Bratachari

The Bratachari movement was a movement for spiritual and social improvement in India initiated by Gurusaday Dutt in 1932. The movement aimed to raise the self-esteem and national awareness of people of undivided India regardless of their religion, caste, sex or age.

Shri Gurusaday Dutt – introduced the word ‘Bratachari’ (where the Bengali word – Brata meaning taking vows as the objective and ‘chari’ – meaning the practice), a folk movement taken up by the youth at the same level of sincerity, honesty and zeal with which the womenfolk of Bengal practiced their religious rites i.e., Bratas for the betterment of the family members.

In the year 1931, Shri Gurusaday Dutt, for the first time organized a training camp of folk songs and dances of Bengal. He also organized training camps every year in different places of Bengal to promote the rare varieties of folk songs & dances. The names of these training camps were ‘Nikhil Banga Loka Nrittya Sibir’ (in English it means – All Bengal Folk Dance Camp).

As a matter of fact, he felt that those who would take the training of folk songs and dances would be energised to take vows in their mind – like the womenfolk used to perform some ‘brata’ – meaning ‘taking vows’ in English, to carry the tradition of the folk songs and dances for the benefit of their own and even for the people in their village society as well as for the posterity. 

If you are lookinig for Bratachari art form of Bengal for any kind of educational or documentary purpose, Dr. Manojit is the man whom your should consult. He has got decades of experience as an artist himself and also as an instructor