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{{Infobox person
| honorific_prefix =
| name = Motilal Ray
| image = Jatra Artist Motilal Ray.jpg
| native_name = <small>মতিলাল রায়</small>
| native_name_lang = bn
| birth_date = February 1843
| birth_place = Bhatsala in [[Bardhaman district|Bardhaman]], [[Bengal Presidency]], [[British India]] (now [[Purba Bardhaman district|Purba Bardhaman]])
| death_date = 1908
| nationality = [[British Raj|British Indian]]
| alma_mater =
| occupation = Actor, director and writer
| spouse =
| footnotes =
}}

'''Motilal Ray''' (February, 1843 - 1908) also known as ''Mati Ray'' was a [[Bengali Hindus|Bengali]] actor, director, and writer. He popularized the [[Jatra (theatre)|Jatra Gan]] by composing simple fluent and elegant ballads. He revived the old tradition in a new way. Under his influence, ''Krishna Lila Jatra'' came to be known as ''‘Puratan' old''.<ref name=":0" />

== Biography ==
=== Early days ===
Motilal Ray was born on 21 [[Magha (month)|Magh]] of 1249 [[Bengali calendars|Bangabda]] (in February 1843) in the village of Bhatsala in [[Bardhaman district]] (now in [[Purba Bardhaman district]]). His father was Manohar Ray and mother was Kashishwari debi.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Ghosh|first=Gourangaprasad|url=http://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.266853|title=Jatra Shilper Itihas|date=1996|pages=124}}</ref> After starting his studies in the village school, he came to [[Nabadwip]] and completed his primary studies from ''Nabadwip Missionary School''. He later studied in Barasat High School.

=== Professional career ===
With the help of Madhab Chowdhury, Motilal Ray began his career as a teacher in the Missionary School in [[Nabadwip]]. Within a few days, he got a service at [[Jorasanko]] police station and went there. And within a few months he got a good job in [[General Post Office, Kolkata|Calcutta G.P.O.]] and moved there.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Dr Hemendra Nath Das Gupta|url=http://archive.org/details/indianstagevolum035002mbp|title=The Indian Stage Volume I|date=|publisher=Dr Hemendra Nath Das Gupta|others=Universal Digital Library|pages=148}}</ref>

He had a hobby of writing poetry since childhood. When he met [[Ishwar Chandra Gupta|Ishwar Gupta]], the editor of ''[[Sambad Prabhakar]]'', one day he got a chance to write poetry there. Later, he got a chance to write for Hari Narayan Babu's Jatra Dal. Then he began to earn and acquired a great reputation by holding [[Jatra (theatre)|Jatra]] performances with Hari Narayan. Two plays of Motilal ‘‘''Tarani Sen Badh''’’ and ‘‘''Ram Bano Bash''’’ or ‘‘''Ram Biday''’’ were performed in Hari Narayan's Jatra.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Bhaṭṭācārya|first=Haṃsanārāẏaṇa|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I7kwAAAAMAAJ|title=Yātrāgāne Matilāla Rāẏa o tam̐hāra sampradāẏa|date=1967|publisher=Calantikā|language=bn}}</ref>

In 1873, Motilal formed his own Jatra Party in [[Nabadwip]] as '''''Nabadwip Banga Gitabhinay Sampraday'''''.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Ghatak|first=Dr. Arpita|date=July 2020|title=Jatragaan in Bengal: A Study in Musical Traditions|url=https://rrjournals.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/07-10_RRIJM200507003.pdf|journal=International Journal of Multidisciplinary|volume= 5|issue=7|pages=8|doi=10.31305/rrijm.2020.v05.i07.003|issn=2455-3085|via=RESEARCH REVIEW|doi-access=free}}</ref> His troupe was more popularly known as ''Motirayer Dol'' or ''Moti Ray's Troupe''.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Sinha|first=Biswajit|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UzEbAQAAIAAJ&q=Matilal+Ray+Nabadwip|title=Encyclopaedia of Indian Theatre: pt.1-2. Rabindranath Tagore|date=2000|publisher=Raj Publications|isbn=978-81-86208-35-9|language=en}}</ref> Motilal Ray changed the style and narratives of Jatra, introducing a modern identity. He transformed Jatra much closer to the style of theater, introducing Geetabhinoy (acting through singing) in Jatra.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Conscience on Stage: Revising Jatra in Bengal as a Tool for Representation, Restoration, and Revolution|url=https://search.proquest.com/openview/f695b9b884c3151903d7e38518de41f6/1.pdf?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y|url-status=live|access-date=2021-03-13|website=search.proquest.com|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last1=Chakrabarti|first1=Kunal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QVOFAAAAQBAJ|title=Historical Dictionary of the Bengalis|last2=Chakrabarti|first2=Shubhra|date=2013-08-22|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=978-0-8108-8024-5|pages=240|language=en}}</ref>

== Bibliography ==
=== Plays and Jatra<ref>{{Cite book|last=Chowdhury|first=Darshan|url=http://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.265918|title=Bangla Theatrer Itihas|date=1995|pages=33}}</ref> ===
{{div col}}
; Ramayani
* ''Tarani Sen Badh'' (Plays)
* ''Ram Banabas'' or ''Ram Biday'' (1873)
* ''Sitaharan'' (1878)
* ''Ram Raja''
* ''Lakkhman Bhojan''
* ''Raban Badh''
* ''Sita Anneshan''
* ''Ram Parinata''

; About Mahabharat
* ''Bharat Milan'' or ''Bharat Agaman'' (1888)
* ''Draupadir Vastra Haran'' (1881)
* ''Pandab Nirbasan''
* ''Bhishma's Sharashajjya''
* ''Karnabadh''
* ''Yudhusthirer Rajyabhishek'' (1900)
* ''Yudhusthirer Ashbmamedh''

; Krishnalila
* ''Kaliya Sarpadaman''
* ''Brojolila'' (1894)
* ''Gayasurer Haripadpadnia Labh''

; Others Mythology
* ''Jagannath's Māhātmya'' বা ''Kṣētradhāmēra Māhātmya''
* ''Subachani Māhātmya''

; Loukik Kahini and Brotokotha
* ''Nemai Sannyasa''
* ''Vijay Chandi'' (1880)
* ''Mahalila''

{{div col end}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ray, Motilal}}
[[Category:1843 births]]
[[Category:1908 deaths]]
[[Category:Bengali writers]]
[[Category:Bengali-language writers]]
[[Category:19th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:Indian male stage actors]]
[[Category:19th-century Indian male actors]]
[[Category:Bengali theatre personalities]]
[[Category:People of British India]]

Motilal Ray - Revision history

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