Rabindra Bharati University to host Hindi 'son et lumiere'

The Rabindra Bharati University (RBU) will host regular light and sound shows in Hindi, the script of which has been done by Gulzar, to enable a greater number of people know about the life and time of Rabindranath Tagore, its vice-chancellor said today.

The 'son et lumiere' would be held at the university's Jorasanko campus in the city, which hosts such shows in Bengali regularly since mid-January, RBU Vice-Chancellor Prof Sabyasachi Basu Ray Chaudhury said.

The Jorasanko campus in north Kolkata is housed at the ancestral house of the Tagore family.

The 'Son et lumiere' in Hindi is expected to start before August 8, the death anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore, and it will held alternately with the Bengali version, Ray Chaudhury said.

"We thought that Gulzar saab would be the best person to write such a script," he said at the sidelines of the university's convocation.

Gulzar is known to Bengali culture and has translated several Tagore works in Hindi.

Work for an English light and sound show is also progressing with academician Shamik Bandyopadhyay being entrusted with the job of writing the script, the VC said.

"We are hopeful the English son et lumiere can be screened later on this year," he added.

A souvenir shop containing artefacts and mementos, and a modern cafeteria will also come up in the Jorasanko compound for visitors, he said.