Chitra, a Play in One Act

by Rabindranath Tagore

"Chitra, a Play in One Act" by Rabindranath Tagore is a one-act play first published in English in 1913. Drawing from the Mahabharata, it tells the story of Chitrangada, a warrior princess raised as a boy who falls in love with the hero Arjuna. Desperate to win his heart despite his vow of celibacy, she asks the gods for perfect beauty. But when Arjuna falls for her transformed appearance, Chitra must confront whether love built on illusion can ever become real.