ruma dasgupta – Page 3

Jatra Shots – Tapashi Moon, Biswajit Mahji, et al

Another short jatra clip that I shot while in West Bengal as a Fulbright-Nehru Scholar in India in 2018-19. They’re handheld and shaky, originally intended for my personal reference, but they might be of entertainment or educational value to others.

The producer is the Sri Chaitanya Opera jatra company is based in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. The play is a contemporary social drama called Sangsar Ek Khelaghor (Family Game Room) written by Babli Bhattacharya and directed by Ruma Dasgupta. Other than incidental mood music, all songs in this particular play are from popular Tollywood and Bollywood films of the past 5-10 years. The location is rural Durgapur, West Bengal.

The rest are on my youtube channel on the “Jatra Shots” playlist. Check ’em out!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObJtRm3PhqM&list=PLyFebM15FeUg9lTE16ItBdw3rA7lq2MGP

Jatra Shots – The Amazing Atanu

The jatra lightboard operator has to use all four limbs to manage the complex lighting cues of modern jatra. At the next intermission after shooting this, I tapped him on the shoulder and said “Khub bhalo.” Very good. He nodded humbly and got to work setting up the next scene’s cues.

The Sri Chaitanya Opera is a jatra company based in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. The play is Karunamoyee Rani Rashmoni (Gracious Rani Rashmoni) written by Babli Bhattacharya. Directed by Ruma Dasgupta, lyrics by Ujal Biswas, music by Swapan Pakrasai. The location is the Kestopur neighborhood in Kolkata.

This is part of a collection of Jatra scenes I shot while a Fulbright-Nehru Scholar in India during 2018-19. They’re handheld and shaky, intended for my personal reference, but they might be of entertainment or educational value to others.

Check out the rest on my Youtube “Jatra Shots” playlist.

Jatra Shots – Subhayu Mukherjee, Tapashi Moon

I’ve posted a bunch of short but mindblowing jatra clips that I shot while in West Bengal as a Fulbright-Nehru Scholar in India in 2018-19. They’re handheld and shaky, originally intended for my personal reference, but they might be of entertainment or educational value to others. Here’s the first one.

The rest are on my youtube channel on the “Jatra Shots” playlist. Check ’em out!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObJtRm3PhqM&list=PLyFebM15FeUg9lTE16ItBdw3rA7lq2MGP

My Dinner With Tina

Why is this man making a hand-rabbit? Scroll down to find out.

If you missed my interview last night with the masterful Tina Brock of the IRC and would like to hear more about my mis/adventures in India, my work as a Fulbright Scholar and the nonfiction book I’m currently finishing, along with Tesla, ghosts, paan, religion, David Ives, and a few other surprises, you can catch it here on the IRC’s youtube channel:

Jatra Lecture and Workshop 2/27/19

bridgephlad — Actress-Director Ruma Dasgupta as Rani Rashmoni with Tapasi Moon in the historical-devotional drama “Korunamoyi Rani Rashmoni” (“Gracious Rani Rashmoni”) by Sunil Choudhury. Lyricist Ujal Biswas, music by Swapan Pakrasai. Produced by the Sri Chaitanya Opera.

I’m honored that the Philly-based The Bridge PHL theatre company has invited me to give a lecture and workshop on Jatra theatre, one of my research areas as a Fulbright-Nehru Scholar.

Jatra is a Bengali word meaning travel or journey. Jatra theatre, or jatra opera as it is often called in India, is a form of mobile, traveling folk theatre native to India’s northeastern state of West Bengal, dating back several centuries.

By the 19th century, jatra companies began to look away from the purely religious themes that had been their core function, and began to tackle historical subjects and social issues.

Jatra has functioned as a living newspaper, long before any of its playwrights and performers had heard of Theatre of the Oppressed (Augusto Boal hadn’t even been born yet). Long before Brecht, jatra companies worked in a tradition of intentionally nonrealistic acting and minimal use of props and set.

And there is so much more to tell…

Suggested donation $10

Mine is not an official US Department of State website. The views and information presented are my own and do not represent the Fulbright Program or the Department of State