Natta Company

"It is no art if a woman plays a woman. When we represent a lame or cross-eyed man onto the stage, theatrical enjoyment lies in the fact that an able-bodied man is limping and squinting. The natural thing is not the natural thing on the stage. When a man acts as a woman it is art!" - Surya Dutta, Director-Producer of the Natta Company.

INTRODUCTION

A jatra actor can be recognized by the way he stands - a tilted tower. He does not hold himself back but throws his weight forward. Passionate, charged with energy, he explodes into fiery dialogue. He moves like a tornado in the small arena. In spite of continuous action, he has a firm grip on the ground.

Many of the philosophers compare life with jatra and people as actors. The Nattas set the example of how to move along with time with passion and energy like a tornado, in spite of the doldrums of time and keep a firm grip on the ground.

Natta Company is a milestone when it comes to jatras. It has not only set a standard of entertainment but the survival and the legacy that still remains after one hundred and Thirty-five years is an inspiration to all the entrepreneurs and pride of Bengal.

JATRA - THE HISTORY

‘Jatra’ is a popular form of folk theatre from the Eastern region of India. It is the enactment of a play with a cast and comprises music, dance, acting, singing and dramatic conflict. Earlier, religious values were communicated to the masses through the powerful medium of jatra. Jatra is a brand of popular plays with characters and plots mostly plucked from the Indian epics and mythology. Acts and scenes from these literary works reconditioned with songs, sung in the folk tunes, were masterfully crafted and presented to the folks in a simple yet gorgeous manner.

Millions of hearts and souls were filled with enjoyment and emotions latent with religious beliefs. Days and nights of jatra plays mainly during and after Hindu religious festivals used to be common occurrences. Audiences included not only Hindus, but every cast and creed of the society regardless of religion or denomination. Actors (actresses are a new addition in the post-war period; before that male players usually with imaginative makeup performed female roles) took great pride in their craftsmanship. Some were respected by villagers as real kings, ministers and generals - typecasting actors in the roles they normally played in the popular drama.

Jatra was equally popular in Orissa and the eastern parts of, it originated in Bengal. In the fifteenth century, when the Bhakti movement swept Bengal, devotees went singing and dancing in procession. This singing with dramatic elements gradually came to be known as "Jatra", which means "to go in a procession."

Popular forms of dramatic singing and expressive acting from the sixteenth through the eighteenth century were: Jhumur (duet songs with a bit of dance and dialogue), Panchali (a performance by a single actor-singer), Kathakata (one actor singing a religious story), Keertan (devotional singing), and Kabigan (recitation). These were tributaries that flowed into the jatra form and enriched it. In the eighteenth century jatra has a sweeping popularity. The masses were hungry for this intensely emotional musical form.

By the close of the eighteenth century Bengal was completely under the control East India Company of England. The last ruler of Bengal, Nawaab Siraj-ud-Daula, was defeated in 1757. The British introduced permanent land settlements and a new system of government. The rising gentry were prosperous. Riches flowed, and with the new wealth came the desire for entertainment. The gentry of Bengal invited the jatra troupes for such festive occasions as the Ratha Puja and Durga Puja celebrations.

In the nineteenth century the jatra repertoire swelled with love themes, erotic stories, mythological heroes, historical romances, tales of legendary robbers, saints, social reformers and champions of truth and justice, diluting its religious color. The jatra became secular and more contemporary in character.

Until the beginning of the twentieth century, the written text of a jatra was in song and verse. In actual production, the Adhikari (Stage Manager) introduced prose bits. The actors spoke improvised dialogue. Scenes of humor and the life of the lower strata were in spicy prose. Still music and song dominated.

jatra underwent changes in every period - thematically and musically - but it retained its special flavor. With the advent of films and the growth of a powerful realistic acting tradition in the professional theater, jatra suffered a setback. More and more prose was being used in the palas. Realistic portrayals of life in films with songs and dances fed the music-hungry audiences and partially replaced their passion for jatra. But jatra never died in the rural areas.

BACKGROUND

In the year 1869 Late Baikuntha Natta inspired by his younger brother Srinath Natta, came up with his venture in the entertainment industry. He named his group “Machrang Baikuntha Sangeet Samaj”. The local people used to call the group – “Natta-der Dal” (means Natta’s group). As time passed by the name “Natta Company” became a well known name in Bengal’s folk theater and then in stage theater. In the early years the group used to perform in different Zamindar’s (landlord’s) palaces.As time passed on they started to perform in different villages, small towns and also in cities like Kolkata (Calcutta). The responsibilities came in the hands of Baikuntha Natta’s decendents – Mathuranath Natta and then Jagendranath and Radhendranath Natta. Now Natta Company is being managed by Sri Makhan Lal Natta, an old man in his late 70’s.

In the early 50’s Natta Company started to use handbills for publicity. From the mid 50’s they started to publish their advertisements in the local magazines. As they moved to cities, they started to use the print media effectively for advertisements and promotion. They published their advertisements in different newspapers like – Jugantar, Ananda Bazar Patrika, Dainik Bosumoti, Swadhinata etc. In the early 70’s Natta Company became very popular in Bengal and Eastern Region of India.

EVOLUTION OF NATTA COMPANY

Natta Comapany started its journey in the nineteenth century in Bangladesh. It started from a small village of Barishal known as Machrang. At that time jatras, were based on stories, written on religious, mythological and historical plots. Different parts of epics like the Ramayana and the Mahabharata was also performed. They performed in temple courtyards, narrating the events of their patron God's life, and expressed their devotion with frenzied acting. The collective singing amidst the clang of gongs and fumes produced a mass hypnosis and sent these singers into an acting trance.

Natta Company became more popular for its musical presentations and their colorful and glittering outfits, which were the main attractions for the poor and illiterate rural audience, that left them spellbound. Moreover as they were vastly familiar with the various religious and mythological stories, so the themes of palas were predominantly based on them. It stated venturing out to nearby towns and gradually to the cities like Dhaka, Barishal, Jashor, Khulna etc. The influence of regional variations in culture and language also enriched the contents of their palas.

Socio-political environment always had a prominent effect on jatras. The influence of society helped the audience to relate themselves and their environment with the jatra. As political consciousness grew in pre-independence India, jatra writers started exploring the social and political scenario related to Indian freedom movement to find new ideas for their palas. Mythological stories, fights between good and evil, symbolized the Indian masses and the British. The Devil was dressed in the tight trousers and black jacket of the nineteenth century, and the Noble Prince wore the Indian dhoti. “Swadeshi Jatra”, written by Mukunda Das, came when India and Bengal was going through a turbulent time. Natta Company, in their jatras, never confronted or criticized the political system directly. For this reason, at the times of swadeshi movement when the British were closing down different jatra group or banning different stage theaters and jatras, Natta Company was not affected.

After the ‘Great Bengal Famine’ of 1943, Natta Comapany performed the jatra pala – “Akaler Desh” which became very popular with the masses. In 1948, they made “Parashmani” to highlight the importance of educating women. In the 60’s, “Plaban” was made to focus on the different facets of Zamindari system. The golden period of Natta Co started from late 60’s and continued till 70’s when they produced quite a few popular palas. 

Some of the other prominent palas from the Natta Co were ‘Karunasindhu Vidyasagar’, ‘Patiter Bhagaban’. But all throughout, they were always focussed on quality offering and entertaining the common people. Monetary gains were never an important issue for them. As said by Makhan Natta, “The objective was not money but it was to entertain and to inform the general mass about the social scenario”.

The Juri system continued till the first decade of the present century. By the second decade people were tired of the Juri because it continued for hours, spinning fine melodic gossamers that suspended the theatrical enjoyment. It had become a sort of an exercise in classical singing out of proportion to the drama. The public would taunt if the singers over did their long musical performance. Slowly it went into disrepute. Natta Company used actors who could sing very well. There was no concept of playback singing but in some cases chorus was used. Traditionally, all roles have been played by male actors. Some played young heroes, some vicious villains, some comic fools, some the Vivek (Conscience) and some specialize in female roles.

Till the 70’s there was no actress in Natta Company. Male actors used to play the female character. Most actors add the suffix Rani (graceful lady) to their name to distinguish themselves as female artist.   In ‘Patiter Bhagaban’ Phani Bhattacharya, who plays the Queen Mother and Hari Gopal Das became famous as the best emotional "actress." In the role of ‘Debi’, wife of the cobbler saint in ‘Petiter Bhagwan’.  He had twenty years of experience behind his feminine grace and wifely pathos.  But, with the passing time, tastes change.  To satisfy the changing taste of the audience Natta Company appointed actresses.

Instruments like Harmonium, Cornet, Clarinet, Violin, Tabla, Dholak etc were played by experienced musicians, which enchanted the audience. In the beginning Natta Comapany appointed writers who would write the prose, script, poems, songs and dialogues. Afterwards with the increasing number of jatra troups, competition from different other players of the entertainment industry and due to the changing scenario writers were not appointed. Freelance writers and professional writers started to write for Natta Company on mutual contract. Natta Company always made it sure that the story is not copied from anyone or anywhere and it should be original.

After the partition of India Natta Company shifted permanently to Kolkata (Calcutta). Natta Company was already popular in Kolkata, so it was not very difficult to establish its popularity. In Kolkata, Natta Company started to perform in different theaters like – Star Theater, Mahajati Sadan, Rang Mahal, Bidyamandir, Minarva etc. Renowned actors of Bengali film industry and stage-theater worked with Natta Company and Makhan Lal Natta was a well known name in the Industry.

As time moved on television, VCRs and VCPs came in. Increasing number of television channels and movie theaters were stealing away the popularity of jatra. Even in Calcutta where it was fast losing its ground, it cropped up in night in various squares and alleys. There is hardly a Bengali who in his childhood has not sat for hours watching the colorful jatra. Today a jatra pala, lasting four hours, consists of action-packed dialogue with only six to eight songs. Still it retains its musical character. People wait for the songs, which in their popularity compete with those from films. Among the people the form retains its name, "jatragan", which means "musical jatra." When a Bengali goes to see a performance he says that he is going to "listen to" a jatra. Natta Company also focused on the rural sector of Bengal. They were mainly focused towards the audience of Purulia, Midnapur, Bankura. They also started to perform in various cities and towns of Assam, Tripura and part of Bihar.

THE INSIDE STORY

Today Natta Company consists of 70 to 75 people. The number of people varies on the requirement of the jatra. They open their season in September and perform nightly until the monsoon breaks in June. All the troupes are then disbanded, and the actors are free to join any company. The manager - the only person on permanent staff - spends the rest of his time clearing the accounts and sourcing good actors with tempting offers for the next season. Each actor signs a seasonal contract for nine months and is given a pay advance according to his/her caliber.

The jatra addicts know that the artistic standard of a company changes with the changes of actors. Surya Dutta, the Director-Producer of the Natta Company helped to maintain a sound artistic standard year after year, and for this Surya Dutta's personal magnetism was responsible. Some of the actors have been with him for thirty years, and that give the repertory a style and stability. Surya Dutta, affectionately called ‘Surya mama’ by Makhan Lal Natta, was not only the guiding force behind Natta Company but also played the roll of a mentor to many people associated with it including Makhan Lal Natta.

The selection of actors and actresses are the most important part in this profession. The actors and actresses are given more priority who had worked with reputed jatra groups. However, for newcomers and not so famous actors and actresses, their audition is taken. The ability of voice modulation and tone is given high priority. The overall appearance of the person also has a lot of importance. Apart from actors and actresses, there are many other people as the supporting team member. The supporting team looks after the stage setup, green room, transport, cooking etc. The actors and actresses are provided with facilities like – cars and separate hotel rooms.

The association of Natta Company and the Natta family cannot be separated. Makhan Natta who admits himself as a publicity adverse person, could have leveraged the Natta’s legacy in jatra, through publicity and advertising. But the old man’s eyes glitter with hope when he says – “It is just a slump. Jatra is an art, it shall never die”.

CONCLUSION

The introduction of female actress shifted the balance in some jatra companies. They are losing their traditional color and heat. Popular film tunes are also invading the form. Cheap songs and rhythms are devoured by the jatra, and these are jarring. Often the orchestra plays full blast. The shrill trumpet and clarinets drown out the actors' voices. The musicians do not wear any particular dress. In their greasy vests and rumpled dhotis they look like petty shopkeepers. The stagehands lounge about and have no theatrical bearing. The lighting is dreadful. If the ancient oil-fed torches were used these would add to the atmosphere, but neon lights and diffused bulbs break the focus.

In spite of these drawbacks, the Natta Company with its jatra is dynamic and shapes the artistic consciousness of the Bengali. It still offers more vigor and enjoyment than the well-publicized professional theaters. Jatra will always hold its charm to some people and would always remain close to their hearts and so would be Natta Company. [Abhishek Majumdar & Sumitro Mukherjee]