Pathsala

Pathsala (Assamese: পাঠশালা) is a small town and district headquarter of Bajali district in the Indian state of Assam with a population of 11 (Assamese: পাঠশালা),242 and an area of 2.74 square kilometre.[1] Well known for its mobile theatres spreading niche entertainment around and beyond the state.[2] Pathsala is also one of the top educational hub of Assam for having a number of educational institutes most importantly junior colleges for +2 level.

Pathsala Sikhya Nagari, Natya Nagari
Town
Pathsala Location in Assam, India Pathsala Pathsala (India)
Coordinates: 26.499382°N 91.179271°E
Country	India
State	Assam
District	Bajali
Government
• Body	Pathsala Town Committee
• No. of Wards	10
Area
• Total	2.74 km^2 (1.06 sq mi)
Population  (2011)
• Total	11,242
Languages
• Official	Assamese
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN	781325
Telephone code	91-3666
ISO 3166 code	IN-AS
Vehicle registration	AS

Bajali district is a newly-formed district of the Indian state of Assam, carved out of Barpeta district. It was formed on 10 August 2020 by a government order of Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal.

Bajali became the 34th full flesged district of the state of Assam.

Demographics

As of 2011 Indian Census, Pathsala Town Area is divided into 10 wards, and elections for the Town Area Committee are held every 5 years.[3]

The Pathsala Town Committee was established in 1968.

Population

Pathsala Town has a population of 11,242 of which 5,824 (51.8%) are males while 5,418 (48.19%) are females. Population of Children with age of 0-6 is 1040 which is 9.25 % of the total population.[4]

	Total	General (Including other categories)	Schedule Caste	Schedule Tribe	Child
Total	11,242	10,680	350	212	1,040
Male	5,824	5,540	187	97	544
Female	5,418	5,140	163	115	496

Sex Ratio

There are 930 females per 1000 male in Pathsala (TC). Overall sex ratio in the city has increased by 89 females per 1000 male during the years from 2001 to 2011. Child sex ratio here has decreased by 33 girls per 1000 boys during the same time.[4]

Castewise sex ratio (females per 1000 male) (2011)

	Total	General (Including other categories)	SC	ST	Child
2011	930	928	872	1186	945

Literacy

Total 9467 people in the city are literate, among them 5029 are male and 4438 are female. Literacy rate (children under 6 are excluded) of Pathsala is 93%. 95% of male and 90% of female population are literate here. Overall literacy rate in the city has increased by 4%. Male literacy has gone up by 2% and female literacy rate has gone up by 6%.[4]

Worker's Profile

	Worker (Among total population)	Main Worker (Among workers)	Marginal Worker (Among workers)	Non Worker (Among total population)
Total	33.3%	29.4%	3.9%	66.7%
Male	49.8%	45.3%	4.5%	50.2%
Female	15.5%	12.2%	3.3%	84.5%

Pathsala Town Committee administers over 2,759 houses, to which it supplies basic amenities, like water and sewerage. It is also authorized to build roads within the Town Committee limits and impose taxes on properties coming under its jurisdiction.[3]

Culture

Mobile Theatres

Pathsala is a focal point of mobile theatre, popularly known as Bhramyaman Theatre, in Assam.[2] These groups, similar to the Jatra groups of Bengal, have carved a special niche as mass entertainers in Northeast India, arranging shows throughout Assam and some of its neighbouring states. Sessions usually start from June/July every year, putting up plays from the month August/September and concluding the session in March/April. Every group has their own set of artists and technicians, along with stages, pandals, and other electric and sound equipment, which they carry to the remotest parts of the region. At present, Pathsala boasts three prominent Bhramyaman groups, namely The Kohinoor Theatre, The Aabahan Theatre and The Rajmukut Theatre.Nataraj Theatre, the first mobile theatre of Assam ,originated in pathsala[5][6]

Deodhani Dance

The famous Deodhani Dance, entirely different from its South Indian form, has Pathsala as its home. Assam's Devadasi dance is a 1,000-year-old tradition, prevalent since the 7th century when the Devadasi system was in place. Girls were offered to Saiva, Sakta and Vaishnava temples to dance as part of a daily ritual. Ancient texts like the Kalika Purana and Yogini Tantra[7] carry references to this ritualistic dance practice. It is said that Bishnu Prasad Rabha, on seeing it performed, worked for the promotion and spread of this dance form. Dilip Kakati is the person who currently trains a group of girls, in an attempt to save this art. [8]

Pathsala is also known for Maderi, the universal perfume. "Jogot Jinibo Jishnui Padi" is a famous quote which started from 2011.

Education

Pathsala is among the top educational hubs in Assam, producing toppers in both SEBA and AHSEC Exams.[9][10]

Bajali Higher Secondary School, established in 1926 and Bajali College (now upgraded to Bhattadev University[11]) established in 1955 are the oldest educational institutions in the area. Pathsala is also known as Educational Town of Assam.

Apart from these government funded institutions, there are several private institutions. Shankardev Shishu Vidya Niketan, Pathsala Sikshapith Adarsha High School and Junior College, Anundoram Borooah Academy,[12] Krishna Kanta Handiqui Junior and Degree College etc. are some of private institutions of note.[13]

Transportation

• Railways: Pathsala Town is well connected by Indian Railways with places like Kolkata, Guwahati, Barpeta Road, Bongaigaon etc.

This is a list of trains to different places from Pathsala:[14]

Train Number (Up/Down)	Train Name	Train Type
55713 / 55714	Rangiya Junction - New Jalpaiguri Passenger	Passenger
55801 / 55802	Manas Rhino Passenger	Passenger
15469 / 15470	Alipur Duar Junction - Lumding Express	Express
55809 / 55810	Guwahati - New Bongaigaon Junction Passenger	Passenger
55753 / 55754	Alipur Duar Junction - Guwahati SIFUNG Passenger	Passenger
15471 / 15472	Alipur Duar - Kamakhya InterCity Express	Express
15959 / 15960	Kamrup Express	Express

• Roads: The National Highway 31 (India) runs through Pathsala and has connectivity to all parts of Assam. The National Highway 152 (India), connecting Bhutan with Assam, starts from Pathsala.

References

1. "Census of India 2011, Pathsala". Census Of India. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
2. "The mobile theatres of Assam | Assam Portal, Paragraph 3". assam.org. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
3. "Pathsala Town Committee-Home". pathsalatc.org.in. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
4. "Pathsala Town Committee City Population Census 2011-2019 | Assam". www.census2011.co.in. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
5. "A List of Mobile theatres in Assam" (PDF). Retrieved 10 August 2019.
6. "Pathsala Town Committee | Culture". pathsalatc.org.in. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
7. Dr. Kamal Nayan Patowari. "The Kalika Puraa and the Yogini Tantra:A Comparative Study in Reference to Great Indian Rivers" (PDF).
8. IANS (16 March 2017). "Assam's Devadasi dance experiences a slow revival". Business Standard India. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
9. "5 from Pathsala private schools secure ranks". Assam Tribune. 3 June 2015. Retrieved 8 September 2018.
10. "Pathsala students shine in HSLC examination". Assam Tribune. 29 May 2011. Retrieved 8 September 2018.
11. "Dr Birinchi Kumar Das officially appointed as First VC of Bhattadev University in Bajali". The Sentinel. 25 June 2019. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
12. "ARBA | Home". www.arba.in. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
13. A Town is Born - How Pathsala became one of Assam’s major education hubs in the space of a decade "A Town is Born - How Pathsala became one of Assam’s major education hubs in the space of a decade"
14. Indian Railways Data "Pathsala Station Stoppages for NFR "