BSA to hold national jatra festival in March

DOT Desk: Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy is going to organize national jatra festival featuring 64 palas from 64 districts in March, reports The New Age.
The festival is an outcome of an initiative to promote the traditional performing art form. As part of the initiative, the academy has facilitated production of 64 jatra palas by jatra and theatre artistes from across the country under the supervision of district branches of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.
‘To promote and popularise the traditional performing art, we have taken the initiative to produce 64 palas and engage renowned and young jatra and theatre artistes,’ said Liaquat Ali Lucky, director general of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.
A number of palas have already been produced and staged at different districts by different district branches. We will organise a big grand festival in Dhaka hopefully in March where all 64 palas will be staged, informed Lucky.
Earlier, an eight-member jatra selection committee selected 64 jatra palas and sent them to the districts branches of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.
‘We selected 64 palas under three categories- history-based, social message-oriented and lyrical/fantasy- penned by local writers. We hope the jatras, when brought on stage, will promote the traditional performing art form and popularise it among the young generation’, said eminent jatra artiste Milon Kanti Dey, also member of jatra selection committee.
Among the selected jatras, there are 22 jatras featuring historical figures and events, 26 jatras depicting social messages and 16 fantasy/lyrical jatras.
Jatras like Nawab Siraj ud-Daulah, Tipu Sultan, Bangali, Kohinur, Hatem Tai, Fakir Majnu Shah, Rajdanda, Mamatamoyi Ma, Sujon Beder Ghat, Raja Harishchandra, Banglar Mohanayak, Pritilata, Bagdatta, Bidrohi Buriganga, Kolikaler Meye and others are being produced by the district branches.
‘District cultural officers of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy are supervising the productions with help of seasoned jatra artistes from the respective districts. The artistes will direct and act in the jatras,’ informed Abu Saleh M Abdullah, member secretary of jatra selection committee.
Besides the 64 jatras at 64 districts, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy is facilitating productions of five new palas by three jatra troupes and theatre departments of two universities.
Desh Opera, Lokonatya Goshthi, Joyjatra, theatre and performance studies department of Dhaka University and drama and dramatics department of Jahangirnagar University are producing the palas.