"FROM OBEDIENCE TO AWAKENING: ANALYZING POWER AND REBELLION IN TAGORE’S THE KINGDOM OF CARDS – A CRITICAL ANALYSIS"

Abstract

Rabindranath Tagore’s The Kingdom of Cards (Tasher Desh) offers a profound allegorical narrative that critiques rigid social systems through the lens of symbolic fantasy. This paper explores how the play interrogates structures of conformity, mechanisms of power, and the transformative potential of rebellion, particularly within the context of colonial India. The kingdom, inhabited by card-like figures who follow strict codes of behavior, becomes a metaphor for the deeply entrenched systems of control that typified both colonial governance and orthodox societal norms. The Prince, as an outsider and agent of change, introduces spontaneity, emotion, and imagination into a world governed by mechanical obedience, thereby disrupting the sterile equilibrium maintained by fear and order.

Through a postcolonial lens, the drama reflects Tagore’s nuanced critique of British imperial rule, while also examining the complicity of the colonized in sustaining oppressive systems. Rather than advocating violent insurrection, Tagore emphasizes inner liberation and cultural revival as pathways to resistance. The rebellion in the play is thus aesthetic and philosophical, rooted in the reclaiming of individuality, creativity, and human connection. By highlighting how imposed structures of power rely on psychological submission, the narrative underscores the importance of consciousness in initiating social transformation.

This paper argues that The Kingdom of Cards is not merely a whimsical fable, but a sophisticated political allegory that reflects Tagore’s broader vision of freedom — one that transcends physical independence to encompass spiritual and intellectual emancipation. In doing so, it contributes to discourses on colonial hegemony, passive resistance, and the enduring value of imaginative defiance. The study concludes by situating the play within the broader framework of anti-colonial literature and Tagore’s lifelong commitment to humanistic and creative self-determination.