"Nihshango Lorai", a jatrapala— a specialised form of folk presentations—was organised by the Department of Drama and Cinematography, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) on August 25. The show was staged at the Experimental Theatre Hall of BSA and was open to the public.

The opening was graced by the presence of Md Ataur Rahman, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Cultural Affairs. The jatrapala, created by Masum Reza and directed by Saidur Rahman Lipon, celebrates Sheikh Mujib's centenary birth anniversary and the golden jubilee of Bangladesh's independence.

It is based on Bangabandhu's nine-month imprisonment at the Lyallpur Jail, during the Liberation War of 1971. Liaquat Ali Lucky, the Director General of BSA mentioned that he hopes "Nihshango Lorai" will aid in conserving the art of jatra in Bangladesh. BSA has already approved registrations of 130 Bangladeshi jatra troupes with an aim to revive the culture of jatra in Bengal once again. 

On the infamous Black Night of March 25, Sheikh Mujib was arrested from Dhaka by the Pakistani military. He was confined to Lyallpur Prison for the entire duration of the liberation war, and even after the independence of Bangladesh. The jatrapala depicts Bangabandhu's interminable mental strength, intellect, integrity and oratory skills throughout his trial at the Lyallpur jail.

The jatra is segmented into eleven different scenes displaying the chronological build-up to the infamous Lyallpur trial. By the end of the show, both Bangabandhu and Bangladesh are liberated. The cast and crew of this jatrapala consists of professional jatra artistes, theatre performers and musicians from all around Bangladesh.

The cast of "Nihshango Lorai" included Mithun Islam (as Bangabandhu), S M Shafi (as Yahya Khan), Afsaruzzaman (as Zulfikar Ali Bhutto), Shishir Rahman (as Conscience) and others. The jatra style chorus was performed by ten female artistes. Purnalakka Chakma, the coordinator, designed the set, keeping both the theatrical and the traditional Bangladeshi jatra aspects in mind.

"Nihshango Lorai" is an ongoing show. The team has already performed in different cities of Bangladesh since March of 2022. Keep an eye on BSA's social media pages to book tickets and enjoy this historical jatra in person.