The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust is inviting audiences to Stratford-upon-Avon to mark the 165th birthday of Rabindranath Tagore and the 30th anniversary of the inauguration of his bust in the garden of Shakespeare’s Birthplace, unveiled in September 1996.
On Saturday 3 May at 3pm, visitors are warmly invited to Tagore on Happiness, a programme of songs, poetry and narration exploring how Rabindranath Tagore wrote about joy in times of personal and collective uncertainty. It is included in the ticket price for those visiting Shakespeare’s Birthplace that day.
The event begins at the Shakespeare statue on Henley Street with a dance procession leading into the performance space in the garden next to the house where Shakespeare was born.
Since May 1997, the year after the bust was inaugurated in the garden, the Bengali cultural group Prantik has led annual celebrations of Tagore’s birth at Shakespeare’s Birthplace. This year’s performance honours both 30 years of the Tagore bust and nearly three decades of birthday celebrations in the garden, bringing together singers and musicians from Prantik as well as actors from Events from History to present new, rhyming English translations of Tagore’s work alongside his original Bengali songs on happiness, love, spiritual joy and creative freedom.
Rachael North, Chief Executive of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust said: “For almost thirty years, Prantik has helped us honour Tagore’s birthday at Shakespeare’s Birthplace, gathering around the bust that was installed here in 1996. We are delighted to mark this anniversary together with a programme that speaks so directly to our own uncertain times, reminding us that happiness can be found in openness, courage and community.”
The performance in the garden will lead audiences through key moments in Tagore’s life and work. It will conclude by the bust of Tagore, with a special ceremony introduced by Dr Venkat, Consul-General at the Consulate General of India in Birmingham, reflecting the strong cultural links between India and Shakespeare’s hometown of Stratford-upon-Avon.
Obhi Chatterjee, member of Prantik and of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust’s Consultative Council, commented: “It is a privilege for us in Prantik to celebrate Tagore’s birthday each year beside his bust in the garden of Shakespeare’s Birthplace. This year we also mark thirty years since the bust was inaugurated here in 1996. Our focus on. This year we focus on Tagore’s writings about happiness – not as simple cheerfulness, but as a resilient, active force that helps us face grief, injustice and change. To begin on Henley Street, process to the house where Shakespeare was born, and end at Tagore’s bust in the garden feels like a fitting way to honour both poets and to bring their words into conversation for today’s audiences.”
Those wishing to watch the performance are asked to purchase or reserve their tickets in advance for Shakespeare’s Birthplace. Ticket-holders can either join the back of the procession at 3pm on Henley Street, or go directly to the garden performance space and take their places before the procession arrives.
For more information about tickets and the Tagore anniversary celebrations at Shakespeare’s Birthplace, visit www.shakespeare.org.uk .
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