মঞ্জরী অপেরা : তারাশঙ্কর বন্দ্যোপাধ্যায়ের কলমে যাত্রাজগতের বারোমাস্যা

Abstract

This article focuses on Manjari Opera, a novel by prominent Bengali writer Tarashankar Bandyopadhyay, as well as reflects the world of Jatra industry. As Jatra is one of the popular forms of entertainment in rural Bengal, those who have written extensively about the people of Bengal could not avoid Jatra performance. Tarashankar has shown great eagerness to know the world of Jatra more intimately in Manjari Opera (1964) and Ovinetri (1970), two novels written in the later period of his life. The direct and indirect experiences that he has gathered on Jatra world have been used to set the background of his novels. Thus, Manjari Opera has become an intimate commentary on the lives of all types of people associated with Jatra industry. He has been carving nearly the one hundred year old history of Jatra industry in the heart of Bengal. That is to say, not only the description of the world of Jatra, but also the various forms of the entertainment world that flourished around Kolkata in the 1940s has come to light in Manjari Opera.