People's Theatre of Orissa

By Late Dhiren Dash

The word Jatra in Oriya, corresponds to the Sanskrit word Yatra. It happens to be the equivalent term for the English word Theatre. It is very interesting to note that these words and the corresponding words in other languages of the world have a phonetically close affinity in their pronunciations also thereby proving to have a common origin. The Oriya word Jatra has come from Prakrut.

According to Sanskrit grammar, Prakrut words starting with the alphabet 'Ja' are required to be pronounced as 'Ya'("Adye Ja, Yah" etc). The word Jatra or Yatra has several meanings according to the lexicon such as Journey. Festival and Theatre etc. Since this word in Sanskrit is pronounced as Yatra, there has been some difference of opinion as regards the origin of this word. Some attribute that the word Yatra has come from the root 'Ya' meaning journey. Some attribute it to have come from religious festivals but considering the Prakrut word Jatra with its root as 'Ja', we have a direct meaning of a story born such as in Jata and Jataka From history we know that Bouddha Jatakas were very much popular for spreading Buddhism after the incarnation of Buddha, five centuries before Christ.
Just as Theatre happens to be the sphere of reproduction of enactment of histrionic arts, so as the indigenous Jatra. A written play or the style of writing a play is not Jatra but it turns a Jatra when it is reproduced of enacted in an indigenous manner. Even in many religious festivals known as Jatra we see reproductions of a type of drama. In Ratha Jatra Sitala Sasthi Jatra and such others, we see a regular theme enacted.

HARIKATHA

DASKATHIA

CHAITI GHODA

CHHAU NATA

PALA

DASKATHIA PALA

DANDA NATA

RASA LILA

RADHA PREMA LILA

KRISHNA LILA

KALIYA DALANA

PATUA JATRA

GHUDIKI NATA

BANDI NATA

DWARI NATA

DESIA NATA

RAMA LILA

LANKA PODI

DHANU JATRA

SABDA SWARA NATA

PRAHLADA NATAKA

KANDHEI NATA

PUPPETRY IN ORISSA

The word Jatra never indicates whether it is urban or rural. However, after introduction of the English word Theatre in this country along with the style of presentation of plays in the western models after the entry British rulers into this country the indigenous word Jatra has slowly been associated with the production of plays in rural areas.

Ancient Tradition

Orissa happens to be the only state whose history starts with the genuine documentary records of histrionic arts such as dances, combats, music, orchestra, festivals and plays. This is evident from the rock-edicts of Chedi Raja Maha Meghavahana Kalingadhipati Aira Shri Kharabela, two centuries before Christ, which is still intact and preserved on the Hati Gumpha caves of Udayagiri, Bhubaneswar.

Emperor Kharabela, who himself was also an exponent of all Gandharva Vidys (the histrionic arts) had constructed special Theatre halls within his kingdom for the entertainment of his subjects. His inscription, in it's 13th line mentions the word "Catara" (sometimes read as "Jathara") which he had built throughout his kingdom for the people.

That the double-storeyed Ranigumpha of Udayagiri hill of Bhubaneswar is a regular classical Indian theatre of the middle rectangular variety and had been built strictly in accordance with the prescribed dimensions and conditions of the Natya Sastra of Bharatamuni, has now been established.

That the entire Khandagiri-Udayagiri hills area was a Jatra-samjukta (Theatre-complex), consisting of various types and sizes of theatres, located at different levels, has also been contemplated.

(Book......"Jatra, the Theatre" by the author may please be referred).

Orissa, thus has a great and very ancient tradition of theatre and theatrical presentations. Like theatre halls of today, there used to be Jatra halls of permanent nature which were both hypaethral as well as roofed ones, located at temples, palaces and public places.

Through the passage of time, this State had come under the influence of alien rules for long long years and under the impact of the inflow, many forms of Jatras must have been abandoned and forgotten, many must have been altered to suit prevailing conditions best but the wide and varied colorful forms of Jatras which have still lived and remained from the pangs of total extinction gives us now a glimpse of the glory that was ancient Orissa.

Age long foreign domination, low economic conditions of the people, inflow of outside influences, hatred of the so-called sophisticated, lack of proper patronization and the tropical climate, all combinedly helped this indigenous Jatra not to prosper in a very legitimate way and because of this, Jatra of Orissa has invariably turned to be in the Open-Air and the Jatrawalas always await until air weather. In absence of permanent pandals for regular performances, these Jatra groups of Orissa today have become peripatetic and keep on moving from place to place to accommodate themselves for productions in all sorts of assorted available conditions. But as every dark cloud has also got it's silver lining, these conditions have also helped the Jatra of Orissa because at certain places, it has been able to reach fantastic dimensions in the Open-Air presentations which otherwise would not have been possible or thought of at all.

Music and dance have always been parts of the dramatics, as well as, Part of the life of the people and be it what it may, it is always the common people who have consistently remained the real repositories of a nation's culture, otherwise there would have been nothing to recall during the times of upheavals.

The people themselves form into groups and individual groups specialize in their repertoire according to their merits, resources and choice.

All items of Orissa's traditional histrionic presentations are completely musical having dancing and acting as prominent features in them.

There are items which are performed solo like the Bohurupi, Ghata-patua, Mundapota Kela, Janughanta, Kalisi, Jogi, Ghuduki, Dhankoila, Galpa-Sagara, Kathaka, Harikatha, etc.,

There are items which are enacted in duets like Ghata Kalasi, Dhoba Nacha, Sabara Sabaruni, Kela Keluni, Dasakathia and such others.

There are items which need four to eight persons such as Gotipua, Sakhinata, Ghudukinata, Dhumpa Geeta, Nachuni Nacha, Mahari Nacha, Naga Nacha, Patua Jatra, Apsara Nrutya, Chaiti Ghoda, Pala and such others, Dhankoila Jatra, Humo, Dalkhai, Rasarkeli, Jamudali, Gunjikuta, Maylajada, Banki-Jhulki, Sainladi, Baunsarani etc., and finally there are other Jatra items which need a team of twenty to sixty persons in their productions. They are the Leela, Suanga (Gitinatya, Gitabhinaya), Dandanata, Bandinata, Nataka (Prahalad, Rama, Harischandra) Paika Nata, Laudi Nata, Chhau Nata, Ghoomra Nata, Ranapa Nata, Karama Nata, Sanchara, Sabda-swa a Nata, Rasa, Kirtana, Samrada, Melana etc.

The most common Jatra :

The contents of the most commonly known Jatra of Orissa, with enactment of a wholesome play with full cast comprising all elements such as music, singing, acting, dancing and the usual conflict is fondly known in various synonyms such as Jatra, Samaja, Lila, Nata, Nacha, Tamasha, Suanga and Jatra.

While 'Jatra' is a derivative of either Jataka (story) or Jatra (Theatre), Samaja stands for a play. Though Leela denotes playing the deeds of characters, in the sphere of Jatra of Orissa, it only conveys the deeds of either Gods, Incarnations or Great Souls. Leela never conveys the deeds of demons or evil characters.

Nata is a derivative term of Natya conveying dance, music and dramatics and the Nacha though straight means dance conveys a form where dance is prominent.

Tamasha is a word for play, came to be used in Orissa under the influence of Marathas and Muslims.

In north Orissa a typical form of theatre had developed after the Moghuls known as Moghul Tamasha While the pattern remained as that of the then prevailing play productions, both Oriya and Urdu languages were used in its dialogues and songs. Patronised by the Nawabs and performed near a Hindu Temple, attempts had been made for a peaceful co-existence between the Hindus and Muslims in this Moghul Tamasha. Latter on, it turned to be a satire against Moghuls. The characters used to give self-introductions, sing and dance as adopted by the olden Suangas.

The word 'Suanga' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'Swanga', having its meaning as graceful acting. In Orissa full fledged verse dramas (Giti Natyas) or song-dramas (Gitabhinayas) or Dance-dramas (Nrutya Natikas) are known as Suangas.

Orissa's Jatra has a great tradition of this type of plays. It is said that the great sage Shankara Deva of Assam who invented the Ankia Nata for Assam had studied the methods of mass communication through song-dramas while at Puri, Orissa, during the last part of 15 th Century. The great writer-sage late Balaram Dasa of Orissa wrote and staged a powerful play "Laxmipurana Suanga" in 15th Century, the impact of this play on the spectators was so great that certain customs prescribed by the play such as worshiping Goddess Laxmi paricularly on the Thursdays in the month of Margasira every year has become part of the traditional life in every Oriya house-hold to day.

While in olden times, each character used to give a self-introduction and sometimes the dialogues were improvised on the spot by the characters, these are no more adhered to. In the process of evolution, styles of writing has undergone changes and the themes of Jatra plays are no more confined to only mythological, historical or fantasy nut also include themes to suit the modern environments and conditions. While there were Jatra plays written only with songs, there have been attempts to write Jatra plays with no songs at all. But weather it is with songs or without, loud orchestral music has remained to be a must with the Jatra of Orissa not only at the beginning or the end but also in every sequence indicating the change of scene. There used to be an inevitable character "Dwari" (The Door-man) which was providing humor throughout the olden Jatra plays like that of Bidusaka in the Sanskrit plays which has now been dropped from the cast, in the modern Jatra plays.

Jatra plays of Orissa have followed the pattern close to that of the Sanskrit plays with invocatory songs, dances, Sutradhar for introductions fairy dances or humorous inter-ludes for relief sequences and the chorus boys. Spectator's participation is an every-day affair in the Jatra of Orissa.

In spite of heavy inflows, great Jatra play writers such as Gopal Das, Jagannath Pani, Gopal Charan Das, Bandhu Nayak, Bhikari Nayak, Baishnaba Pani, Balakrushna Mohanty and Rama Chandra Swain etcc. of the recent past had kept up the flame burning of this great tradition of Jatra in Orissa which has not only kept up a rich heritage but also had enlivened the Oriya population with the cultural nourishment it required.

The production style of the common Jatra of Orissa :

The production style of the Jatra of Orissa is absolutely simple with the acting area (stage) in the center with spectators all around it. The Puspa Patha or the or the artist's passage wends it's way through the spectators to the distant green room (The Vesha Ghara) This Puspa Patha also serves as an additional acting area beside being the way for exit and entry of every character. Of course sometimes a character even slips off from this Puspa Patha and enters or exits from some other sides in between the spectators to add interest. The chorus boys and the musicians usually take their place near the stage opposite the Puspa Patha. There are occasions where the music party occupy a high platform above the artist's passage. There are no other stage properties on the central stage except a single chair which serves different purposes in different scenes. This chair turns to be a king's throne, a poor man's hut, a bed cot, a lover's bench, a tree, a hiding place, even an weapon to fight-with, as the story demands in different scenes, a symbol for everything as required.

With stylized gaits, ornate costumes, tuneful traditional music, plenty of dances, songs, conflicts and humour, Jatra of Orissa has remained not only a mere place of entertainment but also an essential institution for learning for the people in general.

This legitimate peoples theatre of Orissa, the common Jatra, corresponds to the Caturasra and Tryasra styles of playhouses meant for the masses as described in the oldest treatise on dramaturgy, "The Natya-Sastra of Bharata Muni" with acting area in the center and the "Sopanikruta Pithakams", the Galleries for the spectators, all around it. Unfortunately with a complete repertoire of Round Theatre Arts in Orissa, we do not yet possess a permanent Jatra-Theatre where we can witness a Jatra play in the winter or in the rainy season. Even in summer, in the open-sky one has to ponder for a comfortable seat to enjoy a Jatra play whole-heartedly. We expect this absolute want will be fulfilled very soon.

In this article I will now speak about some of the distinct forms of Jatra plays available in Orissa from time immemorial. It will not be out of place to mention that in some of the forms of Theatre, Orissa excels in outstanding showmanship.