Before the show, Ziauddin Tariq Ali, a trustee of the museum, spoke about the role the jatra artistes in Independence. In his words, 'Like other communities, jatra artises made a tremendous contribution in the Liberation War. They staged plays in 1971 in protest against the brutal attack by the Pakistani regime on the common people of Bangladesh. What's more, some of the artistes sacrificed their lives for the motherland.'

After the speech, Desh Opera put up the play Shadhin Sultan Ilias Shah. Chief of the troupe Milon Kanti De said, 'Nottocompany Jatra Party displayed this pala in 1971 in Kolkata. Shanti Ronjan De adapted the pala from our glorious history during the Mughal period. Sultan Ilias Shah, in the pala represents the courage of the people while Firoz Shah Tughlak represents the Pakistani regime. Eminent jatra artiste Amolindu Biswas was the director of that production. Currently, I am directing the same script for Desh Opera.'

As usual in jatra, the show started with a traditional rhythmic orchestra. Jatra artistes, with their typical voice modulation and traditional gestures, presented the historical incident when the emperor of Delhi, Firoz Shah Tughlak, attacks the independent ruler of Shonargaon, Sultan Ilias Shah.

After being defeated by Sultan Ilias Shah, the emperor of Delhi requests him for a peace treaty. At the end, the troupe points out the marked similarities between the story of the pala and our valiant freedom fighters.

The actors, Milon Kanti De, Gopal Roy, Bolai Das, Purobi Datto and Tapoti Islam, gave a remarkable performance. To gauge by audience response, the play was a remarkable success. May be after Shadhin Sultan Ilias Shah, we will get to see more jatras in Dhaka.