Rabindranath Tagore’s “Subha” is the story of a young girl who cannot speak. She is marginalized by her family and society, but she connects with nature at a very profound level; her world consists of drops of water, the river, animals, and stalks of green grass. No one hears her inner voice except the natural world that enthralls her.

Rabindranath Tagore’s “Subha” is the story of a young girl who cannot speak. She is marginalized by her family and society, but she connects with nature at a very profound level; her world consists of drops of water, the river, animals, and stalks of green grass. No one hears her inner voice except the natural world that enthralls her. We decided to take “Subha” and several poems from Gitanjali to create piece rich in color, movement, and music. The play explores sound and silence, movement and stillness. It looks at the way different genres of art such as theatre and video interact with each other.

The play provides a chance for students to engage with Tagore’s work in a creative manner, to see how his ideas of nature and of humanity are more useful than ever to the world we inhabit today. It directs our attention to issues faced by women in certain contexts and illustrates how women’s experiences and aspirations are often devalued. It is an artistic and spiritual exploration which gives the students a profound experience of Tagore’s work.