ABSTRACT
So we have noticed that during the years succeeding 1857, a considerable number of important Bengali plays had been produced. The public enthusiasm for dramatic performances had steadily increased) lr after year. But so far most of the work for the development of the drama in Bengal had been done only under the patronage of a few wealthy Bengali aristocrats. A permanent national stage had not yet been established, and the theatres under private enterprise, numerous though they were, were insufficient to accommodate all who were anxious to witness plays. The Tagores exercised great discrimination in the distribution of tickets, and, as a rule, selected their guests mostly from the wealthy Bengalis. Their rules for admittance were so strict that it was almost impossible for any large number from the general public to see their performances. Such favouritism and exclusiveness soon became unbearable. The conservatism of the well-to-do patrons of the Bengali drama could no longer remain unchallenged by their countrymen. A revolt was brewing, and a very strong and healthy spirit of competition became manifest. The very idea of beating the Tagores by producing plays in a much better and improved way, and thereby breaking away from the patronage of the wealthy people, was sufficient to inspire a new movement whose far-reaching effects even the strongest of optimists could not have foreseen.
