ISBN 4-4.Oral history with Kalipada Malakar, 2016 December 18
This form was pioneered by Girish Chandra Ghosh the era of Bengali theatre before him laid the groundwork, and after his death Bengali theatre music became more experimental. The late 19th- and early 20th-century theatres had their own Bengali music. These playwrights would create plays related to the Islamic history of the subcontinent and Middle East, glorifying past Muslim rulers as well as the history of the Pakistan Movement. In East Pakistan (modern-day Bangladesh), playwrights emerged such as Ibrahim Khan (1894-1978), Ibrahim Khalil (b. įollowing the independence of Pakistan in 1947, religion-based nationalism was strong and affected the theatre in eastern Bengal. Hindi theatres which are accepted by the Bengali people include the productions of Rangakarmee (established 1976) directed by Usha Ganguly, and productions by Padatik (established 1972) under Shyamanand Jalan, who started with Anamika in 1955. Many popular Bengali film artists participate in Jatra. But at present, it has been modernized to feature crisis through stories. Jatra originally explored subjects concerning the tales of Radha-Krishna.
The most prominent characteristics of Jatra are melodramatic contents and presentation, exaggerated expressions and movements, and an extensive use of traditional musical instruments. This traditional Bengali theatre form is mostly performed by travelling troupes. There is another category of Bengali theatre called Jatra, which is run commercially in rural West Bengal and Bangladesh. The larger Bengali theatres use the dialect spoken in Kolkata, Bengali folk theatres have performances in some of the other Bengali dialects. There are many dialects of Bengali spoken in West Bengal and Bangladesh. This is mainly due to the influx of expertise from rural areas to Kolkata in search of a larger audience. The two types are similar in form and content, but the Kolkata-based theatres are better funded and staffed. Outside Bengali-speaking areas, the term "Bengali theatre" primarily refers to Kolkata-based groups, as the rural theatres are less well-known.
The many theatres in West Bengal can be broadly divided into Kolkata-based theatres and rural theatres. Play Tohar Gaon Bhi Ek Din staged by Sreejansena group