The Gazetteers Department

Entertainment in one form or another has become the part and parcel of every day life. It has become an item of expenditure in the budget of every urbanite.

The 1921 Census reported the number of actual persons following this occupation as 707 (676 males and 31 females). The Census included in these services such as, music composers and masters, players on all kinds of musical instruments (not military, singers and dancers. As per the 1931 Census, there were 959 (902 males and 57 females) musicians in this category.

As per the 1951 and 1961 Censuses, the number of persons engaged in recreation services was 461 (441 males, 20 females) and 576 (552 males, 24 females), respectively. The 1951 Census included in the category, those employed in production and distribution of motion pictures and the operation of cinemas and allied services, managers, and employees of theatres, actors, dancers, etc., conjurers, acrobats, wrestlers, reciters, exhibitors of curiosities and wild animals and radio broad-casting studios

The 1961 District Census classified those engaged in recreation services in four categories as could be seen from the following table.

TABLE No. 2

Classification of the number of Persons engaged in Recreation Services, 1961

Classification of recreation services	Total			Rural			Urban
Classification of recreation services	Persons	Males	Females	Persons	Males	Females	Persons	Males	Females
1. Production of motion pictures and allied services, such as. pressing, editing, etc.	9	9	—	2	2	—	7	7	—
2. Recreation services rendered by cinema houses by exhibition of motion pictures.	226	223	3	74	74	—	152	149	3
3.Recreation services rendered by organisations and individuals, such as. those of theatres, opera companies, ballet and dancing parties, musicians, exhibitions, circus, carnivals etc.	336	315	21	195	184	11	141	131	10
4. Recreation services rendered by indoor and outdoor sports by organisations and individuals including horse, motor, etc. racing.	5	5	—	—	—	—	5	5	—

At present the tamasha or lokanatya in rural areas, and cinema, drama in (lie urban areas are the common forms of recreation round in the district. In 1965-66, there were 19 permanent cinema houses and tour fouring talkies in the district. There were four cinema houses m Akola tahsil, while Mangrulpir tahsil had only one in 1965.

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