The Hindu : National : Jamshedpur celebrates ‘Shatrang’ carnival

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Saturday, Jan 05, 2008
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Jamshedpur celebrates ‘Shatrang’ carnival

Antara Das

Hosted by Tata Steel to mark its centenary

Four-day carnival showcasing the growth of the steel plant till January 5
Letter from J.N. Tata to Swami Vivekananda in the archives section

KOLKATA: The legacy of 100 years sits lightly on Jamshedpur. The excitement in the air is palpable, the city erupts into a riot of colours as it celebrates ‘Shatrang,’ the centenary of the steel plant around which it grew and from where it draws its lifeblood.

‘Shatrang,’ literally a 100 colours, is the grand four-day city festival (January 2 to 5) hosted by Tata Steel to commemorate the path it has travelled since it was set up in 1907 at the village of Sakchi, at the confluence of the Subarnarekha and Kharkai rivers. It translates into zest and youthful vigour, as the quiet orderliness of the well laid-out city streets are taken over by the spirit of the carnival.

Colourful tableaux

Street artistes take over Bistupur street on Friday evening, as stilt-walkers, fire-eaters and magicians walk its length, with live band performances enlivening the atmosphere. Colourful tableaux and laser shows captivate the imagination of those gathered and the celebrations all around dissipate the winter chill.

Colourful festoons and bright lights make a wonderland of Gopal maidan, the fairground that plays host to the Shatrang mela. Crowds throng the brightly-lit arena to witness indigenous dance performances such as Jhoomar, Paika and Chhau or the Gotipua dance from Orissa, where young boys dressed in female garb perform acrobatic dances.

For the discerning followers of classical music, the treat is in the form of a neo-classical concert where vocalists such as Rajan and Sajan Mishra and violinists Ganesh and Kumaresh regale the audience.

Popular stand-up comedians like Ehsaan Qureishi add to the joie de vivre, with their witty takes on people and society.

The spirit of the arduous growth route is carefully preserved in the documents of the Tata Steel archives, spruced up on the centenary year. It sheds light on the pioneering personality that was J. N. Tata, and highlights the role of leaders such as Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose who had taken charge of the Jamshedpur labour association in 1928 and had argued for Indianisation of the labour force.

Also preserved is the letter written by J. N. Tata to Swami Vivekananda, appealing to a kindred soul to ignite the fire for an ascetic devotion to the sciences. That spirit lies at the heart of centenary celebrations of what was once derided by the colonialists as an ‘upstart company east of Suez.’

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