‘Tagore’s French Encounter’ revisits poet’s French connections through songs, poems

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Arts & Entertainment Desk

‘Tagore’s French Encounter’ revisits poet’s French connections through songs, poems

Photos: Courtesy

Alliance Française de Dhaka hosted “Tagore’s French Encounter - An Evening of Tagore Songs & Poems” on Friday, bringing together music and reflections on Rabindranath Tagore’s engagement with French literature, art and culture.

The programme was held at the Auditorium Nouvelle Vague of Alliance Française de Dhaka.
Contemporary exponent of Rabindra Sangeet Sanchita Rakhi performed a selection of Tagore songs. She was accompanied by Ashikul Abir on esraj, Gautam Kumar Sarkar on tabla, Koushik Ahmed Antar on keyboard and Md Nashir Uddin on guitar. Dhruba Jyoti, co-researcher of the programme, moderated the event and contributed to the discussions.

The programme also featured recitations from the French version of “Gitanjali” by François Chambraud, director of Alliance Française de Dhaka.

The evening explored Tagore’s cultural connections with France over four decades. It highlighted his encounters with French literature and artistic circles, and their place in his wider intellectual and creative journey.

“Tagore’s relationship with France spanned for decades. Paris was a major capital of the art and he met many artistes who played a significant role in his development as a multifaceted artiste. This show aims at showing the wealth of this cultural dialogue,” said Chambraud.

Through Tagore’s songs and the accompanying discussions, the programme revisited the poet’s international cultural encounters and celebrated the continuing dialogue between Bengali and French cultural traditions.