Shyama

Kaberi Chatterjee, who has produced and starred in the feature-length film version of Rabindranath Tagore's Shyama, will receive her PhD from Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, the Chancellor of Visva-Bharati University in Santiniketan in early December. Kaberi's doctoral thesis on the influence of different dance styles on the Tagore dance form led the university to award her its first ever PhD in the field of dance.

It was Kaberi's PhD research which originally led to her interest in producing an authentic record of Shyama, which is regarded as the best example of the Tagore dance form. During the 10 years of research for her thesis, she had interviewed several people who had learned the Tagore dance form directly from Rabindranath Tagore. Sadly, most of the people she had interviewed have since passed away. So, she felt that, without a reference version for future generations, the Tagore dance form could change beyond recognition over time.

The degree ceremony in Santiniketan will take place a few weeks before Shyama's global release.