The New Nation - Internet Edition

Sheikh Arif Bulbon

Students of the Maple Leaf International School staged Rabindranath Tagore's dance drama 'Valmiki Pratibha' at the Bangladesh Shishu Academy in the city Thursday evening.

Students of the school performed in the dance drama. Performance of the students enthralled a huge number of audiences. At the age of twenty the Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore wrote his first music drama 'Valmiki Pratibha' (The Genius of Valmiki), which showcases the metamorphosis of the dacoit (bandit) leader 'Ratnakar' into Valmiki, the first Indian mythological poet who is the composer of the epic 'Ramayana.'

The plot is based on the bandit chief Ratnakar who to please the patron goddess 'Kali' asks his followers to procure a young girl for sacrifice from one of the neighbouring villages. The main action of the play begins when the brave and indomitable bandit chief is moved by the touching, lyrical pleas of the young girl on the altar of the sacrifice and lets her go.

Neither Ratnakar nor his band of brigands can comprehend the sudden change in him for since this incident he has known no peace of mind. Realising that their chief is no longer interested in the regular activities of foraging the forest or plundering and looting the villages his followers' desert him.

During this unsettling time Ratnakar comes upon two hunters in the act of killing a pair of cranes (krounchomithun). He tries to stop them but in vain. Very soon the cry of the bird for its dead mate is replaced by the beseeching wails of the earlier captive young girl. And in that instant Ratnakar is blessed by the goddess 'Saraswati' for his repentance and pity. With her boon Ratnakar now utters the first 'shlok' or metre that heralds the birth of the immortal ancient poet Valmiki. Thus, the genius of Valmiki is revealed.

Unique in its operatic presentation, 'Valmiki Protibha' was first performed in December 1881 at the 'Biddawajjan Samagam Sammilani' where Tagore himself played the role of Valmiki. Through it, Tagore, who was then influenced by the spectacle of the European opera, vigorously explores a wide range of dramatic styles and emotions, including usage of revamped kirtans, Indian folk and traditional raga based compositions blended with the adaptation of traditional English and Irish folk melodies.

Although primarily written and performed as a music drama this presentation has been adapted into a dance drama.