Mumbai: Music, dance and thought come together at Tagore Lit-Art Festival

Robi Raage, a dance performance exploring ragas and Tagore’s music. Pics courtesy/Shahana

As Shahana, Tagore Centre for Indian Music and Culture, marks its golden jubilee year in Mumbai, the Tagore Lit-Art Festival has been envisioned as ‘a coming together of music, dance and thought', rooted in the many worlds of Rabindranath Tagore.

A musical dance and drama called Elem Notun Deshe, inspired by Tagore's Tasher Desh (Land of Cards)

The festival will seek to move past viewing Tagore solely as a poet or composer, instead foregrounding his philosophy, storytelling, theatre and cultural vision. Anusree Bonnerjee, honorary creative head and alumna of Shahana, notes, "Tagore is multidimensional, and there are aspects of him that don't always come to light. This festival is a small tribute to those aspects."

Anusree Bonnerjee

Spread across three days, the programme brings together classical dance interpretations by both Bengali and non-Bengali artistes, choral explorations of Tagore's Western-influenced melodies, Sufi-inflected music, and a percussion-led collaboration that positions rhythm as more than just an accompanying element. On the final day, witness Rabindra Sangeet by Titas Chattopadhyay and a Bengali staging of Shakespeare's Hamlet directed by Kaushik Sen. Running alongside will be the ‘Haat of Bengal', inspired by Santiniketan's Poush Mela, celebrating artisans, food and craft as living expressions of Bengal's cultural life.

AT PL Deshpande Kala Academy and Ravindra Prabhadevi.
ENTRY 200 onwards
LOG ON TO @shahana.tagore_centre
CALL 9740206005

The Guide's top picks

Ritumaalyam, a dance production that brings together Bharatanatyam, Kathak and Odissi, originally conceptualised by dancer and choreographer Dr Kanak Rele and now continued by her granddaughter Uma Rele with students of Nalanda Nrityakala Mahavidyalaya. The work draws from Tagore's Gitanjali.
ON February 20 TIME 6.45 pm

A previous exhibition of the Haat of Bengal last year

Haat of Bengal, active throughout the festival, will showcase handcrafted textiles and artisanal works such as batik, kantha, dhokra and other traditional forms rooted in Kolkata's artistic heritage.
ON February 20 to 22
TIME 11 am to 9 pm

The closing performance, Rhythm Roots, led by tabla maestro Ishan Ghosh and ensemble, bridges North Indian classical rhythms with traditional Bengali beats.
ON February 21
TIME 7.15 pm onwards

The Murshidabadi Project

Zikr, a Sufi Samaa by the Murshidabadi Project, blends devotional Sufi music with the resonant timbre of the African kora (stringed instrument used extensively in West Africa)
ON February 21
TIME 6.15 pm onwards