Janata theatre is the leading Oriya theatre company that established in 1953. In that year a few artists left the Annapurna Theatre to form a joint venture not owned by any particular person. Janata Theatre had its own playhouse in Banka Bazar. This was actually in the same place where once stood the legendary Orissa Theatre. The industrialist and later Chief Minister of Orissa, Bijayananda Patnaik, primarily financed the group. It was run by democratic process, with an elected body to man the administration, headed by a manager who looked after day-to-day matters.

For some time everything worked quite perfectly. The Janata staged memorable productions like Youtuk i.e. `Dowry` in 1953, Bharasa i.e. `Confidence` in 1953, Para kalam i.e. `The Quill` in 1954, Uthapacheri i.e. `Boundary Wall`` in 1959, and Yayabar i.e. `Nomads` in 1968. All these plays helped in bringing dramatists such as Gopal Chhotray, Ananda Sankar Das, Balram Mishra, Kartik Kumar Ghose, and Jadunath Dash Mahapatra into prominence, and raising expectations for the future of Oriya theatre. However, heavy-handedness, nepotism, partiality, and selfishness gradually polluted the atmosphere as a few persons attempted to grab power and ill-treated the artists, among whom dissatisfaction increased. Within a decade, mismanagement weakened the company and in 1965 the hall was finally closed. The building still stands, immersed in litigations. Nevertheless, during its short tenure, the Janata built an identity of its own.

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