Helen Keller Returns to the Stage on Tagore’s Birth Anniversary
Swapnadal revives its acclaimed monodrama Helen Keller on Rabindranath Tagore’s 164th birth anniversary. Featuring Juana Sobnom’s powerful solo performance, the play explores Keller’s life and her philosophical connection with Tagore in a moving tribute to resilience and human dignity.
In a world that’s all too often in a flap over fleeting fame and flashy spectacles, the return of Helen Keller by the acclaimed Bangladeshi theatre troupe Swapnadal is a breath of fresh theatrical air — or perhaps, more fittingly, a gust of soul-stirring insight. Staged once again on the hallowed 164th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore, this is no ordinary revival. It’s a homage, a reckoning, and a gentle nudge to the collective conscience.
Directed by Zahid Repon and penned with poetic sensitivity by Apurba Kumar Kundu, the monodrama takes centre stage tomorrow at 7pm at the Studio Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy. And at its core is Juana Sobnom — a one-woman tour de force whose portrayal of Helen Keller is anything but run-of-the-mill. With the barest of sets and nary a distraction, Sobnom breathes life into Keller with a quiet fire, conjuring a world of darkness and silence that somehow still rings louder than thunder.
But don’t be fooled into thinking this is simply a retelling of the well-worn tale of triumph over adversity. Swapnadal’s Helen Keller does what good theatre should — it peels back layers, pokes at the underbelly of history, and connects dots that many have overlooked. The production digs deep into the fascinating, almost ethereal relationship between Keller and Tagore, threading together his philosophy of universal human dignity and her lifelong crusade for empathy and equality.
Here, Tagore is not just a footnote or a name dropped for gravitas. He’s the invisible companion on Keller’s journey — his ideas a lighthouse in her fog. The play deftly explores how the bard of Bengal, with his vision of humanity beyond borders and bodily bounds, influenced a woman born thousands of miles away in a very different world. It’s the sort of cultural cross-pollination that makes one sit up and think, Well, I never!
Sobnom’s performance is, quite frankly, a corker. She flits — no, transforms — from vulnerable to valiant in a heartbeat. Every gesture is considered, every silence laden. It’s not acting for the sake of applause; it’s storytelling in its purest form. And if you’ve ever thought a single performer couldn’t hold your attention for an hour, think again — this is theatre that grips you by the collar and doesn’t let go.
The production, which has already trotted off to festivals in Japan and India, has earned its laurels abroad, proving that some stories don’t need translation — only a willing heart. In a world often divided by difference, Helen Keller reminds us of the invisible threads — of struggle, spirit, and shared humanity — that bind us all.
So if you fancy a night at the theatre that’s a far cry from the usual razzmatazz, where the soul does the talking and the spotlight lingers not on spectacle but substance — make your way to BSA tomorrow. Helen Keller is not just a play. It’s a quiet revolution in a black box theatre. And in the words of Tagore himself, “Let your life lightly dance on the edges of Time like dew on the tip of a leaf.”
Sources : The Daily Star
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