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Vijay Tendulkar : Leading Indian Playwright

Contributor — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 08:00:57 +0000

Vijay Tendulkar (7 January 1928 – 19 May 2008) was a leading Indian playwright, movie and television writer, literary essayist, political journalist, and social commentator primarily in Marāthi. He is best known for his plays, Shantata! Court Chalu Aahe (1967), Ghāshirām Kotwāl (1972), and Sakhārām Binder (1972).Many of Tendulkar’s plays derived inspiration from real-life incidents or social upheavals, which provides clear light on harsh realities. He provided his guidance to students studying “Playwright writing” in US universities. For over five decades, Tendulkar had been a highly influential dramatist and theater personality in Mahārāshtra.

Awards

Tendulkar won Maharashtra State government awards in 1956, 1969 and 1972; and “Mahārāshtra Gauruw Puraskār” in 1999. He was honored with the Sangeet Nātak Akademi Award in 1970, and again in 1998 with the Academy’s highest award for “lifetime contribution”, the Sangeet Nātak Akademi Fellowship (“Ratna Sadasya”). In 1984, he received the Padma Bhushan award from the Government of India for his literary accomplishments.

In 1977, Tendulkar won the National Film Award for Best Screenplay for his screenplay of Shyām Benegal’s movie, Manthan (1976). He has written screenplays for many significant art movies, such as Nishānt, Ākrosh, and Ardh Satya.

A comprehensive list of awards is given below:

* 1970 Sangeet Nātak Akademi Award
* 1970 Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay Award
* 1977 National Film Award for Best Screenplay: Manthan
* 1981 Filmfare Best Screenplay Award: Aakrosh
* 1981 Filmfare Best Story Award: Aakrosh
* 1983 Filmfare Best Screenplay Award: Ardh Satya
* 1984 Padma Bhushan
* 1993 Saraswati Samman
* 1998 Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship
* 1999 Kalidas Samman
* 2001 Katha Chudamani Award
* 2006 The Little Magazine SALAM Award

Bibliography
Novels

* Kādambari: Ek (Novel: One) (1996)
* Kādambari: Don (Novel: Two) (2005)

Short Story Anthologies

* Dwandwa (Duel) (1961)
* Phulāpākhare (Butterflies) (1970)

Plays

* Gruhastha (Householder) (1947)
* Shrimant (The Rich) (1956)
* Mānoos Nāwāche Bet (An Island Named ‘Man’) (1958)
* Thief! Police!
* Bāle Miltāt (1960)
* Gidhāde (The Vultures) (1961)
* Pātlāchyā Poriche Lagin (Marriage of a Village Mayor’s Daughter) (1965)
* Shantata! Court Chalu Aahe(Hindi: Khāmosh! Adālat Jāri Hai) (Silence! The Court is in Session) (1967)
* Ajgar Ani Gandharwa (A Boa Constrictor and “Gandharwa”)
* Sakharam Binder (Sakhārām, the Book-Binder) (1972)
* Kamalā (“Kamala”) (1981)
* Mādi [in Hindi]
* Kanyādān (Giving Away of a Daughter in Marriage) (1983)
* Anji
* Dāmbadwichā Mukābalā (Encounter in Umbugland)
* Ashi Pākhare Yeti (Hindi: Panchi Aise Aate Hain) (Thus Arrive the Birds)
* Kutte
* Safar/Cyclewallah (The Cyclist) (1991)
* The Masseur (2001)
* Pāhije Jātiche (It Has to Be in One’s Blood)
* Jāt Hi Poochho Sādhu Ki (Ask a Fakir’s Lineage)
* Mājhi Bahin (My Sister)
* Jhālā Ananta Hanumanta (“Infinite” Turned “Hanumanta”)
* Footpāyrichā Samrāt (Sidewalk Emperor)
* Mitrāchi Goshta (A Friend’s Story) (2001)
* Anand Owari [A play based on a novel by D. B. Mokashi]
* Bhāu MurārRāo
* Bhalyākākā
* Mee Jinkalo Mee Haralo (I won, I Lost)
* His Fifth Woman [in English] (2004)
* Bebi

Musicals

* Ghashiram Kotwal (Ghashiram, the Constable) (1972)

Translations

* Mohan Rakesh’s Adhe Adhure (originally in Hindi)
* Girish Karnad’s Tughlaq (originally in Kannada)
* Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire (originally in English)

Beautiful Folk Dances of India

Contributor — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 08:58:01 +0000

India is a country with diversity in all forms. Like diversity in religions, traditions, languages, costumes, and food choices, the country also boasts of a huge diversity in classical and folk dances. Every dance form is unique to a specific state or religion and is different with respect to its structure, style, and form that encompass uniqueness in costumes, pattern of dancing, and make-up.

Folk dances are actually traditional dances of different state that reflects the traditional beliefs, values, principles, and lifestyle of respective religion. Like for example, Bihu is the folk dance of Assam and is a clear reflection of the cultural beliefs of Assamese. These dances are mainly performed during rituals and religious ceremonies of a particular community. Most of these are dedicated to worshipping specific God of the specific community. Every community enjoys specific dances belonging to their religion with colorful costumes and traditional jewelries. One thing that is common in all forms is the peace of mind and joy it delivers.

Some of the most popular folk dances of India are from Rajasthan, Punjab, Gujarat, and Maharashtra.

Rajasthan is a hometown of dances like kalbelia dance, chari dance, fire dance, and ghoomar dance. Kalbelia dance is dedicated to the kalbelia community whose main occupation in the history was catching snakes and trading snake venom. Chari dance is a form in which dancers carry a lit brass pot on their heads and showcase a perfect union of patience, balance, and flexibility. Fire dance is related to the Banjara community and is worth appreciation. The dancers use flame sticks, kerosene oil, and flame rods while dancing. Ghoomar dance belongs to the Rajput community where women dance gracefully to convey the spirit of any holy or religious ceremony.

Punjab is also a hometown of known folk dances. The most popular among them are bhangra and gidda. Bhangra is performed mainly by men during the Baisakhi festival. On the other hand, gidda is a counterpart of bhangra as it is performed by Punjabi women. Both the dance forms are colorful and joyful. People enjoy the beats, rhythm, and even costume of these dances from the state of Punjab.

Garba and dandiya are major folk dances of Gujarat. Garba is a graceful dance that is formerly associated with the legend of Lord Krishna. In the present era it is one of the most popular dance forms across the country that is mainly performed during the nine days of Navratri to please goddess Durga. Dandiya is also energetic and colorful like garba but is played with dandiya sticks.

In the state of Maharashtra lavani dance and dindi dance are very popular. Lavani is a musical form that is dedicated to the celebration of coming of spring season mainly in the Thanjavur district. Dindi is the religious dance form of the state and is mainly performed on the eleventh day of the kartik month.

Apart from these there are many other folk dances across the country. To name few more there is dhamal, gair, gatka, karagam, laathi nauch, kikli, kavadi, saami, sakhi nata, terehtali, mathuri, and luddi. All these forms are amazingly beautiful and are filled with elation, joy, and spirituality.

Habib Tanvir

Contributor — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 09:07:43 +0000

Habib Tanvir (1 September 1923 – 8 June 2009) was one of the most popular Indian Urdu, Hindi playwrights, a theatre director, poet and actor. He is the writer of plays such as, Agra Bazar (1954) and Charandas Chor (1975). A pioneer in Urdu, Hindi theatre, he is most known for his work with Chhattisgarhi tribals, at the Naya Theatre, a theatre company he founded in 1959 in Bhopal, and went on to include indigenous performance forms such as nacha, to create not only a new theatrical language, but also milestones such as Charandas Chor, Gaon ka Naam Sasural, Mor Naam Damad and Kamdeo ka Apna Basant Ritu ka Sapna.

For him true “theatre of the people” existed in the villages, which he strived to bring to the urban “educated”, employing both folk performers as actors alongside urban actors. He died on 8th of June 2009 at Bhopal after a three week long illness. Upon his death, he was the last of pioneering actor-managers in Indian theatre, which included Sisir Bhaduri, Utpal Dutt and Prithviraj Kapoor, and often he managed plays with mammoth cast, such as Charandas Chor which included an orchestra of 72 people on stage and Agra Bazaar had 52 people.

During his lifetime he won several national and international awards, including the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1969, Padma Shri in 1983, Kalidas Samman 1990, Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship in 1996, and the Padma Bhushan in 2002; apart from that he had also been nominated to become a member of the Upper House of Indian Parliament, the Rajya Sabha (1972-1978). His play ‘Charandas Chor’ (Charandas, The Thief) got him the Fringe Firsts Award at Edinburgh International Drama Festival in 1982, and in 2007, it was credited for “an innovative dramaturgy equally impelled by Brecht and folk idioms, Habib Tanvir seduces across language barriers in this his all-time biggest hit about a Robin Hood-style thief” as it was included in the Hindustan Times’ list of ‘India’s 60 Best works since Independence’.

International Children’s Theater announces 2010-11 season