Jatra banners in Bhubaneswar. Picture by Sanjib Mukherjee

Bhubaneswar, Feb. 7: Catchy titles and contemporary themes of jatra (mobile theatre) are all set to draw huge crowd to a festival to be organised during the Magh Saptami mela at the foothills of Khandagiri.

Though there is one day to go for the annual jatra festival to kick start in Bhubaneswar tomorrow, people are flocking near the grand hoardings and can be seen glued to the posters reading the titles of the jatra. The residents are waiting for the performances of most popular troupes such as the Kalinga Gananatya, Baghajatin Lokanatya, Sivani, Parvati, Konark and the Tulashi Gananatya, along with new parties such as Viswa Rangamahal, Hari Omm and three other troupes from Eastern Group — Eastern Blue, Red and Pink.

A resident said the titles of the spelled a kind of magic. They are lyrical, unconventional and bear contemporary message. Few such titles displayed on posters and hoardings are Balaatkari ku fashi dia, Chari khura ku juhar, Prema re padichhi panata bandhaa, Mo shaba mu dekhuchhi, Saata tankaa ra saana bohu, Hey prabhu namaskar and Badambadi ra badmas jhia.

Bankim Sahu, manager of the Eastern Blue said his troupe would perform the play Balaatkari ku fashi dia, which deals with a contemporary theme. “We have shown how women and girls are being harassed and abused in today’s society. Everyday we come across the news of rape, molestation and other forms of harassment. Through this play, we have tried to start a movement. The criminals must not be left unpunished at any cost,” said Sahu.

Biswa Rangamanch’s manager Manoj Nayak said they would stage Chari khura ku juhar, which reflects the current social norm of people following fake spiritual gurus instead of paying attention to their parents.

This year, 11 jatra troupes would perform at six locations near Khandagiri for 10 days. The festival, which begins tomorrow, will continue till February 18.

Five local jatra committees have been organising the annual festival. An organiser said that like every year, residents of Bhubaneswar and the nearby areas would come in large numbers to witness such event once a year. The tickets for all the shows have been fixed at Rs 80 for normal category, Rs 90 for first class and Rs 100 for VIPs.

Sources said that though the authorities had permitted them to accommodate 2,500 audience per show, they expected the number to be between 4,000 and 5,000.

“We could have followed the authorities’ directives, but we have to spend a lot of money for taking permission and getting other facilities from them. If we do not increase the number of seats, we will face financial problems,” said an organiser.

Ajay Kumar Jena, secretary of the Maa Mangala Sanskrutika Yuva Parishad, said jatra would provide a different kind of entertainment to the local residents, who were bored with their lives.