BENGALURU: Singer Isheeta Ganguly grew up in the US and just like many other Bengalis, her household was filled Rabindranath Tagore’s music. Her parents, Isheeta says, were “Deeply impassioned by music and theatre.” That’s perhaps where her tryst with the works of Tagore began and eventually led her to write a modern-day retelling of Tagore’s timeless Chitrangada.
Isheeta’s fascination with the works of Tagore has a lot to do with the legend’s take on women in his writing. “He was centuries ahead in his interpretation and beautifully portrays the subtle nuances and complexities of women, including jealousy and the other feelings that come along with romance,” explains Isheeta.
The play Sundays With Chitra and Chaitali is inspired by Tagore’s distinct character Chitra. “Despite being written about years ago, the conundrums the characters faced in Tagore’s work are similar to issues women face today. For example, in the play, Chitra is a warrior princess who falls in love with Arjun, who is looking for more feminine beauty in a partner. This struggle between how assertive, how soft, and how bold one must be, is something women face today too,” she explains.
What can one expect from this new adaptation? “A lively musical and an interest parallel narrative that goes back and forth between contemporary coffee shops and a time set during the Mahabharatha,” says Isheeta.
Sundays with Chitra and Chaitali, an ITC WelcomTheatre Production, will be staged on November 24, 2018 at 7 pm at ITC Gardenia.