Tagore`s poems in Bharatnatyam by Geeta Chandran`s disciple

New Delhi: Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore`s poems found expression in a Bhartanatyam dance recital here by acclaimed danseau Geeta Chandran`s disciple Nabanita Majumdar.

The `Gitanjali` and other evocative poems by the Gurudev were translated into dance by 45-year-old Nabanita in her arangetam (debut performance) last evening. "The aim of every art form is to search for the divine, the expressions may be different. When I was introduced to Tagore`s poetries I found it so similar to our dance form that I decided to use them," Chandran said. "Since Nabanita is a Bengali who learnt a South Indian art, so I decided to experiment with these two cultures," said the veteran dancer. Beginning with `Nrityer Tale Tale Notoraj` a traditional opening prayer written by Tagore, Nabanita displayed used elaborate footwork and graceful body movements to display her versatility. "I read Tagore`s poetries like Gitanjali and quite a few other books by him. We selected verses which matched with our dance. We found dancing to the verses difficult so we decided to use recitation as the backdrop," said the dancer who has been learning the art form for the past six years. Geeta Chandran used Tagore`s `Colored Toys` in the raga Thaye Yashoda. Kathak danseuse Shovana Narayan, who attended the recital at the Chinmaya Mission auditorium, said she was impressed to see the perseverance of Nabanita. "It was nice to see Nabanita`s hard work and passion for dance. Unlike us, she started to learn the dance at the age of 45 and gave her debut. I must congratulate Geeta for investing her so much in her," Shovana said.