Jayanta Chattopadhyay is known as an actor. But he is also a prolific elocutionist. This identity of him has become virtually obscured due to his absence at recitation programmes in the last two decades.

But elocution house Harbola tried to break this gap yesterday. Under the title "Arup Tomar Bani" the cultural troupe organised an evening of recitation featuring solo renditions by Jayanta at the National Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy. There Jayanta reminded the audience why he should yet be identified as someone other than just an actor in the contemporary cultural arena.

Zahir Raihan, coordinator of the programme said that the event even before its start created a buzz among elocutions lovers. Harbola is celebrating its twenty years run this year. They have planned yearlong programmes under the collective name "Harbolar Ek Kuri." Last night's recitation evening was part of this planning.

Jayanta Chattopadhyay is a proficient recitation artist of Bangladesh. He worked in the fields of recitation and performing arts and won several awards during his stay in Kolkata as a member of Agnibeena under the auspices of the legendary recitation artist Kazi Shobyoshachi. He has also performed as a professional reciter in Mumbai, New York, Detroit, Florida, Paris and other cities around the world.

Jayanta is also a versatile actor who has performed in 530 telefilms and 42 feature films in Bangladesh. n