Rabindranath wrote to Ranu on 30th Aug;
" There is no possibility of my going to Bombay in the month of Sep."
He had to take the role of Sannyasi in Bisarjan to be staged at Calcutta in a cultural fair in Autumnal Ceremony.It was only for collection of fund that he was going to take this role.He wrote another letter to Ranu on 4th Sept. ;
" I've become restless at the rehearsal of the autumnal ceremony. Bibhuti (Bibhutibhusan Gupta)comes here everyday in the noon and takes my lesson from top to bottom. I've to commit to memory as the boys do in their lesson. But my forgetfulness is so high that I always forget the date fixed for the rehearsal. Even the small boys laugh at me. I can't say that it was so disgraceful. If you can manage to ome here, you shall find that I 'm saying corretly from my heart."
The drama was first staged in Alfred Theatre hall on 16th Sept.
But before the drama was actually staged, having noticed the advertisement in the paper " a drama will be staged to celebrate autumnal ceremony by the boys and girls students of Santiniketan" the Brahmo leader Lalit Mohan Das and editor of "Sanjibani" Krishnakumar Mitra wrote two letters to Rabindranath protesting against the participation of girls students coming from respectable family to appear on the public stage to act different roles of drama of Viswa Bharati. At this Rabindranath felt embarrassed.
This is to be mentioned here that in 1877 in the drama named " Eman Karma aar karbona" Rabindranath acted in his role where the female members of Tagore family also participated in female roles. Moreover, in the dramas " Basanta Utsab", "Manmayee", Bibaha Utsab" and on several occasions the female members of Tagore family acted their roles along with the male members of the family. The first public appearance in stage by the female members to act a drama took place in "Balmiki Prativa" on 26th Feb 1881. Fifteen year old Pratibha Devi took part in this dance drama. Again,on the occasion of "Bidwatjjan Samagama" a stage performance was held where females appeared publicly before many members of respectable families including reporters of different papers who praised highly about participation of female members in spite of condemnation. All of them greeted participation by females.
In the last year Rabindranath made arrangements of participation of female members in "Barsha Mangal" which was staged in the Vichitra hall without any protest.
Rabindranath replied those letters on 9th Sept which seemed to be an explanation of his activities. The reply written to Krishna Kumar Mitra said ;
" He who have informed you that the people have condemned after witnessing Barshamangal, has probably said in exaggeration out of grudge. No sign of unrest or lack of restraint was visible among the spectators. I donot know whether some of them have changed their mind after going home. I have heard harsh words so many times without or negligible reasons in my life that now i don't mind anything for its recurrence. I have not done any work so far my life in which I was not blamed from any corner - what's harm in it? The drama like Saradotsab was written to remove ugly imagination from mind. If it is pure then why should we bother ? It is our duty to distribute pure entertainment with which people can purify his mind. Anyway, if it is possible to stage it elsewhere, I shall try to do to obey your request. But there is no such time."
Barshamangal was staged in Alfred Hall on 16th and in Madan Hall on 18th of Sept.
" There is no possibility of my going to Bombay in the month of Sep."
He had to take the role of Sannyasi in Bisarjan to be staged at Calcutta in a cultural fair in Autumnal Ceremony.It was only for collection of fund that he was going to take this role.He wrote another letter to Ranu on 4th Sept. ;
" I've become restless at the rehearsal of the autumnal ceremony. Bibhuti (Bibhutibhusan Gupta)comes here everyday in the noon and takes my lesson from top to bottom. I've to commit to memory as the boys do in their lesson. But my forgetfulness is so high that I always forget the date fixed for the rehearsal. Even the small boys laugh at me. I can't say that it was so disgraceful. If you can manage to ome here, you shall find that I 'm saying corretly from my heart."
The drama was first staged in Alfred Theatre hall on 16th Sept.
But before the drama was actually staged, having noticed the advertisement in the paper " a drama will be staged to celebrate autumnal ceremony by the boys and girls students of Santiniketan" the Brahmo leader Lalit Mohan Das and editor of "Sanjibani" Krishnakumar Mitra wrote two letters to Rabindranath protesting against the participation of girls students coming from respectable family to appear on the public stage to act different roles of drama of Viswa Bharati. At this Rabindranath felt embarrassed.
This is to be mentioned here that in 1877 in the drama named " Eman Karma aar karbona" Rabindranath acted in his role where the female members of Tagore family also participated in female roles. Moreover, in the dramas " Basanta Utsab", "Manmayee", Bibaha Utsab" and on several occasions the female members of Tagore family acted their roles along with the male members of the family. The first public appearance in stage by the female members to act a drama took place in "Balmiki Prativa" on 26th Feb 1881. Fifteen year old Pratibha Devi took part in this dance drama. Again,on the occasion of "Bidwatjjan Samagama" a stage performance was held where females appeared publicly before many members of respectable families including reporters of different papers who praised highly about participation of female members in spite of condemnation. All of them greeted participation by females.
In the last year Rabindranath made arrangements of participation of female members in "Barsha Mangal" which was staged in the Vichitra hall without any protest.
Rabindranath replied those letters on 9th Sept which seemed to be an explanation of his activities. The reply written to Krishna Kumar Mitra said ;
" He who have informed you that the people have condemned after witnessing Barshamangal, has probably said in exaggeration out of grudge. No sign of unrest or lack of restraint was visible among the spectators. I donot know whether some of them have changed their mind after going home. I have heard harsh words so many times without or negligible reasons in my life that now i don't mind anything for its recurrence. I have not done any work so far my life in which I was not blamed from any corner - what's harm in it? The drama like Saradotsab was written to remove ugly imagination from mind. If it is pure then why should we bother ? It is our duty to distribute pure entertainment with which people can purify his mind. Anyway, if it is possible to stage it elsewhere, I shall try to do to obey your request. But there is no such time."
Barshamangal was staged in Alfred Hall on 16th and in Madan Hall on 18th of Sept.
