Context: Recently, a centuries-old folk theatre form and the worship of a forest goddess i.e. Bon Bibi has helped the natives of the Sundarban survive by understanding the power of nature and the limits of human needs.
About Bon Bibi

• Bonbibi is a unique deity who brings together Hindus and Muslims residing in Bengal’s Sunderbans.
• The followers of Bon Bibi are fishermen, crab-collectors and honey-gatherers who live in the mangroves with wild animals such as tigers and crocodiles to earn a livelihood.
• They believe that only Bon Bibi protects them when they enter the forest.
• People express their belief in Bon Bibi is through Bon Bibi’r Palagaan.

Bon Bibi’r Palagaan

• It is a centuries-old folk theatre and dramatic storytelling form that is enacted throughout the island.
• Traditionally, the performances are held near Bon Bibi temples or villages bordering the forests.

About Sunderbans

• The Sundarbans mangrove forest, one of the largest such forests in the world (140,000 ha), lies on the delta of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers on the Bay of Bengal. 

Sundarbans National Park

• It is a tiger and biosphere reserve located in the Sunderbans delta in the state of West Bengal (India). 
• The park was established as a national park in 1984.
• It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.
• The Sunderban Wetland was listed as the 27th Ramsar site in India since 2019.
• It stretches from River Hooghly in West Bengal, India, all the way to River Baleswar in Bangladesh.