Mad Theatre revisits Tagore’s bond with Victoria Ocampo

Mad Theatre is set to stage the 13th performance of its play “Rabindranather Dwitiya Bijoya” this evening at the Experimental Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy in Dhaka, revisiting Rabindranath Tagore’s time in Argentina and his remarkable bond with Argentine writer Victoria Ocampo.

The performance is scheduled for today at 7:15pm . The production explores the poet’s stay in Argentina in 1924, when illness forced him to interrupt his journey to Peru to attend celebrations marking the country’s independence.

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During his stay at Miralrío, a villa in San Isidro near Buenos Aires, Tagore developed a deep intellectual and poetic connection with Ocampo, a prominent Argentine writer and cultural figure. Despite the language barrier and unfamiliar surroundings, their meeting grew into a significant chapter in the poet’s life.

Written, directed and conceived by Mad Theatre’s chief director Asadul Islam, the two-character production features Islam as Tagore and Sonia Hasan as Ocampo.

The play draws on research into their relationship, exploring memories of their time together and lesser-known episodes surrounding their encounter.

Speaking about the production, Islam said the play centres on the period when Tagore, despite being unwell and far from familiar surroundings, experienced what he described as an illness accompanied by a sense of happiness through Ocampo’s companionship.

The production also reflects on Tagore’s poetry collection “Purabi”, which was written during his stay in Argentina, and the historic chair Ocampo gifted him. Tagore spent time sitting beside the Río de la Plata, where the surrounding landscape and his experiences during the visit informed his creative work.

Through its intimate staging, “Rabindranather Dwitiya Bijoya” seeks to revisit the emotional and artistic dimensions of the encounter between two literary figures from different cultural worlds.