T A N S E N

Every artist has a journey. A journey of an endless search. A journey filled with ups and downs, acceptance and rejection, pain and dissatisfaction. The play “Tansen” explores this journey through the life of the legendary Tansen. What was it that made him the great “Miyan Tansen” and what was his search till the end of his life?

         The play begins with a dilemma about “Ibadat” and “Ishq”. What is worship and what is love? Is love the search of a destination or is it losing yourself in that search? Are worship and love two sides of the same coin? Every person, especially an artist, comes across a point in life when he finds it difficult to decide if he has achieved what he wanted or should he continue the search. And when he feels he has achieved what he wanted, can he grow further? Can an artist feel liberated when he expects something in return from his search?

           The play “Tansen” explores these basic questions every individual comes across in life. The intention is to talk about the dilemmas of an artist and explore the factors that make an artist feel liberated and also what makes him feel caught in his own emotions, expectations and pride. “Tansen” is not only a documentation of Tansen’s life but also a parallel search of an artist that is never-ending.

            The performance aspect of the play consists of the three major elements of performing arts - music, dance and drama which are blended to say the story. The play also focuses on the journey of Hindustani classical music from its origin where it was performed in the form of “Dhrupad” till today’s “Khayal Gaayaki”. Therefore, it includes live music and instrumentation ranging from Dhrupad, Qawwali, Hori to Khayal Gaayaki.

The play recently crossed 181 shows and has been staged in many prestigious theatre festivals and stages in India and abroad.