A couple with roots in Bengal and settled in the UK for 37 years paid a stage tribute to the Rays — Upendrakishore, Sukumar and Satyajit — in London recently.

Rays of Light is a throwback to the lives and works of the three extraordinary men, meant to showcase their genius before a Western audience.

Bhaskar Dasgupta, a doctor, and his wife Dalia, a human resource professional, put together a collage of songs and poems by the Rays and select scenes from Satyajit’s films.

“Satyajit Ray has always been my hero. I have also read almost all of Sukumar Ray’s and Upendrakishore Ray’s works. We wanted to acquaint people here with the Ray family’s contribution. Most of them don’t know much about them,

especially Upendrakishore Ray and Sukumar Ray,” said Bhaskar, who has been living in the UK since 1983 and is now a consultant at Southend University Hospital.

Dalia, the director of human resources at Queen Mary University, played a key role in choosing the songs and poems and sang three songs herself.

The couple’s daughter, Shruti, impressed with her singing, while son Deep recited poetry.

“We have always kept Indian culture alive in our family,” Dalia said. “This time, we wanted to do something with a strong Bengali connection as well as a universality. During rehearsals, we found more people interested in Sukumar and Upendrakishore.”

Rays of Light opened with a Brahmo Sangeet, Jago purabasi, written by Upendrakishore, followed by clippings from an interview of Satyajit. The audience also got a glimpse of several old paintings and photographs of and by the Rays.

Bhaskar, who was in the city recently, translated some of Sukumar’s poems and turned Aay re bhola kheyal khola from Abol Tabol into a song for the show. He also wrote a song on the lines of Bhooter raja dilo bor, depicting the Ray trio as “tin bor”.

The three Rays are connected through the theme of Raja, depicted with the help of Sukumar’s Abol Tabol, scenes from Satyajit’s Jalsaghar and Shatranj ke Khilari and Upendrakishore’s Tuntunir Golpo.

Nick Howard, a police detective in London who played General James Outram in a reenactment of a scene from Shatranj ke Khilari, said over phone from London: “It was a great learning experience.” He also recited a translation of Sukumar’s Megh Muluke for the show. “I had never read Sukumar Ray’s poems but I fell in love with Megh Muluke,” he said.

Tim Robinson, director of a pharmaceutical firm and graphic designer of the production, discovered the fascinating world of Satyajit’s films. He played Weston in a scene from Shatranj Ke Khilari and recited Urdu poetry written by Wajid Ali Shah.

The show was a hit both with Indian and Western audiences. Madeline Whitlock, a nurse specialist, loved the story of Upendrakishore’s Tuntunir Golpo.

For Soumya Dasgupta, it was a trip down memory lane. “It struck a chord with me, probably because I’m a Bengali. This show took me back in time.”