Blending indigenous and European theatre

Tagore (right) as Fakir in his play Dakghar (1917), Selim Al Deen(inset)

The form of theatre, which Tagore evolved in his so-called symbolic-allegoric plays is a fusion of the song-and-dance-- in the abundant use of song and in the absence of cause-and-effect formula for building action-- and the European dramaturgy. That is why his plays are low on dramatic conflict and instead focus on aesthetic sentiment; the influence of the indigenous is more than apparent.

Eminent playwright Selim Al Deen, who is also a professor of Department of Drama and Dramatics of Jahangirnagar University, said, "Like the other nations, who have a rich culture, Rabindranath Tagore is the icon of the Bengalis. His major contribution is creating universal characters such as Raja, Rani, Thakurda and Nandini.

"The modern presentation of indigenous people through Thakurda has given the character an epic quality. And the rich characterisation of Nandini can be compared with only a few universal female characters in the world drama such as Antigone, the titular character of Antigone, the last part of Sophocles' trilogy."

Selim Al Deen further pointed out, "Tagore took the modern aspect from the West. However, from his play Bishorjan and onwards, Tagore has rejected most of the techniques of western theatre. He did not follow the 'five act' division of the Shakespearean style of writing a play. And he has created his own style without following anyone, and which has no follower. 'Dramatic conflict', the essence of western theatre is absence in his song-and-dance tradition. Interestingly, because of the absence of dramatic conflict, a few of the so-called western scholars of that period have refused to acknowledge them as plays; modern European theatre critics are now realising the richness of Tagore's drama. In my opinion, during 1901-1930 he was the best playwright in the world."

Tagore did not go for British poetic style of dialogue diction. Al Deen said, "When TS Eliot suggested plays in verse form, Tagore wanted it in prose form. His logic was that the Bengali language has a unique rhythm, which is evident even in the prose."

Tagore had his own concept of theatre design as well. In his essay, titled Rangamancha, he has rejected ornamented set like the British theatre, and opted for a suggestive set. In opposition to the painted backdrop and the proscenium frame, Tagore preferred an intimate performance space like that of the jatra. To quote Al Deen, "Taking elements from the East, many modern critic-directors are currently doing in theatre what Tagore did in the early 20th century."

According to Selim Al Deen, evergreen Tagore plays such as Raktakarabi (1926), Muktadhara (1922), Achalayatan (1922) Raja (1911), Dakghar (1912) and others will continue to inspire people all over the world.