The concluding segment of the national Jatra festival is set to return to Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) this week, bringing the month-long programme to a close after a brief suspension during a state mourning period.
Organised by the Ministry of Cultural Affairs and implemented by the BSA, the festival began on December 1 as part of the Victory Month celebrations. Registered Jatra troupes from across the country took part, with the final events now scheduled to complete the Dhaka chapter of the programme.
The finale runs from January 21 to 23 at the Experimental Theatre Hall. Urmi Opera from Magura opens the closing phase on Wednesday evening with ‘Premer Shomadhi Tire’, written by Nirmal Mukhopadhyay and directed by Shamim Khandakar. Tisha Opera from Dinajpur will stage ‘Daini Bodhu’ on January 22.
The festival will formally conclude on January 23, with Cultural Affairs Adviser Mostofa Sarwar Farooki attending the closing ceremony as chief guest. The evening performance will feature General Osmani by the BSA Repertory Jatra Unit, written by M A Majid and directed by Tanvir Nahid Khan.
A highlight of the final day will be a city procession by Jatra artistes. From 2:00 pm, performers from various troupes will march through central Dhaka in costume, delivering lines from their plays and accompanied by live music. The procession will begin and end at BSA after passing through Shahbagh.
Over the course of the festival, 36 registered troupes staged 36 productions, alongside one presentation by the academy’s repertory unit.
Organisers said all ticket revenue would be distributed among participating troupes, offering direct financial support to artistes working in this traditional theatre form.
