Not a Happy Journey for Jatra
The heydays are over, funds have dwindled, and movies, TV and growing popularity of online music videos have challenged it. Not to mention fractured troupes ridden with factionalism.But Santali jatra (opera) or gananatya refuses to give up, holding on to the adage: The show must go on.
The past glory and popularity may have jaded, but these traditional opera shows still manage to draw the crowds in Santali-populated areas in Mayurbhanj, Sundargarh, Keonjhar, Jajpur, Balasore and Bhadrak districts. Even several Santali jatra parties like ‘Hira Sagar Opera’ and ‘Adim Owar Jarpa’ tour Jharkhand and West Bengal to make moolah. Likewise, troupes from the neighbouring states often pitch their tents in Odisha.
Changing Times
“Around six to seven years ago, overa dozen troupes, particularly in Mayurbhanj district,ruled the roost in the jatracircuit. Similarly, about three to four parties from West Bengal and Jharkhand camped in Odisha to enact their shows every year,” says Chandan Baskey, a jatraveteran.
“Those were the heydays.The work calendars of jatra troupes were so packed that they were not able to squeeze out time to stage new shows, even if they were offered extra bucks,” adds Chandan, who is credited with introducing modern musical instruments in Santali opera orchestra in the 90s.
According to insiders, the boom of TV serials following the telecast of “Hum Log” on Doordarshan in 1984 dealt a huge blow to the popularity of Santali jatra. With Odia and Santali movies loading the dice against these operas, their decline was further hastened by the glut of mediums of entertainment, including online videos. Unable to cope with the competition, several jatra troupes like Ranchali Opera have shut shop.
But optimists refuse to give up hope. “If a TV channel is floated for Santali people,it can also telecast Santali jatra to rejuvenate it. A number of Odia channels do the same for Odia jatra,” suggests Kanauj Hansda, an opera enthusiast in Baripada, Mayurbhanj district.
Greener Pastures
The pitch is further queered with many veterans like Chandan Baskey and Laxman Soren making forays into Santali music and film industries in search of greener pastures.
Chandan, who quit the jatra scene in the late 90s and floated his own musical troupe ‘Chanda Sakhi’, is now scoring music for Santali films. Similarly, Laxman has switched over to making feature films and documentaries in Santali after a 15-year stint in the jatra circuit.
“My feature film Buri Kocha Kuri released this year and it has clicked with the Santali viewers. Now, I am planning to produce documentaries apart from carrying on with my fancy for feature films. I took the risk of switching over to filmdom because I thought it may prove more rewarding tomorrow, if not today,” says Laxman.
Even, a majority of Santali youth has no interest in this form of open air theatre. They too prefer to dabble in making feature films, short films and documentaries.
“I have no interest in opera. Making short films excites me. I also plan to produce feature films in future,” says Bhagbat Soren, a resident of Balikotha in Mayurbhanj district. Bhagbat is an engineering student in computer science at Modern Institute of Technology and Management, Bhubaneswar. His Santali short film Taras was screened at the Baripada Indigenous Short Films Festival organized by Santali Film and Art Development Association Odisha in March this year.
Money Matters
The mounting odds have forced several Santali jatra troupes to slash their fees. “Earlier, a jatra party used to demand Rs 70,000 to Rs 80,000 per night of performance. But now they charge only Rs 40,000 to Rs 50,000,” says Chandan.
Even several parties like ‘Ganga Sagun’ at Deuli village in Mayurbhanj district and ‘Eastern Adivasi Party’at Dubriin Jajpur district downed shuttersdue to financial strain. Besides,some troupes like ‘Shiva Kanha Opera’ were hit by crisis and faded out.
“Shiva Kanha Opera had its demise in the mid-90s after its manager died and nobody came forward to take it over,” says scriptwriter Dukhiram Soren, who was associated with the troupe for three years.
Nilamani Murmu, the manager of ‘Adim OwarJarpa’ blames non-payment of dues by clients for the sorry state of affairs. “Though we get 80 per cent of our fees (around Rs 80,000 per night), we have to bear losses because the clients often renege on clearing the full amount. This hurts the most as we have to pay lakhs of rupees to our artistes, musicians, dancers and other personnel on the basis of yearly contracts,” gripes Nilamani.
According to the manager, ‘Adim Owar Jarpa’ had staged 105 shows last year. This year, it has been booked for 60 nights till now and the number of shows is expected to exceed 120 by the end of December. “Despite the consistent number of performances, our party incurs an annual loss of around Rs 3 lakh,”he adds.
Peak Season
Jatra insiders inform that business peaks between October and April, the ideal time for staging shows in Odisha and the bordering areas of Jharkhand and West Bengal. While rains prevent them from perform in the open, inadequate availability of drinking water in the arid areas of north Odisha, Jharkhand and West Bengal during summer is a big put off.
“Winter is the time for us to earn money. We are mostly idle during summer and monsoon, but still have to bear the exorbitant costs of running the establishment. Given this scenario, if the clients do not pay the full dues,it adds to the woes of the parties. This is one of the main reasons for the closure of so many opera parties,” explains Naveen Hansda, the manager of ‘New Jarpa’ party.
However, not everyone is complaining. Some jatra parties demand a hefty advance to offset their expected loss. For instance, ‘Hira Sagar Opera’ charges Rs 80,000 to Rs 1, 20,000 per night, if it stages shows in Odisha, Jharkhand and West Bengal.The amount jumps to Rs 1,60,000 for performances in Assam.
“We demand 80 per cent of the amount as advance,which includes a substantial margin of our profits. It compensates for the loss if a client backs out. Therefore, we still manage to stick on, while many of our counterparts have called it a day,” says Kartik Hembram, the managing director of ‘Hira Sagar Opera’.
“This apart, the performance of our actors and improvements in lighting, sound and music system make us popular with our clients, who mostly don’t hesitate to clear the dues promptly. Our dancers and singers, whose performances are at par with those in reality shows, add to our USP and help to keep our clients happy,” he adds.