Award recipients with the guests at the programmePhoto: STAR

Amalenndu Biswas Memorial Award '07 was announced on November 23 at the Experimental Theatre Stage. Since 2003 Bangladesh Jatra Shilpa Unnayan Parishod (BJSUP) has been regularly giving the award to the cultural personalities for their contribution to promoting the decaying art form Jatra.
Amalenndu Biswas Memorial Award '07 goes to Mafidul Haque, Golam Sarwar, Liaquat Ali Lucky and Nani Chakroborti.
Of the award recipients only Nani Chokroborti is a jatra artiste as well as jatrapala writer. Mafidul Haque is a researcher. Golam Sarwar and Liaquat Ali Lucky are theatre director, adapter and leader.
Milon Kanti Dey, general secretary of BJSUP informed, “Besides renowned Jatra artistes, we honour cultural activists working in other art forms as well as researchers for their enormous support to jatra.”
The award giving ceremony was presided over by Babul Chowdhury, president of BJSUP. National Professor Kabir Chowdhury was the chief guest of the programme. Theatre personality Mamunur Rashid, Director of Department of Theatre and Film of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy Abul Kalam Ahmed (Shafi Kamal), TV actor S.M. Mohsin Director General of Bengal Foundation Luva Nahid Chowdhury, Jatra artiste Sultan Selim and Tapash Sarkar, the conveynor of the BJSUP, also delivered speeches at the programme.
Labeling Jatra Samrat Amalendu Biswas as a great artiste, Professor Kabir Chowdhury said, “He is the only jatra artiste who was awarded a posthumous Ekushey Padak in 1989. He dedicated his life for the development of jatrapala and successfully popularised the art form amongst the urban people. I was amazed by his performance as Michel Modhushudan in a jatrapala.”
“We should promote the rich traditional art forms and its artistes”, he said.
Discussants at the programme also highlighted the different hurdles created by the government, which hampers arranging jatrapala. Milon Kanti Dey said, “Considering the art form as a threat to the British Empire, British Raj controlled jatra by enacting District Endorsement Act in 1933. Government even in these days is controlling jatrapala in different ways. Which is why traditional jatra artistes are suffering.”
Jatra artiste Sultan Selim said, “Jatra artistes also should be careful about the vulgarity in jatrapala.”
The prize giving ceremony was followed by staging a jatrapala titled Sohrab-Rustam, which has an anti-war message. Directed by Habib Sarwar, artistes of Mayuri Jatra Unit staged Sohrab-Rustam. The jatrapala is written by Brojendra Kumar Dey.