Rabindranath Tagore came alive through folk colours of the Northeast at a programme in honou of President Pranab Mukherjee, says Rajiv Roy
A UNIQUE blend of folk music and dances of the tribes of the north-eastern region with Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore’s creativity was the focus in a cultural programme in honour of President Pranab Mukherjee during his two-day visit to Shillong last week.
This cultural milieu organized by the Department of Arts and Culture, Meghalaya at the Durbar Hall of Raj Bhavan, had the President nod his head and play with his fingers to the tune of Rabindra Sangeet blended with the region’s folk music. The programme was aptly titled, “A feeling of spontaneous good spirits”.
Traditionally-attired girls showcased the ‘unity in diversity’ that this region and the country largely boasts of. The folk dance forms and music from the north-eastern states was a blend of different facets of culture Tagore valued and bears testimony to his immense love for nature. “Tagore was a great lover of nature, tribal dance and music. We tried to showcase this blend of music and dance from the region with Tagore at the core,” said N Munish Singh, regional officer, Indian Council for Cultural Relations who played the regional folk tunes on the drum.
The presentation by Shillong-based Geetanjali Dance Academy (GDA) opened with Tagore’s ‘Akash e…’ by the academy’s choreographer Monica Chanda and her students in Bharatnatyam genre. The instantaneous arrival of the next batches of dancers heightened the show. After the GDA opening song, the traditionally-attired girls appeared on stage and started presenting their folk dances and music one after another.
This rendition started with Thabal Chongba, Manipur’s traditional song and dance, as the common chord whereas when a folk artist from a particular state presented their dance and music the other folk artistes from the remaining states also accompanied the performing state’s artistes indicating the Tagore blend of songs and dances that he emphasized in his works. The appreciation was visible on the face of the President, Governor and other dignitaries.
The feat was repeated when the artistes of every other state presented their dances and music as it continued through Khasi and Garo dances from Meghalaya besides Hojagiri dances from Tripura, Arunachalee dance, Kabui Naga dance, Mizo dance, Lai Haraoba from Manipur and others. After the completion of the folk dances these artistes instantly danced to the tune of Tagore’s ‘Pagla hawa…’ as the Durbar Hall was filled with an air of nostalgia. Singh described the mesmerizing composition as a “blending of classical and tribal folk dance, which is otherwise difficult”.
“This oneness was the significance of this performance,” added Singh who proposed this presentation in the President’s itinerary. He had to source the folk artistes’ costumes in original from all the respective states. The Tagore songs were presented by Antara Choudhury of Aroha Choir while Ramyajit Bhattacharjee played the keyboard, Ronojyoti Kar the tabla and Sahantanu the dhol during Bihu dance. Singh conceptualised the show and Chanda did the choreography. Other attractions of the evening were traditional folk fusion by ‘Na Rympei’ besides presentation of tribal dances from Meghalaya.