A Tribute to Tagore

A Tribute to Tagore

Ensemble 2026, an international seminar entitled Embodied Aesthetics: The practice of performing arts through the lens of Tagore, was held between 11 to 13 February 2026, organised by The Department of Rabindra Sangit, Dance and Drama, Sangit Bhavana, Viswa Bharati, Santiniketan.

Prof. Sruti Bandopadhay, the Principal of Sangit Bhavana, involved scholars, artists, practitioners and students in this path-breaking endeavour. For Tagore, Bandopadhyay observed, the arts were never isolated disciplines but living expressions of human freedom, where body, emotion, intellect, and spirit move in harmony. In his vision, performance becomes embodied knowledge, shaped by rhythm, gesture, sound, and silence, and nurtured through a deep dialogue with nature, community, and inner consciousness. Drawing on this, she envisioned of the seminar as a space to reflect on performance as a way of knowing, becoming, and relating.

Bandopadhay expanded the seminar’s scope to include Indian dance traditions, music systems, theatre practices, folk forms, and contemporary interdisciplinary explorations, echoing Tagore’s belief in openness, exchange, and the continual renewal of tradition through lived practice. The focus on Rabindra Sangeet and Rabindra Nritya brought audiences back to the creative heart of Santiniketan, where music and movement evolved as organic extensions of poetry and philosophy.

Ensemble 2026 opened with a keynote address by Pabitra Sarkar. This was followed by a special lecture-demonstration by Rezwana Choudhury Bannya, whose presentation, interwoven with evocative renditions, illuminated the history and nuances of Tagore’s songs. Her melodious voice held the audience in rapt attention.

The first day ended at Lipika Auditorium with a sarod recital by Tejendra Narayan Majumdar, presented in collaboration with SPIC MACAY. He chose the popular Hindustani evening raga Chhayanat, a blend of Chhaya and Nat from the Kalyan thaat. With measured depth and lyrical grace, he created a rich, immersive atmosphere, deftly negotiating intricate talas while bringing out the raga’s inherent melodic beauty.

Day Two of ‘Ensemble 2026’ was equally engaging. Manipuri dancer Priti Patel presented a lecture-demonstration that traced the evolution of the form from its origins to contemporary practice, offering both historical insight and performative clarity.

Across venues – Lipika, Bangladesh Bhavana Auditorium, Bangladesh Bhavana Seminar Halls, Kanika Kaksha, and ICT Hall at Sangit Bhavana – over 150 speakers and scholars from around the world presented papers on a remarkable range of subjects. These included ‘The Shantiniketan Art Practice as a Gharana,’ ‘The Century-long Evolution of Rabindra Sangit and Rabindra Nritya,’ ‘Shared Cultural Values between Tagorean Dance and South Asian Traditions,’ ‘Bio-mechanics and Pedagogical Gaps in Bharatanatyam,’ ‘Gender Fluidity in Chitrangada,’ and ‘From Stigma to Stage,’ among many others.

Such was the scale of participation that multiple parallel sessions had to be scheduled across venues to accommodate the breadth of discourse. Some of the valuable facts highlighted by speakers were: Rabindra Sangeet and Rabindra Nritya as practised in Santiniketan emphasise subtlety and emotional integration rather than rigid percussion dominance. In Rabindra Sangit, rhythmic patterns are drawn from Hindustani music taals such as Dadra, Ektaal and Kherwa, which are often simplified and rendered with light tabla Pakhawaj or esraj strokes to gently support melodic expression. Rabindra Nritya blends rhythm with bodily movements, allowing gestures to mirror both taal and bhava.

Minimal instruments, such as the mandira (cymbals), are used to maintain an organic flow. Tagore consciously avoided heavy percussion, favouring an intuitive synergy between singer and dancer and soft rhythmic accents. Rabindra Nritya accompaniment also features Tagore’s unique talas, often played on tabla or sreekhol, which prioritise emotional continuity over rigid structures.  

The presence of countless artists, scholars, and students, resplendent in tangail, muslin, jamdani, and dhanekhali sarees, coming together to share their research and insights transformed the venues into vibrant intellectual hubs, the likes of which I have never witnessed before.

On the final day, I had the privilege of being a guest speaker, presenting a talk titled ‘Rabindranath Tagore and guru Gopinath with reference to Embodied Aesthetics in Tagore’s Dance Dramas.’ The presentation explored how Tagore deeply appreciated guru Gopinath’s dance style. It concluded with a brief demonstration of Gopinath’s style, followed by a performance of Sangana gagane ghor ghanaghata from Tagore’s Bhanusingher Padabali.

Swati Bhattacharjee, editor of Ananda Bazar Patrika, spoke on ‘Breaking Barriers, Creating Spaces: Natir Puja from a Gender Perspective.’ Her well-researched presentation examined the intense negative press the work received at the time of its staging. She highlighted how, despite sharp criticism, particularly from moral watchdogs who objected to women from ‘respectable’ families performing dance, Tagore remained resolute. As an educationist, he was fully aware of the larger social shift he was initiating. Natir Puja stirred considerable debate, but in doing so, it broke barriers and opened new spaces for artistic expression.

Significantly, Ensemble 2026 was brought to a close with the staging of Natir Puja to celebrate its centenary.

With the production of Natir Puja a new era in Santiniketan began with dance instructor Nabakumar Singh, a Manipuri teacher, who choreographed the original Natir Puja using the gestures of Manipuri dance. However, the 2026 production of Natir Puja deviated from the one staged in 1926.  Nati Srimati’s dance Amay khamo hey khamo, namo hey namo, was not in Manipuri style.

The heritage premises of Uttarayan, surrounded by Tagore’s five other homes – Udayan, Shyamali, Konark, Udichi and Punascha – with its landscaped gardens and pathways provided the right ambience for enacting this radical dance drama. The same spot, surrounded by trees, where Natir Puja was performed for the first time, was the area of the performance. Anusha Pal as Srimati was perfect with her melodious voice and emotional expressions. Designed and directed by Amartya Chatterjee, the musical was truly palpable.

Rabindra Nritya, as propounded by Rabindranath Tagore in his ashram in Santiniketan, is more than a century old and certainly constitutes a traditional dance form of our country. This became obvious through this elaborate tribute to Tagore’s dance, song and music.

TAPATI CHOWDHURIE