A soulful rendition of a dance- drama, penned by Rabindranath Tagore when he was just 16-years-old, by a troupe founded by the President's wife Shubhra Mukherjee left an indelible stamp on the audience.
The group of accomplished singers and dancers performed 'Bhanusingher Padabali', an intense work of Tagore in 'braja bhasha' on the 'eternal union' of Radha and Krishna published in 1884. Experts say the piece was inspired by writings of Sanskrit poet Jayadev and Maithali writer Vidyapati.
The 90-minute programme was attended by President Pranab Mukherjee, Shubhra Mukherjee, the Prime Minister's wife Gursharan Kaur, legendary singer Asha Bhonsle and artiste Udit Narayan, among others, at Rashtrapati Bhavan last night.
One of Tagore's all-time great compositions "Aguner Poroshmoni' was also performed by the First Lady's Geetanjali troupe, which has been run by her since 1978.
The rendition of Bhanushinger Padabali, written by Tagore under the pseudonym 'Bhanusingha' (Sun lion), started with 'Jaya jaya dev hare' as dancers matched their steps with the chorus by men and women singers.
Lilting compositions like 'Gahana Kusamo Kunj Majhe' and "Sajani Sajani Radhika' drew loud applause. The President facilitated the singers, dancers and organisers including R K Sarkar for the programme.
