In celebration of the 150th birth anniversary of Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore, Nandanik Dance Troupe presented “Card Country,” one of his most entertaining dance dramas based on the play “Tasher Desh” on April 21, 2012.Due to popular demand, this was repeated again in spring of 2019 and at Washington Jefferson College in October 2021.

A prince and his friend find themselves on a strange island after they are shipwrecked. The inhabitants of this land, various playing cards, have  strange manners: they follow a set of rules, are disciplined in a strict system and are extremely cautious about maintaining their culture. The lack of freedom of expression drives the prince to bring about changes in the lives of the enslaved cards. Will he succeed?

William Radice, who translated “Tasher Desh” from Bengali to English, describes it as “Card Country upbraids those who live a blinkered existence and urges the world to openly nurture a joyous, youthful and imaginative life.”

This enchanting dance drama was presented in English as translated by William Radice.  The song lyrics are in the original  Bengali language by Rabindranath Tagore. The music direction is by  Pramita Mullick. The dance drama is directed by Nandini Mandal, and choreographed by Nandini Mandal and Sanjib Bhattacharya.