Pradipta Tapadar

Kolkata, Feb 11 Less than a month after his death, India's communist legend Jyoti Basu's life has become the subject of jatra, West Bengal's popular folk theatre form.

Anjali Opera, a 10-year-old troupe based in the city's jatra hub Chitpore, has decided to portray the political life of the leader, who holds the record for the longest chief ministerial tenure in India. The production has been christened "Alor Sikha Amar Jyoti" and will start its shows in East Midnapore district from February end.

The troupe will then travel to other districts with the three-hour-long production.

"It is our tribute to Jyoti Basu. I have admired Basu all through my life. It's quite challenging to wrap up Jyoti babu's political life within three hours. But we have to do it. We have already got bookings in Midnapore, Birbhum and many other parts of Bengal. We have already received a huge response," said Prasanta Goswami, manager, Anjali Opera.

He said the idea came up during a discussion at the troupe's office after Jyoti Basu's death. Basu, 95, died on January 17.

"We will start from the days of the turbulent seventies (1970s) when Jyoti babu led the Communist movement from the front.

"The Congress regimes, the Left regime under Jyoti Basu, and many of the major events will be portrayed. The play will include all the important political personalities of the period," an excited Goswami said.

Popular Bengali film and television serial actor Gourishankar Panda has been chosen for the title role.

"It is the most challenging role of my life. Outwardly he seemed a humourless, taciturn man. One seldom saw him smiling. But those who have seen him from close found him a very soft and kind-hearted person. The challenge will be to bring out his colourful and multi-faceted personality," Panda said.

Jatras, which sometimes go on through the night in rural Bengal, are known for staging productions based on contemporary topics and lives of prominent personalities to cash in on their popular appeal.

Earlier, the lives and struggles of Karl Marx, Lenin, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Indira Gandhi and many other prominent figures have inspired hit productions.

Last year, Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee's slogan 'Ma, Mati, Manush' (mother, soil, people) led to several productions. Some of them eulogised her, while one ridiculed her for resisting industrialisation. All the productions made quick money.

Basu became West Bengal chief minister in 1977 and continued in the post till 2000, when he stepped down for health reasons. He almost became India's Prime Minister in 1996, but his party, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), vetoed the idea.