The term ‘jatra’, which basically means a journey, is applied to the traditional indigenous drama of Bengal, which originated about 1,000 years ago and underwent its crucial stages of development 300-400 years ago. The resulting range of jatras is reflected in the contents of the present archive: most of the plays are religious or mythological in nature; a few plays also concern historical themes, including unexpected ones like the life of Sultan Nasiruddin; there are also plays on social and patriotic themes, touching on gender equality and women’s literacy, as well as the Independence movement; also included in the collection is Gopal urer gan, songs from the jatras composed/acted by the celebrated jatra personality Gopal Urey.
Printed books: 36 volumes, all separate titles. Printed in black and white.
