Khan is a unique folk cultural form practiced by the rural people of
South Dinajpur District. This age-old-folk form belongs to the scheduled caste and scheduled tribe communities. It is a kind of folk opera with songs intermingled with dialogues. The language used is Bengali in the form of local dialect. The songs are composed and tuned by the participants. The songs and dialogues are improvised, hence the lack of written manuscripts.
The theme for Khan is taken from any local scandalous incident or illicit act committed by any local person. Khan performers are mostly concentrated in Kushmandi and Bangshihari blocks. The performance takes place in the open and continues from late evening to the wee hours of the morning.
Nowadays, the Khan teams and players are scattered almost all over the district. There are professional 'Khan' troupes also.
