There are hundreds of movies that have been made in different languages and cultures in India but sadly are lost today. These are the movies or stage plays that have been lost to the past. One of such classics was Natir Puja, directed by the legend Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore. The play was based on a poem, Pujarini.
Noble eminent Rabindranath Tagore’s works have always preceded his reputation. He has been a sensational writer, thoughtful poet, mesmerizing musician, and a fine painter. His works have been converted to films countless times showcasing the charm he had put in his works. His works have always followed Buddhist ideology that produces awareness within people to live a simple and sensible life. His poems and plays have successfully eradicated lot many taboos of society and inspired many people.
In each of his art pieces, there always lies a message to society. To fight against injustice, to develop a sincere awareness about the universe, to oppose the caste and class, to remain grounded towards religions and cultures, these have been some of the eye-opening messages that the legend had continuously conveyed through his arts.
But, unfortunately, such boundaries and taboos exist to date. As the world becomes darker every second, restoring faith and goodness becomes the need of the hour.
Counting the efforts, it just takes one good act or plays to realize the need for a positive direction. The poems and dramas written by Rabindranath Tagore possess the power to change the perspective of life and bring people to a selfless side of life which is why his learnings become a natural answer.
Natir Puja was one such play that dared to showcase the reality of life at that point of time when discrimination and injustice were at their peak.
What is Natir Puja all about?
Natir Puja revolves around an all-woman dance play. The poem was asked by the daughter-in-law of Tagore, Pratima Devi.
The play is about a dancer who thinks of herself as undeserved to even follow the ideologies of Buddhism, but she was unaware of the purity that she had within her. It was because of her goodness, that she was invited to perform the rituals as a priestess at the shrine of Buddha. Due to her devotion and elegance, she was chosen over all other priestesses to offer the rituals. Sometimes, even the princesses were left behind as she was prioritized and this became the reason for jealousy among the princesses.
One of the princesses, namely Ratnavali, gave an ultimatum to the dancer stating that either she must dance in the shrine of Buddha or else face death. She gladly accepted to dance before the shrine, but as she was a true follower of Buddha, she embraced death, letting her beliefs stay intact while her life ended.
The story also throws light over the faith of Buddhism by showcasing Lokeswari, who happens to be the wife of King Bimbisar. Lokeswari was blessed with one son only but soon enough her son, Chitro, left home to follow the ideologies of Buddhism. This was hard to digest for Lokeswari as her only son left home and rejected the throne. She raised questions against her beliefs and faith.
The message
Natir Puja brilliantly unfolds the different aspects of human nature that lead to their destruction.
Firstly, the characters of Lokeswari and Srimati displayed the devotional angle of life.
The second aspect was that of the caste system which became visible through the character Ratnavali, who couldn’t accept that lower caste men and women can be given a greater and purer place than the royals.
The third aspect was about the sins committed by society but even the greatest of sins can be forgiven and a chance to repent should always be given.
These are some of the revolutionary messages that enhanced the play even more.
This dance drama classic was a masterpiece in itself. It beautifully described the history of our Indian culture. The play was performed for the very first time at Jorasanko, Thakur Bari in the year 1927. Although Natir Puja had a lot many elements which could take the movie to different heights, it was a commercial failure.
Even the presence of Rabindranath Tagore in the film could not provide the deserved fame to the film. However, the show was performed for the sake of charitable purposes at the ashram of Tagore, Shantiniketan in Birbhum.
The head of the newly made theatres at that point in time, BN Sircar, witnessed the play in Kolkata and asked Tagore to feature the film under his banner. Tagore agreed to it immediately. The play was shot within few days at NT Studio in 1932 and later on got released in March 1932.
Unfortunately, the movie doesn’t exist on any platform. All of the prints got destroyed in a fire. Nevertheless, a documentary on Natir Puja is still available on YouTube. But the pictures and few clicks that were saved from the fire no longer possess the quality. Although few recordings are completely hazy and do not even have audio, they have been preserved for safeguarding the history of Indian culture.
Natir Puja has tremendous historical and sociological importance. It portrays a dancer as the main character and even has Nati in the title. This shows the uniqueness and the classic touch that Tagore had engraved in the play. The importance of love, simplicity and, sacrifice was amazingly conveyed through the film.
It raised critical questions like — should we judge people based on their caste, should we bury down our humanity for the sake of wealth, should we take the path of anger and jealousy. These questions became some of the deepest social messages.
However, the best part of Natir Puja was the evolution of a dancer from a mere entertainer to a spiritual seeker and this was an eye-opener for many.
The only questions now are — Have we learned something from the film? Has modern civilization changed its perspectives today? Have we evolved in a better way or are we waiting for more destructions and havocs before getting into the senses?
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