Valmiki Pratibha
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''Vālmīki-Praṭibhā'' ( bn, বাল্মীকি-প্রতিভা, ''Balmiki Protibha'', lit. ''The Genius of Vālmīki'') is an
opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...
by
Rabindranath Tagore Rabindranath Tagore (; bn, রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer and painter. He resh ...
. The
Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...
libretto was written by Tagore himself based on the legend of Ratnakara the Thug who later became Sage
Valmiki Valmiki (; Sanskrit: वाल्मीकि, ) is celebrated as the harbinger-poet in Sanskrit literature. The epic ''Ramayana'', dated variously from the 5th century BCE to first century BCE, is attributed to him, based on the attributio ...
and composed
Ramayana The ''Rāmāyana'' (; sa, रामायणम्, ) is a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic composed over a period of nearly a millennium, with scholars' estimates for the earliest stage of the text ranging from the 8th ...
, a
Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
epic. Composed in 1881, the opera was first performed at the
Jorasanko Thakur Bari Jorasanko Thakur Bari (Bengali: ''House of the Thakurs''; anglicised to ''Tagore'') in Jorasanko, North Kolkata, West Bengal, India, is the ancestral home of the Tagore family. It is the birthplace of poet Rabindranath Tagore and the host ...
on 26 February 1881. Tagore himself played the role of Valmiki. It was staged in front of some eminent literary personalities of contemporary Bengal like
Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay Bankim Chandra Chatterjee (also Chattopadhayay) CIE (26 or 27 June 1838 – 8 April 1894) was an Indian novelist, poet, Essayist and journalist.Staff writer"Bankim Chandra: The First Prominent Bengali Novelist" ''The Daily Star'', 30 June 2011 ...
,
Gooroodas Banerjee Sir Gooroodas Banerjee (also Gurudas or Gurudas Bandyopadhyay, bn, স্যার গুরুদাস ব্যানার্জী; 26 January 1844 – 2 December 1918) was a Bengali Indian judge of the Calcutta High Court. In 1890, he als ...
and
Haraprasad Shastri Hara Prasad Shastri ( bn, হরপ্রসাদ শাস্ত্রী) (6 December 1853 – 17 November 1931), also known as Hara Prasad Bhattacharya, was an Indian academic, Sanskrit scholar, archivist and historian of Bengali literature. ...
. The first edition of the opera was also published this time. The second and final edition was published on 20 February 1886. The music of this opera was a "fusion of classical, folk and European strains."Ghose (2006) p.61 The story narrates how Ratnakara, a robber chief turns into a great poet by the grace of
Saraswati Saraswati ( sa, सरस्वती, ) is the Hindu goddess of knowledge, music, art, speech, wisdom, and learning. She is one of the Tridevi, along with the goddesses Lakshmi and Parvati. The earliest known mention of Saraswati as a g ...
, the goddess of wisdom.


Name

Tagore wrote in his reminiscence, ''Jibansmriti'', “ n ''Valmiki-Pratibha''I played Valmiki and my niece Pratibha played Saraswati – this history remains in the naming of ''Valmiki-Pratibha''.”


Synopsis

One night,
Valmiki Valmiki (; Sanskrit: वाल्मीकि, ) is celebrated as the harbinger-poet in Sanskrit literature. The epic ''Ramayana'', dated variously from the 5th century BCE to first century BCE, is attributed to him, based on the attributio ...
, the robber chief, and his men captured a young girl to be sacrificed before
Kali Kali (; sa, काली, ), also referred to as Mahakali, Bhadrakali, and Kalika ( sa, कालिका), is a Hindu goddess who is considered to be the goddess of ultimate power, time, destruction and change in Shaktism. In this tra ...
, the goddess of death. As Valmiki approached to
behead Decapitation or beheading is the total separation of the head from the body. Such an injury is invariably fatal to humans and most other animals, since it deprives the brain of oxygenated blood, while all other organs are deprived of the i ...
the girl, her cries melt the robber chief's heart and she was released. Later Valmiki's men found that their leader was taking no more pleasure in bloodshed. Considering it as a sign of shameful cowardice, they abandoned him. Valmiki began to wander in the forest. One day he saw a young hunter killing two innocent love birds. Enraged, he uttered a curse which curiously enough, came out in
Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
, the language of the gods that he never learnt. Valmiki saw an image of Saraswati, the goddess of wisdom being worshipped by the forest-nymphs. He renounced Kali and began his long search for the goddess of knowledge. In the meantime,
Lakshmi Lakshmi (; , sometimes spelled Laxmi, ), also known as Shri (, ), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism. She is the goddess of wealth, fortune, power, beauty, fertility and prosperity, and associated with ''Maya'' ("Illusion"). Alo ...
, the goddess of fortune, approached to distract him, but he refused her. At last his penance was rewarded and Saraswati herself appeared to him. It turned out that the little girl that he had saved from beheading was none other than the goddess herself in disguise, who had come to melt his 'stone' heart. Later, the goddess offered her ''
Veena The ''veena'', also spelled ''vina'' ( sa, वीणा IAST: vīṇā), comprises various chordophone instruments from the Indian subcontinent. Ancient musical instruments evolved into many variations, such as lutes, zithers and arched harps ...
'' to Valmiki and blessed him with music. She blessed the former robber chief to become the greatest poet in the whole world, to be worshipped next to the goddess herself by every poet or artist ever since.


Roles and historical cast

In the list below, the role is followed by the original cast member from the 1881 production. *
Valmiki Valmiki (; Sanskrit: वाल्मीकि, ) is celebrated as the harbinger-poet in Sanskrit literature. The epic ''Ramayana'', dated variously from the 5th century BCE to first century BCE, is attributed to him, based on the attributio ...
, the robber chief –
Rabindranath Tagore Rabindranath Tagore (; bn, রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer and painter. He resh ...
. *
Saraswati Saraswati ( sa, सरस्वती, ) is the Hindu goddess of knowledge, music, art, speech, wisdom, and learning. She is one of the Tridevi, along with the goddesses Lakshmi and Parvati. The earliest known mention of Saraswati as a g ...
, goddess of wisdom – Pratibha Devi, Tagore's niece. *
Lakshmi Lakshmi (; , sometimes spelled Laxmi, ), also known as Shri (, ), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism. She is the goddess of wealth, fortune, power, beauty, fertility and prosperity, and associated with ''Maya'' ("Illusion"). Alo ...
, goddess of fortune – Sushila Devi, Tagore's niece. * Robbers – Sarada Prasad Ganguly, Kedarnath Majumdar, Akshay Majumdar.


Recording

* 1967, Santosh Sengupta (conductor),
Hemanta Mukherjee Hemanta Mukhopadhyay (16 June 1920 – 26 September 1989), known professionally as Hemant Kumar and Hemanta Mukherjee, was a legendary Indian music composer and playback singer who primarily sang in Bengali and Hindi, as well as other Indian ...
(
Valmiki Valmiki (; Sanskrit: वाल्मीकि, ) is celebrated as the harbinger-poet in Sanskrit literature. The epic ''Ramayana'', dated variously from the 5th century BCE to first century BCE, is attributed to him, based on the attributio ...
), Suchitra Mitra (
Saraswati Saraswati ( sa, सरस्वती, ) is the Hindu goddess of knowledge, music, art, speech, wisdom, and learning. She is one of the Tridevi, along with the goddesses Lakshmi and Parvati. The earliest known mention of Saraswati as a g ...
), Tarun Bandyopadhyay (robber), Sagar Sen (robber), Arghya Sen (robber), Sumitra Sen (forest-nymph), Ritu Guha (
Lakshmi Lakshmi (; , sometimes spelled Laxmi, ), also known as Shri (, ), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism. She is the goddess of wealth, fortune, power, beauty, fertility and prosperity, and associated with ''Maya'' ("Illusion"). Alo ...
) etc. (The Gramophone Company of India Limited, EALP 1313)


Notes and references


Sources

*Ghose, Sisir Kumar (2006)
''Rabindranath Tagore''
Sahitya Akademi. *Guha-Thakurta, P. (2000)
''The Bengali drama: its origin and development''
Routledge. *Hochman, Stanley (ed.) (1984)
"Tagore, Rabindranath"
''McGraw-Hill encyclopedia of world drama'', Volume 5, pp. 1–2. VNR AG.


External links


''Valmiki-Pratibha'' (main text in Bengali) from Rabindra Rachavali

''My Reminiscences'' by Rabindranath Tagore: Ch. 29: Valmiki Pratibha
{{DEFAULTSORT:Valmiki-Pratibha Plays by Rabindranath Tagore 1881 operas Operas