Sixty year old Dinesh Debsarma of Uttar Dinajpur is an artist who straddles a variety of performing arts - Satyapir, Bishohari and Lokhiala.  He is a devotee of Satyapir and claims that he is empowered by his worship. 

He was encouraged to join the folk theatre community as a young lad by his father, a folk performer himself with a Satyapir group. Thus, at the age of 12, Dinesh started training to be a Satyapir performer.

Dinesh leads his own Satyapir group, but regularly freelances with other groups who perform Bishohara or Lokkhiala folk theatre (both of which today, mainly exist in the jatra form). Bishohara is the folk theatre of North Bengal based on the serpent goddess Bishohari or Manosha, while Lokkhiala, similar to the Kushan of Cooch Behar, is folk theatre based on the story of Ram`s sons, Lav and Kush. 

With his long flowing hair, Dinesh does the female roles only. For instance, in the Bishohara jatras much loved by rural audiences, he plays the role of Manosha or Sanoka; in the Lokkhiala jatras, he plays Sita. At ritual performances for a village household, as part of Bishohari worship for a wedding or a birth, he is usually one of the "chhokras”. Unlike its jatra counterpart, a ritual performance is in a much simpler format, with just the lead singer or gayen, who performs the various characters along with his assistant or doari, who also doubles as a "joker". A few male dancers dressed as women or “chhokras” make up the rest of this team.  But for most of the time, he performs in Satyapir Gaan. These ritual performances are organized in honour of the Pir, as a token of gratitude for blessings received or promises fulfilled or as an annual tradition. These can extend from a single day to three days to a week even, depending on how much the household that is hosting the event can afford.  Most of the villagers who host them are Hindus. 

Dinesh is busy with his programmes throughout the year, and is home for only three months, during the monsoons, when he tends to his land along with his family  His performances take him around the villages and towns of Uttar and Dakshin Dinajpur , other districts of West Bengal as well as neighbouring Nepal. 

Dinesh, who is very proud of his organizational abilities, is often called upon by local authorities to help put together cultural performances, reaching out to a wide variety of folk performers. Dinesh, who is a grandfather, has taught many students over the years, but rues the fact that students these days do not have the patience to complete their training.