Sohini Sengupta returns as Kadambini

Nandikar is ready with its next production — Rani Kadambini. Directed by Sohini Sengupta, the play is based on a story by

Narayan Sanyal

. The text has been adapted for stage by Swatilekha Sengupta and stars Debshankar Halder, Sohini and others. About how the play came about, Sohini said, “I am a woman, a working woman and a Bengali. So, I was looking for a text that would be about a Bengali woman. It has nothing to do with feminism! It’s just that as a woman I like my own gender interpretations. Then suddenly, out of the blue, my mother handed me the text of

Rani Kadambini

all the pieces fell into place.”
Interested in the Bengal Renaissance and the heroes who emerged out of it, Sohini felt the need to talk about the women of the era. “Interestingly in 1861, along with Rabindranath Tagore was born Kadambini Ganguli. Though we all know so much about the man, do we know a little about this woman? Kadambini, along with Chandramukhi, were the first graduates. Kadambini then went along to pursue her higher studies in medicine. She became the first lady doctor from Bengal and not just carved a niche for herself in the workfront, but also managed a home with

Dwarakanath Ganguli

and her eight children!” The little known facts of her life will be brought live by the theatre group, which is set to stage the production on August 16 at Academy of Fine Arts.