Raj Bisaria

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Raj Bisaria (born November 10, 1935) is an Indian director, producer, actor and teacher, described by the Press Trust of India as "the father of the modern theatre in India".[1] He has blended artistic concepts and impulse of the East and the West, the traditional and the modern and has been devoted to the cause of Theatre and Acting.

Raj Bisaria

Raj Bisaria
Born (10-11-1935)November 1935, 10
Lakimpur Kheri, Uttar Pradesh, India
Other names Raju
Occupation Theatre Director, Actor, Producer and Educationist
Notable work(s) Founder of the Theatre Arts Workshop and Bhartendu Academy of Dramatic Arts
Spouse(s) Mrs. Kiran Raj Bisaria[2]
Website
www.taw.org.in

Biography

Life

Raj Bisaria was born in Lakhimpur Kheri, Uttar Pradesh, on Nov 10, 1935, the son of Late Mr. P.L. Bisaria and Mrs. Leelavati Singh. He was educated at Colvin Taluqdars' College and Lucknow University, Lucknow and, retired as a senior professor of English Literature from Lucknow University. In 1969, Bisaria married the Kiran Kuchawan; the couple have a daughter, named Rajina.[2]

The initiative was taken by his University Theatre Group formed in 1962.[3] Four years later,Raj Bisaria founded the Theatre Arts Workshop (TAW) in 1966[4] and Bhartendu Academy of Dramatic Arts, Government of Uttar Pradesh, in 1975, and the Repertory Company of BNA in 1981.[5][6] He is the first man from UP to have been awarded a Padma Shree for work in modern theatre and his contribution towards stunning growth of theatre in India.[7]

Raj Bisaria tried to infuse a new sense of consciousness with regard to the dramatic and performing arts and aesthetic awareness of the performing arts in northern India.[8][9]

After high came the lows. Bisaria was inexplicably removed as the honorary director of Bhartendu Academy of Dramatic Arts, and he was assaulted twice, first in 1988 and then in 1995.[10]

Theatre Training

Theatre training for Raj Bisaria over the years, besides efforts on his own, included an invitation by the British Council, London, to visit U.K. and train at the British Drama League (now the British Theatre Association) as a producer, drama - instructor, and adjudicator, in 1969.[11]

Director and Designer

Raj Bisaria tried that the dramatic and performing arts conform to a professional discipline and communicate through a new aesthetic medium. His plays are concerned with man-women relationship and social issues of special concern to him.[4][12] Through the productions of European and Indian plays since 1966 Mr. Bisaria presented a wide spectrum of contemporary world drama as director and designer, setting his own parallel, pursues the theatre of excellence.[9]

He has ventured to blend artistic concepts and impulse of the East and the West, the traditional and the modern, and has been passionately devoted to the cause of Theatre and acting. It is his firm belief that this art form can be used for its therapeutic qualities for the overall healthy development of personality of the young, apart from being a vehicle for disseminating information, and creating consciousness about social- political issues, as indeed affording aesthetic and ennobling enlightenment and enriching the cultural consciousness of modern India.

Largely using his own devices and creative expression he began his work in the English and began to use Hindustani as the spoken medium of expression from the 1973. He has encouraged folk theatre form of UP - the Nautanki.[13]

As stage and light designer his use of colours and perception of its psychology, which helped him in creating a new spectrum of innovative theatrical images and which moved from realistic to the symbolic and at times poetic. Obviously the effort was to promote a serious bi-lingual theatre, more purposive and contextually relevant to India's social conditions. But in 1972, he took a major shift in his emphasis from modern Euro-American productions to plays in Hindi of modern Indian playwrights: Mohan Rakesh, Badal Sircar, Adya Rangacharya, Dharamvir Bharti, Shesh and Mohit Chatterjee.[7]

Over the years, Raj Bisaria produced & directed over 75 major theatre production. In addition he supervised, produced/directed a large number of productions in the Bhartendu Academy of Dramatic Arts during 1975 to 1986 and later on; and also in National School of Drama and for its Repertory Company.

His major and memorable productions have included Shakespeare's Julius Caesar', Macbeth, Othello, King Lear; George Bernard Shaw's Candida; Sartre's In Camera; Ionesco’s The Lesson; Strindberg's Father, Jean Anouilh’s Antigone; Maxwell Anderson’s Barefoot in Athens and various plays of Chekhov, Ionesco, Tennessee Williams, Shaffer, Pinter and so on. His major productions of Indian plays have included Dharamvir Bharti's Andha Yug, Badal Sircar's Baqi Itihas, Adya Rangacharya's Suno Janmejaya, Elkunchwar's Garbo, Mohan Rakesh's Aadhe-Adhre, Mohit Chatterjee's Guinea Pig etc.[14][15][16]

Actor

As an actor of stage, radio, television and films, Mr. Bisaria is known as an artiste of rare sensitivity, talent and discipline. Since 1978, he is rated as a top grade actor of the Doordarshan.[9] As theatre actor Raj Bisaria did meaningful roles in several of TAW English and Hindi stage productions, films and television.[17]

He played leading roles in at least two dozen plays in English and Hindi, such as:

Impresario

As impresario Raj Bisaria's widening interests had led to the introduction of Irshad Panjatan's mime in 1967 and next year the presentation of the Murray Louis Dance Company of USA. This broadening activity and involvement with the performing arts also saw a classical dance performance by Sonal Mansingh, in 1970, the debut of Om Shivpuri's Dishanter group in 1972, a painting exhibition of R.S. Bisht's miniature and, Richard Schechner's modern American theatre, both in 1976 and the Annapolis Brass Quintet in 1981 - all arranged at the initiative of Raj Bisaria's TAW.[18]

Educationist

As a dramaturge his primary concern was an effort to resolve the problem of creative reinterpretation of the classical and theatrical art of his region to find itself in contemporary social relevance.

He structured Theatre Training Programmes in U.P. through workshops and full-fledged certificate and diploma courses in North India since 1966 and founded in 1975 for the Government of U.P. India's Second School of Drama:Bhartendu Natya Akademi-Bhartendu Academy of Dramatic Arts.[1]

Raj Bisaria is vitally interested as actor, director and theatre teacher in the system of Constantine Stanislavsky and Brecht. Stanislavsky, the great Russian director, actor and teacher provides the core of Raj Bisaria's work as the director and educationist of contemporary Indian Theatre. Later, he nurtured over the years and introduced his own system of holistic acting, which produced three generations of actors and directors.[8]

Theatre Arts Workshop

Raj Bisaria founded the Theatre Arts Workshop (TAW), in 1966, a non profit making, premier training and performing group, that initiated World Modern sensibility and excellence in Theatre performance.[19][20]

TAW is considered the protagonist of theatre art, from the classical to the experimental plays has been exhibiting in this bold and brave enterprise.[21] TAW spotlighted the emergence of a remarkable sophistication in the dramatic arts which gained a new impetus and created an unusual impact on the audience despite all its limitations of response.[22]

According to The Pioneer, The dynamism of TAW productions, their stylistic experimentation and directorial subtlety, were never in doubt on either side of the proscenium. But TAW's plays proved too radical in the context of existing provincial attitudes.[8][23]

TAW mounted on stage the European and American playwrights; its repertoire including Shakespeare, Shaw, Sartre, lonesco, Fry, Arthur Miller, Tennessee Williams, Noël Coward, Ronald Duncan, Rattigan, Harold Pinter, Ann Jellicoe, Peter Shaffer, Edward Albee, Jean Anouilh, Maxwell Anderson[24] and Orton.[10]

Bhartendu Academy of Dramatic Arts

As a theatre educator as early as 1973, Raj Bisaria suggested to the State Government that he should start a semi-professional repertory theatre in Uttar Pradesh, in 1974 the State Government went a few steps further and requested him to evolve a scheme for establishing a drama school, which would function as a full fledged academy of dramatic arts.[25][26]

Bhartendu Natya Akademi (BNA): Bhartendu Academy of Dramatic Arts (BADA), when it was founded in 1975 (with Raj Bisaria as its founder director) became the first of its kind in the large Hindi belt of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. The only other being the Delhi based National School of Drama.[27] From 1975 to 1986, in an honorary capacity shouldered the total responsibility of teaching acting and direction (aspects both theoretical and practical) western drama, from Greeks to modern times; theatre criticism and adjudication and aesthetics of light, and set design. He worked again as, director of the akademi as well as the director of its Repertory Company from 1989 to 1992, 1995 to 1997.[10]

As theatre administrator with minimal facilities, poor funds and negligible infrastructure, he has developed and consolidated the viability and status of a school of theatre beginning initially as an elementary agency for dissemination of theatrical know-how in 1976 to a professional academy of dramatic arts in 1981.[8]

Bisaria was inexplicably removed as the honorary director of Bhartendu Academy of Dramatic Arts.

Major productions as Director

  • Sep 1972 Say Who You Are - Keith Waterhouse, Willis Hall, (TAW)[38]

These productions were in English Language.

  • May 1973 Baki Itihas - Badal Sircar, (TAW)[38]
  • Jun 1973 Guinea Pig - Mohit Chatterji, (TAW)
  • Jul 1974 Suno Janmejaya - Adhya Rangacharya, (TAW)[39]
  • Jan 1975 Akela Jeev Sadashiv - Ratnaker Matkari, (TAW)
  • August 1979 Garbo - Mahesh Elkunchawar, (TAW)[40]
  • 1979 Andha Yug - Dharmaveer Bharti, (Bhartendu Natya Akademi)[41]
  • 1984 Bahut Bada Sawal - Mohan Rakesh,(Bhartendu Natya Akademi)
  • 1984 Baki Itihas - Badal Sircar, (Bhartendu Natya Akademi)
  • Apr 1995 Hot Air - Franc Karinthy,(TAW)[45]

These productions were in Hindi Language.

Honours

  • Padma Shree[60] - 1990, for contribution to Modern Indian Theatre, by the Government of India the first theatre person from Uttar Pradesh to be so honoured.[7]
  • U.P. RATNA - 1996 - by All India Conference of Intellectuals for Theatre Direction and Contribution to Media.
  • Distinguished Service Honour - NGO Helpage India - 1997.
  • Fun-Vibhushan, NGO, Bhartiya Funkar Society, U.P. - 1998.
  • Bhartendu Natya Akademi - Recognition for his unique services and contribution as its founder-director - 2000.
  • Central Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for Direction- 2004.[10][61]
  • Aditya Vikram Birla Kalashikhar Puraskar – Life Time Achievement Award - 2010[62]
  • The Chaman Lal Memorial Award - for Life-Long Achievement to Theatre World - 2012[63]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Thakore, Dolly (3 June 1984). "Raj Bisaria: Founder of the Hindi Theatre Movement". Mid-Day, Mumbai. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 http://members.iinet.net.au/~royalty/ips/k/kuchaman.html
  3. ↑ Kala, Mr. S.C. (5 January 1964). "An Evening With Young Actors". The Illustrated Weekly Of India: 51. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Theatre Arts Workshop, Lucknow". The National Herald. April 6, 1969. 
  5. ↑ http://bna.noetic.in/english/founder_director.htm
  6. ↑ http://www.thelucknowtribune.org/news.php?cat=277 My affair with theatre continues
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Saxena, Rajeev (15 April 1990). "Raj Bisaria's 'Fine Madness'". The Sunday Observer. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Sagar, Anand (26 March 1978). "Raj Bisaria Learns To Give More Then He Gets". The Pioneer. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 "Teacher - turned dramatist Bisaria gets Padamshri". The Pioneer, Lucknow. 30 January 1990. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 Pandey, Manish Chandra (20 February 2005). "Not curtains yet for creative theatre genius". Hindustan Times, Lucknow. 
  11. ↑ Sagar, Anand (March 26, 1978). "Raj Bisaria Learns To Give More Then He Gets". The Pioneer, Lucknow. 
  12. ↑ Narain, Prof. S.K. (9 May 1971). "TAW: Bisaria's Fresh Effort". Sunday Magazine, National Herald. 
  13. ↑ "Director Without A Theatre". The Pioneer, Lucknow. Feb 23, 1970. 
  14. ↑ "My Best Is Yet To Come". The Hindu, Madras. 12 August 1983. 
  15. ↑ "Raj Bisaria leaves audience spell-bound". The Northern Patrika,Allahabad. 11 January 1997. 
  16. ↑ Agrawal, Pratibha (2005). Bhartiya Rangkosh. New Delhi: Rastriya Natya Vidyalaya. p. 397. ISBN 81-8197-010-1. 
  17. ↑ Saxena, Rajeev (15 April 1990). "Raj Bisaria's 'Fine Madness'". The Sunday Observer, Lucknow. 
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Shephered, Keith (12 September 1971). "A tete-a-tete with Bisaria". The National Herald,Lucknow. 
  19. ↑ "Lucknow Theatre Winning Against Heavy Odds". The Times of India, New Delhi. May 8, 1968. 
  20. ↑ "World Is A Stage". The Pioneer. February 1, 1970. 
  21. ↑ Narain, S.K. (23 September 1984). "TAW-The Protagonist Of Theatre Art". The Pioneer. 
  22. ↑ Jaffar, Mehru (13 June 1976). "After 10 Summers In Lucknow". The Statesman,New Delhi. 
  23. ↑ Panje, Usha (March 8, 1970). "Theatre Arts Workshop: Cross Roads". The National Herald. 
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 "Philosophy Revisited!". Hindustan Times. 12 April 13. 
  25. ↑ Srivastava, Krishnaji (February 1977). "Bhartendu Natya Kendra". Swatantra Bharat,Lucknow. 
  26. ↑ "Little Acts Of Life". Indian Express, Madras. 30 July 1983. 
  27. ↑ "Bhartendu Natya Kendra Gains In Popularity". The Pioneer. 13 February 1977. 
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 Nagar, Mr. Sharad (6 June 1967). "Lession in Lucknow Box". Enact. 
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 "A Rare Treat For Theatre-Goers". National Herald. May 6, 1967. 
  30. ↑ "Amateurs Steals the Show". Enlite. 10 June 1967. 
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 31.2 "Three Course Menu". Enlite. Jan 6, 1968. 
  32. ↑ "'The Knack' at Ravindralaya". The Pioneer. March 31, 1968. 
  33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 33.2 "TAW's Hat Trick - Realism, Evasion and Absurd". The Pioneer. October 14, 1968. 
  34. ↑ "Better and Better". The Pioneer. October 21, 1968. 
  35. ↑ "Drama of Art and Laughter". The Pioneer. December 13, 1968. 
  36. ↑ "Tennessee Williams' Play At Ravindralaya". The Pioneer. May 14, 1969. 
  37. ↑ 37.0 37.1 37.2 Shepherd, Keith (5 September 1971). "Lone Steps Across The Boards". The National Herald. 
  38. ↑ 38.0 38.1 38.2 Acharya, Lena (15 February). "A Decade Of TAW". The National Herald. 
  39. ↑ "'Suno Janamejaya ' - A Critical Review". The Pioneer,Lucknow. 13 May 1977. 
  40. ↑ 40.0 40.1 "Probe Into Life". The Hindu, Madras. 17 August 1983. 
  41. ↑ "Andha Yug : Naye Rang-Bodh Ki Talash". Dharmayug. 9–15 March 1980. 
  42. ↑ "'Adhe Adhure' - Technically Superb Play". The Hindu, Madras. 14 August 1983. 
  43. ↑ "'Suniti' : A Slick Production". The Times Of India, Lucknow. 29 August 1984. 
  44. ↑ Nagpal, Kavita (2 December 1989). "A Step in the Right Direction". The Hindustan Times, Lucknow. 
  45. ↑ 45.0 45.1 "Mixed response to TAW plays". The Times Of India, Lucknow. November 1984. 
  46. ↑ Pandey, Nishi (23 January 2000). "Raj's back with a 'Raaz". Hindustan Times, Lucknow. 
  47. ↑ Manjul, Tarannum (12 November 2000). "A Man's Search For Identity". Hindustan Times, Lucknow. 
  48. ↑ Agrawal, Surya (9 April 2008). "Bisaria back with Macbeth". Hindustan Times, lucknow. 
  49. ↑ http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2008-04-17/others/27767384_1_hindi-version-harivansh-rai-bachchan-lady-macbeth
  50. ↑ Krishna, Sharmila (19 May 2010). "Keeping Shakespeare alive on stage". The Pioneer, Lucknow. 
  51. ↑ "king Lear enthrals audience". The Times of India, Lucknow. 19 May 2010. 
  52. ↑ http://lite.epaper.timesofindia.com/mobile.aspx?article=yes&pageid=4&edlabel=TOIL&mydateHid=19-05-2010&pubname=&edname=&articleid=Ar00406&format=&publabel=TOI
  53. ↑ 53.0 53.1 "TAW Plays It And How". Hindustan Times, Lucknow. 15 February 2011. 
  54. ↑ Pahwa, Meenakshi (19 February 2012). "TREAT FOR THEATRE LOVERS". Hindustan Times, Luckonw. 
  55. ↑ http://www.thelucknowtribune.org.cp-33.webhostbox.net/news.php?cat=465 Carry on TAW!
  56. ↑ http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-02-15/others/37100786_1_theatre-lovers-athens-difficult-task
  57. ↑ Bajeli, Diwan Singh (June 27, 2013). "Showing Life, As it Is". The Hindu, New Delhi. Retrieved 15 July 2013. 
  58. ↑ Singh, Madhulika. "In Pursuit Of Happiness". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 28 May 2013. 
  59. ↑ 59.0 59.1 Verma, Raj Saran (4 February 2005). "'All the World is a Stage'". Dainik Jagran, lucknow. 
  60. ↑ Padma Shri Awards (1990–1999)
  61. ↑ http://www.sangeetnatak.org/sna_hindi/events2005-06/2005-06awards-ceremony2004.htm
  62. ↑ http://www.sangitkalakendra.org/artist.php?action=view&artist_id=43
  63. ↑ http://www.delhievents.com/2012/04/18th-chaman-lal-memorial-memorial.html

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