Rabindranath Tagore wrote an allegorical dance drama in 1933. In his very own style, he rendered in a beatific and non-threatening format, a tale about something dark and sinister. The perils of mind-control and repression. A story about a fictional land where free will and freedom of expression are prohibited. A state where the only rulebook prevails, over hearts and minds.
In his play, an adventure seeking, free-spirited prince sets sail to find a new world. He and his companion are shipwrecked on a strange land where every inhabitant is a card – Hearts, Spades, Diamonds or Clubs. The cards do everything by their codebook, an iron-fisted regimen for moving, playing, and even thinking. Doing what one desires is an anathema. It is a state of complete submission to prescribed mandates. No disorder and no dissent. Obedience is the mantra.
In such a land, the prince stirs up trouble by asking discomforting questions. Why cannot one sing? How about following one’s heart’s desire? What’s not to love about wandering aimlessly and laughing for no good reason? Must I submit?
In Rabindranath’s play, the prince catalyzes an upheaval, a revolution of some sort in the kingdom of cards. He invokes desire in the cards, to taste the joy of emotions, of freedom. The cards revert to being real humans, thinking, feeling, and loving. Free will wins over mindless obedience and the mechanistic system collapses.
It was a pleasure watching the students of a local school in Chandigarh, St Kabir Public school, perform an improvised version of the original drama on a balmy autumn evening. The production was lavish, the music and dance contemporary and electrifying. The children performed with an abundance that was pure and endearing.
The Kingdom of Cards by Students of St Kabir Public School in Chandigarh
As a child, I loved the magical aura of the play. Watching it now, made me marvel at the relevance of Tagore’s work, even after 86 years. Free will and freedom of expression form the core of creativity, progress and intellectual evolution. It is the engine that moves us forward; sets free the prospect of happiness for the greatest number of people.
My friend who accompanied me asked.
“So what would Tagore think about this adaptation?”
“Oh, he would very much approve. He was all for thinking outside the box, stepping out of prescriptions. He was nothing if not a lifelong advocate of free expression,” I replied.
I know Tagore would agree. If you take away free thinking and articulation, you take away the essence of humanity. We are beautiful, because we think, we create, we disagree, we change our minds, we protest, we support and we hold our own against all odds.