THE NATIONAL Cultural Centre (NCC) on Homestretch Avenue, Georgetown was almost filled to capacity on Friday evening as persons from all walks of life turned out in their numbers to witness “An Evening of Drama” put on by the Dramatic Arts Academy in honour of late Indian Poet, Philosopher and Nobel laureate Rabindranauth Tagore. In a brief pre-show interview at the NCC, Director, Neaz Subhan said he was pleasantly surprised by the turnout, as he did not know how popular the work of “the Indian Shakespeare” was in Guyana. He described the response as heartening and a testament to the fact that this type of theatre has not been lost to Guyana, making reference to the number of youths who were in attendance.
Prime Minister, Samuel Hinds and Indian High Commissioner to Guyana, Subit Kumar Mandal, were special invitees at the occasion. High Commissioner Mandal provided brief insights into the work of Tagore, and expressed pleasure that the event was being hosted to coincide with the 150th birth anniversary of Tagore.

Scenes from the event hosted Friday evening by the Dramatic Art Academy at the National Cultural Centre in memory of the late Tagore. (Photos by Adrian Narine)

On the programme for the evening were two of Tagore’s plays, “Pariska” (The Trial) and “Raja aur Rani” (The King and the Queen), which were acted by the members of the Dramatic Arts Academy. Dances were also performed by the students of the Indian Cultural Centre.
Tagore (1861-1941), born in Calcutta, India, wrote poetry as a child, his first book appearing when he was 17. After a brief stay in England (1878) studying law, he returned to India, where he rapidly became the most important and popular author of the colonial era, writing poetry, short stories, novels, and plays. He composed several hundred popular songs, and, in 1929, also began painting.
A dedicated internationalist and educator, he travelled and lectured throughout the world. He established a school (1901) in his estate, Santiniketan, in Bengal, to teach a blend of Eastern and Western philosophies. In 1921, his school was expanded into an international university, Visva-Bharati.
Tagore wrote primarily in Bengalese, but he himself translated many of his works into English. Tagore’s writing is highly imagistic, deeply religious, and is imbued with his love of nature and his homeland. He was awarded the 1913 Nobel Prize in literature, and in 1915 he was knighted by the British King George V.
Tagore renounced his knighthood in 1919 following the Amritsar massacre of nearly 400 Indian demonstrators by British troops. His work, Collected Poems and Plays, was published in 1966.