Like cherry blossom, some love stories are extraordinarily beautiful but short-lived. Such a tale has been musically portrayed in Tagore Spring Festival 2018, a multicultural celebration of spring, at the Surrey City Hall on Saturday, May 19th.
On a canvas of momentary spring and using metaphors of Madhobi, an exquisite South Asian flower tree, and a gentle spring breeze, the musical saga ‘Madhobi : A Musical Illustration of Love’ touched the audience by capturing various interwoven, subtle, and intricate dimensions of conjugal love: doubt, longing, attraction, togetherness, jealousy, ecstasy, agony, hope, and separation. The musical play used an assortment of several timeless songs composed by Asian cultural icon, Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, that have been captivating world literature enthusiasts for over a century. Noted Bengali singer Shankhanaad Mallick wrote the script and directed the production.
Artists from different backgrounds performed in this multicultural spring festival displaying their traditions and heritages. Among many, a soulful Carnatic classical vocal music by young talent Lakshmi Menon and a vibrant duet dance of spring by Bharatanatyam expert Arno Kamolika and Vidya Kotamraju enthralled the houseful audience.
Vancouver Tagore Society, a not-for-profit organization promoting diversity and pluralism through the literary work Rabindranath Tagore, hosted this annual event with cultural grants from the City of Surrey.
