Kadambari: A Theatrical Journey into the Life of Kadambari Devi

Kadambari, Tracing the Voice of a Shattered Muse, is a lyrical theatrical journey into the silenced life of Kadambari Devi, Rabindranath Tagore’s critic, muse, companion, and sister-in-law. Married into the Tagore family at nine, she ended her life at 25 years while the poet was 23 years then. The play moves beyond her being a footnote in the poet’s life, seeking instead to restore her voice through memory, fiction, and imagination.

Set in the final hours of her life, the play imagines a meeting where Death comes to claim her. In this space between life and afterlife, Kadambari confronts Rabi with questions of love, freedom, and erasure. Their exchange flows between the real and the poetic, echoing Tagore’s heroines who bear her shadow. Through these encounters, the play becomes a story of loss and resistance, reclaiming her agency from history’s silence.

Director

Meghna Roy Choudhury is a theatre maker with 23 years of Bharatanatyam training, a master’s degree in Physics, and a graduate of Drama School Mumbai. She is also trained in Kalaripayattu and performed in Indianostrum Theatre’s The Tragedy of Abhimanyu, directed by Kalaimamani P. K. Sambandan. Meghna works as a director, actor, and playwright, and her directorial debut is titled The Apology. She has received the Niloufer Sagar Alumni Production Grant, the Parivartan Annual Grant, the INLAKS Theatre Award, and is the 2025 Tendulkar Dubey Fellow.

Director’s Note

Director Meghna Roy Choudhury shares that Kadambari Devi, married into the Tagore family at nine, lived in the Jorasanko household yet remains silent in history. The play began after reading a fictional suicide note written in her name, which prompted questions about how Kadambari is remembered and who decides that memory. Working with dramaturg Abhishek Majumdar, the project evolved into a conversation with her silence, with history, and with Rabindranath Tagore.

Group

Presented by Paradigm Shift Arts, the group aims to foster a dynamic ecosystem of artistic exploration, redefine the essence of art, push boundaries, and spark a paradigm shift in how audiences engage with creative works.