Aroop Biswas felicitates artistes on concluding day of Jatra Utsav
Kolkata: The 32-day 'Jatra Utsav' ended on Sunday in Paschimbanga Jatra Akademi after a colourful and enthralling evening of cultural programmes presented by various troupes from across the State.
State Sports and Youth Affairs minister Aroop Biswas also felicitated the artistes during the concluding event of the utsav with the TAG line 'Jatra Chelo Jatra Achay Jatra Thakbe'. Information and Cultural Affairs department secretary Piyali Sengupta was also present on the occasion.
"It is the first year when Paray Paray Jatra (Jatra at every locality) was introduced under the directions of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. 25 such jatras were held this year. 5,000 to 6,000 people had watched them in the lanes and bylanes across the city," said Biswas.
It might be mentioned that after assuming power, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had taken the initiative to save the art of jatra. The government had already lowered the tax paid by the jatra companies by a huge margin.
On January 9, while inaugurating the 24th 'Jatra Utsav', Banerjee announced that the annual stipend of 'jatra' artistes in the state would be increased by Rs 10,000.
She also pointed out that all 'jatra' artistes would be brought under the state mediclaim policy Swasthya Sathi.
The narration of jatra originally revolved around devotional themes but have evolved over the years to explore other stories from Hindu mythology. The craze of watching theatre is also increasing in the city.
Tuhu Momo Shyam – a play-cum-traditional dance performance depicting how Rabindranath Tagore described Lord Krishna, conceptualised and choreographed by Prantika Mukherjee, was held at Gyan Manch recently.
"More than 10 artistes across the state came together to perform Tuhu Momo Shyam. The rehearsals started five months ago," said Mukherjee, who runs a dance school Aangikam, and is also a dance choreographer at Sab Peyechir Ashor, the cultural wing of the Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, Shibpur.
