Motilal Ray facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Motilal Ray
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| মতিলাল রায় | |
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| Born | February 1843 |
| Died | 1908 |
| Nationality | British Indian |
| Occupation | Actor, director and writer |
Motilal Ray (born February 1843, died 1908), also known as Mati Ray, was a talented Bengali actor, director, and writer. He made Jatra (a type of folk theatre) very popular by writing simple and beautiful songs and stories. He brought new life to this old tradition, making it exciting for many people.
Contents
Motilal Ray's Story
Early Life and Education
Motilal Ray was born in February 1843 in a village called Bhatsala. This village is now part of the Purba Bardhaman district. His parents were Manohar Ray and Kashishwari Debi.
He started his schooling in his village. Later, he moved to Nabadwip and finished his primary education at Nabadwip Missionary School. He also studied at Barasat High School.
Starting His Career
Motilal Ray began his working life as a teacher at the Missionary School in Nabadwip. He got this job with the help of Madhab Chowdhury. Soon after, he worked at the Jorasanko police station. Within a few months, he found a good job at the Calcutta G.P.O. and moved to Kolkata.
A Passion for Writing
Motilal loved writing poetry from a young age. One day, he met Ishwar Chandra Gupta, who was the editor of a newspaper called Sambad Prabhakar. This meeting gave Motilal a chance to publish his poems.
Later, he got an opportunity to write for Hari Narayan Babu's Jatra group. He became very famous and earned a lot of money by performing Jatra shows with Hari Narayan's group. Two of Motilal's plays, Tarani Sen Badh and Ram Bano Bash (also known as Ram Biday), were performed by Hari Narayan's Jatra group.
His Own Jatra Group
In 1873, Motilal started his own Jatra group in Nabadwip. He named it Nabadwip Banga Gitabhinay Sampraday. However, people usually called it Motirayer Dol or Moti Ray's Troupe.
Motilal Ray changed the way Jatra was performed. He made it more modern and similar to stage theatre. He introduced Geetabhinoy, which means acting through singing, into Jatra. This new style helped Jatra become even more popular.
