Every year, as the world celebrates the anniversary of literary giant Tagore, it’s important to revisit the origins of his writings. What triggered the poetic genius in him? Who was the one who first told him that he should hone his writing skills? Well, the answer lies in a special woman who became his confidante and muse. His sister-in-law Kadambari, married to his elder brother but closer to him in age and temperament.A hauntingly beautiful Kathak dance drama explores their deeply layered relationship with fragile intersections of companionship, creativity, loneliness and eternal remembrance. Through evocative abhinaya, poetry, music and movement, the performance journeys into the emotional world of Kadambari, whose presence left an indelible imprint on Tagore’s life and literature.What is usually viewed as a controversial relationship, Kathak guru Shovana Narayan has tried to sift through the noises surrounding it to understand its core essence by putting together a team of researchers, writers and artists. What emerges is her dance drama titled “Kadambari – The Poet’s Muse”. It pays tribute to a friendship that caused the birth of a poet which the world should be grateful for.For Guru Shovana Narayan, the production emerges from a lifelong engagement with Tagore’s literary and philosophical universe. “I have been deeply influenced by Rabindra Sangeet and Indian classical traditions, and my artistic journey has consistently revisited Tagore’s works. This evoked a natural interest in his life. The mysterious Kadambari fascinated me immensely and culminated in this dance enactment.”Dhiraj Singh, who plays main role of Rabindranath Tagore says, “Playing the young ‘Rabi’ (Rabindranath Tagore) was a remarkable experience because Tagore for me is a limitless artist – he was a poet, composer, painter, thinker all rolled into one. Shovana ji too is like that and it’s to her credit how she made me – a non dancer – part of this beautiful dance drama,” Singh feels elated with the honour, who is himself an artist, writer, filmmaker and educator.The stage imagery moves between memory and melancholy: Kadambari draped in luminous red, suspended between devotion and despair; Robi (Tagore) portrayed as the restless poet whose words faced the initial struggle to fully articulate his feelings. The performances reflect on how Kadambari’s silent suffering and emotional companionship shaped the young Robi’s imagination, leaving behind echoes that would later permeate his poetry, songs and writings.At her passing away, in Tagore’s words, the dance drama underscores the depth of his loss: “She, my Queen, has died and my world has shut against the door of its inner apartment of beauty which gives the real taste of freedom.”It was part of his coming of age, coming to terms of that anguish. Decades later Tagore penned down the brilliant “Tata thoi thoi” – a rhythmic phrase of onomatopoeic sound used in the famous Rabindra Sangeet song “Mamo Chitte Niti Nritye”. The song highlights that life and death are not separate, but dance side-by-side, “one behind the other,” signifying they are part of the same continuous cycle.By Sahar ZamanSAHAR ZAMAN IS AN AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR, COLUMNIST AND NEWS EDITOR. SHE IS THE FOUNDER-DIRECTOR OF HUNAR TV AND AN ADVOCATE OF THE ORANGE ECONOMY
