of Arjun and Madan respectively.
Noted artiste Mihir Nandi was the music director of the dance-drama, while reciters Dulal Dasgupta and Mili Chowdhury were the narrators.
-With The Daily Star input
