Kabuliwala Calling Play by BLT

Kabuliwala Calling

An original adaptation 

The story of the Kabuliwala was written by Rabindranath Tagore towards the end of the nineteenth century, published in 1892. That was more than twenty years before he received the Nobel Award for Literature. It was a short story, merely fifteen minutes in narration. It went on to become one of the most loved, most translated and most cited of Tagore’s works in prose. The deep bonds developing spontaneously between a child and a grown-up stranger from two entirely different cultures is one of the strongest testaments of the goodness of humankind. 

The play Kabuliwala Calling is an original adaptation for the stage developed at Bangalore Little Theatre. The story is presented by the Kabuliwalas of Kolkata themselves. Some historical details of the Afghan community are added to provide the context. An important feature of the play script is to make the chatterbox Mini communicate with the Kabuliwala without speaking in the play. Yet, she is expressive in her own way. She is, after all, a Tagore child! 

The play is authored by Vijay Padaki.