4 April 2024/
VETERAN THEATRE ACTIVIST PROBIR GUHA HONOURED WITH BADAL SARKAR AWARD
Veteran Theatre activist and dramatist Probir Guha was honoured by the prestigious Badal Sarkar Award constituted by the Remembrance Theatre Group, Vallachira, Trichur on 31 March 2024.
Remembrance Theatre Group, a dedicated drama group founded in memory of late theatre artist Jos Chirammal hosts a Theatre Workshop at Jos Chiramal Theatre Island in Vallachira, Thrissur, Kerala and presented the prestigious award in the memory of legendary Indian dramatist and theatre director Badal sarkar who has taken theatre out of the proscenium in to public and established a ‘Third Theatre Group’.
“I am extremely proud to receive this award and would like to thank the Theatre Group, Vallachira, Trichur founded in memory of late theatre artist Jos Chirammal. If you ever ask me how to conquer greed in life? My answer is Jos.
If you ask me how to transform peoples anger into theatre?
My answer would be Jos Chirammal,” says the internationally acclaimed dramatist Probir Guha, remembering his association with the most influential theatre artist who spent his whole life in developing a contemporary, experimental theatre culture in every nook and corner of the state.
Renowned Playwright and director Probir Guha has been acting and directing particularly in agitprop and non-proscenium theatre and founded the Living Theatre in 1977. He has been actively involved in raising regional and local themes to highlight human sufferings through public theatre, defying conventional methods and communicating with rural-urban audiences. Performing in villages and small towns, the theatre consistently created social consciousness, and continues to work on experimental theatre all over India and abroad.
The veteran artist Probir Guha had the working experiences with some major directors of the world like Jerzy Grotowski in Poland, Eugenio Barba in the former west Germany, Peter Brook in France, J.B Hatch, Anna Hallprin, Roger Simon, Richard Schchner and Peter Schuman in United States, Toshi Tsitchuteri in France and John Martin from England. He has worked with dancers like Sanjukta Panigrahi (Odissi, India), Micado Cadet (Vudu, Haiti), I made Pasek tempo (Topeng and Legong , Bali), Katsuko Ajuma (Kabuki and Noh, Japan), Sudhir kumar Chhow, India), Lokendrajit Singh (Kabui Naga, India), Ojha Mangi (Thang Ta, India), Hu Chun Lin (Peking Opera, China), Krishna Das ( Kalaripayattu, India) and P.N.Rajeev (Kathakali, India).
The eminent Theatre artist Probir Guha conducted many workshops and directed plays in India and abroad including at the Tisch School of Drama, New York; Bangladesh, Pakistan, USA, Thailand, Hong Kong, Japan, Germany, Poland, Nepal, Holland, France, Denmark, Sweden and China.
He was the Creative Initiator for the projects ‘Aditi’ and ‘Mela’ for the FESTIVAL OF INDIA in the United States where he directed a collective performance by 75 folk performers from India at the Smithsonian Institute, Washington. He also directed ‘WE ARE’ with Castillo Theatre Centre, New York.
He participated in the Theatre of Sources, conducted by Grotowski in Poland in 1980, and the International School for Theatre Anthropology, conducted by Eugenio Barba at Bonn. He also participated as a resource person in Images of Asia in Denmark. He was also invited to Tokyo and Sendai in Japan for the Asia Meet Asia Festival. Besides his association with theatre groups, he worked with many NGOs all over the world.
He was the President and founder member of NATI (NationWide Alternative Theatre Initiative), Executive member of SATCO (South Asian Theatre Committee), member of IDEA (International Drama/Theatre & Education Association, Netherlands), Ex General Secretary, Bahirangan (A forum of experimental theatre groups), ex- member, Paschim Banga Natya Akademi. He is also visiting Faculty in many theatre institutions and Universities in India and abroad along with Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration – LBSNAA (IAS Academy), Mussouri and mentor, Centre for Performing Art, Swami Vivekananda University, West Bengal.
Shri Probir Guha was honoured with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for direction by Honourable President of India in 2008 and also received Commemorative Awards for his contribution in People’s Theatre from American Biographical Institute. He received many awards and acted in two films by Buddhadev Das Gupta and Sandip Roy. He also directed two tele-films in Santhali and in Bengali language.
Veteran theatre activist Probir Guha continues to do experimental theatre with various marginalised groups including peasants, workers and downtrodden all over the world.
