  We study variable stars in the field of the open cluster NGC 381 using
photometric data observed over 27 nights and identify a total of 57 variable
stars out of which five are member stars. The variable stars are classified
based on their periods, amplitudes, light curve shapes, and locations in the
H-R diagram. We found a rich variety of variable stars in the cluster. We
identified a total of 10 eclipsing binaries out of which 2 are Algol type (EA)
while 8 are W UMa type (EW) binaries. The estimated ages of these EW binaries
are greater than 0.6 Gyr which is in agreement with the formation time
constraint of > 0.6 Gyr on short-period eclipsing binaries. The estimation of
the physical parameters of the three EW type binaries is done using PHOEBE
model-fitting software. The pulsating variable stars include one each from
{\delta} Scuti and {\gamma} Dor variability class. We determined the pulsation
modes of pulsating variables with the help of the FAMIAS package. We obtained
15 rotational variables stars comprising four dwarf stars identified on the
basis log(g) versus log(Tef f ) diagram. These dwarf stars are found to have
generally larger periods than the remaining rotational variables.
