Curtains down on 32-day long 27th Jatra Utsav in city

Kolkata: Tickets of more than Rs 3.5 lakh were sold at the 32-day long 27th Jatra Utsav in Kolkata, said minister Aroop Biswas, also the chairman of Paschimbanga Jatra Akademi on Friday.

Organised by the Paschimbanga Jatra Akademi, the month-long Jatra Utsav came to a close on Friday at the Phanibhushan Bidyabinod Jatra Mancha in Bagbazar. Apart from Biswas, minister Indranil Sen, also vice-chairman, Paschimbanga Jatra Akademi and veteran actor Dulal Lahiri were present. Members of 32 jatra groups, which participated at the fest, were felicitated.

“When we came to power, jatra, the oldest form of folk theatre in Bengal, was in the grave. After Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee gave me the responsibility to revive the Jatra Akademi, I convinced all the artistes and producers to work together. The success of the 27th Jatra Utsav proves we are on the right path,” said Biswas. He also named jatras like Dekhbe Tumi Bhanumatir Khel and Bhanga Gorar Khela, which sold tickets of more than Rs 25,000.

Meanwhile, the jatra producers urged the minister to begin the Jatra Utsav from December 15 instead of January 24.

“Today, jatra has been revived in several places in Bengal. Even people from Kolkata are taking interest in jatra,” said Manjil Banerjee, one of the most popular actor-directors of Bengali jatra. On the closing day, jatra Amar Sindurer Dibbi saw a fully-packed auditorium.