Naṭīr pūjā or the Expanded Stage: Theatricality, Dance, and Mural Image in the Educational Project of Śāntiniketan

Abstract

Naṭīr pūjā (1926) stands as a milestone in Rabindranath Tagore’s scenic and visual experimentation within the artistic-educational framework of Śāntiniketan. Its fluid movement across theatricality, dance, and visual imagery raises the issue of expanded representation and its intersection with diverse expressive media. Tagore’s staging was conceived as a synthesis of languages, articulating a relationship between scenography, painting, and architecture with conceptual and pedagogical dimensions. This study examines the relationship between stage and image in Naṭīr pūjā, focusing on its 1926 and 1927 performances, its 1931–1932 film adaptation, and its later pictorial translation into the Cheena Bhavan mural (1942). Through the analysis of photographic records and surviving film fragments, the article proposes a digital reconstruction of its scenic space to explore how scenography configured spatial frameworks and responded to visual principles found in Śāntiniketan’s pictorial production. The findings show that Naṭīr pūjā transcends conventional theater by embracing a model of artistic integration—recognized by UNESCO as a Gesamtkunstwerk in the recent designation of Śāntiniketan as a World Heritage Site. The digital reconstruction contributes to assessing the intersection of theater, cinema, and muralism within the expanded artistic vision fostered by Tagore, reaffirming its significance in the development of dance-theater and its legacy within the history of Indian stage arts.