A question of heritage

Bangladesher Jatra Gaan, Gono Madhhyom o Shamajik Poriprekhhit, Tapan Bagchi, Bangla Academy Dhaka

Spanning a period of nearly one and a half centuries from 1860 to 2000, Bangladesher Jatra Gaan: Gono Madhhyom o Shamajik Poriprekhhit
(Yatras of Bangladesh: Media and Social Context) is a thorough study of our traditional culture, "Jatra", by Dr. Tapan Bagchi.
Bagchi studied Mass Media and Journalism and completed his Masters from Dhaka University in 1993. His PhD research became the basis of this in-depth book. Despite the long history of jatra, the book is the first of its kind in Bangladesh.
His maternal grandfather played a pioneering role in arranging jatra palas in different villages of Madaripur. His youngest maternal uncle was a professional jatra actor. As a young boy, he would go to watch the jatra, led by the legendary actors Amolendu Biswas and Jyotsna Biswas. Both these actors were awarded the Ekushey Padak, the only actors ever to have received this prestigious award in this field. Thus Bagchi's interest in cultural activities developed from childhood.
The book's six informative chapters guide the reader through the rich history and evolution of jatras. Inspired by folk stories, the reader follows the trail of the jatra as it spread from villages to suburbs to cities. It cites examples of how jatras are more than simple entertainment, focusing on educational and historical anecdotes to convey deep rooted messages to the audience.
The first chapter introduces the general outline while the second discusses the initial stage of the jatra. The third chapter focuses on the central theme on the development of the jatra in Bangladesh (1860-2000), followed by fourth chapter on jatra pala stories and their writers. The fifth chapter analyses the current scenario of jatra pala while the sixth chapter looks at the influence of the media on society. We are made aware of the hundreds of books, journals and articles that have been referenced in preparing the book. Such references are amply supported by different charts, bar diagrams and graphs and curves, diagrammatic presentations and charts which stress the scientific nature of the research.
Despite its long history, research on this 'local pop art' or folk theatre is scanty. We come to know from the book that the first research was done by the renowned scholar, Dr. Nishikanto Chattapadhyay (1852-1910) of Munshiganj, near Dacca. His thesis, "The Yatras or the Popular Dramas of Bengal" was awarded Ph.D from Zurich University, Switzerland, in 1882. This was the first thesis on jatra in the subcontinent that was published as a book.
Dr. Chattapadhyay's book probably marks the point when there was an increasing level of recognition in the Western world on this art form in the East. It resonates with our great poet Rabindranath Tagore's words, when he said in epigrammatic form after being awarded the Nobel Prize in 1913, "The sun (Robi) of the East has risen from the West".
However, let us go back to the book. Different writers and researches differ in their opinion about the "evolution" of the jatra. Narendranath Basu, Ajit Kumar Ghosh and a few others believe that the jatra evolved from the very ancient period. Probhat Bondhu Odhikari, Ashraf Siddiqui and Momtazuddin Ahmed are of the opinion that the jatra started in the 12th century AD. Other researchers write that it was more likely around the 15th century.
Tapan Bagchi asserts that the jatra was prevalent but presented in a different form. After conducting a long and detailed study, Bagchi along with Probhat Kumar Das, Amolendu Biswas, Monindrolal Kundo and Syed Jamil Ahmed believe that the jatra, in its current form began to flourish from the 16th century. More specifically it was the second part of the 16th century.
Dr. Bagchi selected the period 1860-2000 for the study as he believes that was the period when the modern era of the jatra started. In that period, the jatra scripts by Krishno Komol Goswami (1810-1888), titled "Shapno Bilash" and "Dibbennath", infused new spirit into the art form.
These two plays were staged in erstwhile East Bengal and were published as books (1872-73) and as the first documented jatra script. Another historical Jatra Pala, "Sheeta'r Bonobash", was written by the great writer, reformer, and educationist Ishwar Chandra Biddashagor (18201891). This was also found in an archived gazette from that period.
At that time, Hridoynath Mukherjee, a lawyer from Dhaka, writes in his memoirs that Sheeta'r Bonobash was the first jatra staged in Dhaka. Renowned historian Muntasir Mamun, who is an expert in the history of Dhaka, also re-affirms this fact.
The book is an interesting read, containing as it does astonishing facts. For example, few people are probably aware that Brojendro Kumar De, with a Masters in Economics, penned an incredible 250 or more jatra palas. This was the highest recorded number of plays written by one individual. To put his feat in perspective, the total number of recorded plays in these present times in Bangladesh is only 215.
In fact, many of the renowned playwrights, like De, had no formal background in literature. For instance, Bonophul was a physician. His legendary short stories are similar in tone to the works of the famous French writer Guy de Maupassant. Similarly we see that Jorashondho, a jailer, found fame as a writer. Humayun Ahmed, the contemporary writer, credited with authoring novels, films and plays, is a professor of chemistry.
During the Pakistan period, there were only 22 theatre groups that staged jatras. Despite the low number of groups, numerous plays were written, particularly during our War of Liberation in 1971. Among them the legendary actor, late Utpal Dutta, wrote "Joi Bangla" and even acted in the jatra pala. The other most important pala was "Duranta Padma" composed during the Liberation War in August 1971. This jatra was staged in the then USSR and also won the Nehru Award.
Jatra has evolved into a more modern art form now. It has also become more competitive. Much as coveted football players before the football league season are booked, so are the actors "booked" in advance by particular parties. These "bookings" take place during the autumn season (October-November) at Kansat in Chapainawabganj.
It seems the jatra culture entered into cash and cash into culture. It is of course very common in different types of culture globally.
According to sources during the early part of this century, the jatra was a million-dollar industry. It is a very popular form of art in the Indian states of West Bengal, Assam, Orissa and Tripura and, of course, in Bangladesh.
Jatra or Yatra in Sanskrit means "journey". Just as it has shown its resilience over the centuries, hopefully for this form of culture, the jatra's journey will never end.
We are grateful to Dr. Tapan Bagchi because he has opened our eyes by his very detailed study. The work will be a useful point of reference for cultural activists, historians, educationists, in short all classes of people or readers.
Faruq H. Mallick is advisor, GMG Ind. Corporation, and founder MD/ CEO, GMG Stainless Steel.