Arvind Gaur

Arvind Gaur
Born 2 February 1963
Delhi, India
Occupation Theatre Director
Awards Karmaveer Puraskaar Artistes 4 Change; Colour of Nation Award, 2005

Arvind Gaur ( अरविन्द गौड़ ), Indian theatre director, is known for his work in innovative, socially and politically relevant theatre in India.[1][2] Gaur's plays are contemporary and thought-provoking, connecting intimate personal spheres of existence to larger social political issues.[3][4] His work deals with Internet censorship, communalism, caste issues, feudalism, domestic violence, crimes of state, politics of power, violence, injustice, social discrimination, marginalisation, and racism. Arvind is the leader of Asmita, Delhi's "most prolific theatre group",[5] and is an actor trainer, social activist, street theatre worker and story teller.[6]

Gaur was the recipient of a research fellowship awarded by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (India) (1997–98). He was on the guest faculty of Delhi University for Theatre in education program for three years. He has conducted many theatre workshops and performed in colleges, institutions, universities and schools in India and abroad.[7]

He has organized theatre workshops for children[8] in schools and slums as well as street theatre performances on socio-political issues.[9][10][11] He has directed more than 60 stage plays over two decades.[12][13]

Personal life

He was born on 2 February 1963 in Delhi. Arvind’s father Shri Shiva Nandan Sharma (died on 16.04.09) was a Maths scholar and his mother Saraswati Devi is a housewife. He has one brother, Anil Gaur, and three sisters: Shashi Prabha, late Mithlesh and Dr. Anita Gaur. His wife Dr. Sangeeta Gaur is a very talented vocalist, composer and music director. He has twin daughters Kakoli and Saveree.

Theatre career

After completing his schooling from Model School, Vivek Vihar in Delhi, he decided to study engineering in Electronic Communication. Later, he joined the Delhi Public Library drama group.[12][14] In DPL He acted in and directed plays. Then he worked with slum kids and industrial labourers for some time and conducted workshops for them. His first street play was with Zakir Hussein College, called Videshi Aya. It became very popular and he staged it around 200 schools. After this, his desire to express led him to journalism. He worked with the Navbharat Times newspaper as culture columnist for about four years.[12]

Watching plays, reading about them and writing about them is how his training in theatre started. He then shifted to Press Trust of India (PTI-TV). He was associated with TV serial Tana-Bana. He was in charge of the research and programming there. All through his years with street theatre, print and television, Gaur had developed keen interest in direction. Finally, after devoting two years to PTI-TV, he felt the urge to switch to theatre completely.[15]

Theatre journey

Arvind's debut play was Bhisham Sahni's Hanoosh (February, 1993). He started his theatre journey with classics like Tughlaq, Andha Yug, Caligula, Julius Caesar, etc.

He performed Girish Karnad's Tughlaq in a small basement theatre (SRC). It was a huge success. His Tughlaq was selected as "the best play of the year 1994" by Sahitya Kala Parishad. He achieved greater heights during a decade in theatre. He trained actors in his own style. He trained them as a complete theatre person. Arvind Gaur also collaborated with theatre artists and groups specially in exploring a new language for solo performances.[16]

Major directions

Solo play direction

Street plays

Gaur directed more than 40 street theatre performances on socio-political issues. He has always raised voice against any socio-political issue that effects the common public. He directed street plays like Corruption, Garbage, Road Rage, and Dastak which is against the issue of eve teasing. His street plays are always thought-provoking and leave a huge mark on the mindset. He and his team performs socio-political street plays all across Delhi/NCR and the country. He is regarded as a man with a message who believes that change can start from society, if we wish to start the change.[51][52]

Awards

Work for visual media

  1. Acted in short film "Meri Jeevan ki Abhilasha" directed by Kriti Takkar which won second best fiction film in "Mise-en-Scene", the international student’s film festival, 2010.
  2. Assistant director, docu-film "In search of an ideology", director Prasanna for Doordarshan, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India.
  3. Worked with Press Trust of India (PTI-TV).
  4. Acted in tele-film Dhabba directed by Green Oscar awardee Mike Pandey, produced by Nafisa Ali.
  5. Assistant director, docu-film Gokak (V. K. Gokak), director Prasanna for Sahitya Akademi, Delhi.
  6. Research and scripting for TV serial Taana-Bana (1991–1992), produced by Press Trust of India.

Translation and Scripting

Translation

Scripts

He scripted plays like Untitled, Gandhari, I will not Cry, Bitter Chocolate (based on Pinki Virani's book), Madhavi solo play (based on Bhisham Sahni's play) and many street plays for Asmita Theatre.

Major actors

Mallika Sarabhai and Arvind Gaur working on Bertolt Brecht's The Good Person of Szechwan.

Major cinema and theatre actors who trained under Arvind Gaur are Kangana Ranaut, Deepak Dobriyal, Manu Rishi, Shilpa Shukla, Rashi Bunny, Sheena Chohan, Aishveryaa Nidhi, Shilpi Marwaha, Tillotama Shome, Imran Zahid, Seema Azmi etc. Sonam Kapoor attended Gaur's acting workshop to learn the nuances of street theatre for her film Raanjhanaa.[53]

Other prominent theatre actors who worked with him are Mallika Sarabhai, Piyush Mishra, Lushin Dubey, Bubbles Sabharwal, Ruth Sheard, Jaimini Kumar, etc.[54]

Designs

Arvind Gaur designs lights for Naya Theatre group's major productions under the direction of Padma Shri Habib Tanvir. Gaur also assisted Shri Habib Tanvir during the Prithvi Theatre Festival. He designs lights for Agra Bazar (Nazir Akbarabadi's poetry), Charandas Chor (his masterpiece play, Edinburgh Fringe Award), Asghar Wajahat’s Jis Lahore Nai Dekhya, Kamdeo ka Apna Basant Ritu ka Sapna (Habib Tanvir's adaptation of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream), Canadian-Indian playwright Rahul Varma's Zahreeli Hawa and Gaon ke naon Sasural, mor naon Damand.

Further reading

  1. "Arvind Gaur-A Decade in Theatre" by J.N. Kaushal (ex-Acting Chief, National School of Drama, Repertory Company), published by ITI (International Theatre Institute), UNESCO, Indian Chapter
  2. "Raising the curtain on theatre": Director Arvind Gaur reflects on why India needs a cultural policy by Seema Sindhu (Life Fires, September, 2007)
  3. His Voice-"Ace Act", essay by Shekhar Chandran (New Women, Jan. 2008)
  4. "The World of Theatre" by Ian Herbert, Nicole Leclercq (P-126) published by International Theatre Institute

References

  1. ↑ Nandini Nair (3 May 2008). "Walking the causeway". Chennai, India: The Hindu. Retrieved 2008-10-09.
  2. ↑ Sonal Jaitly (10 June 2012). "Theatre is calling for change in India". Washington Times. Retrieved 2013-07-18.
  3. ↑ Vatsala Shrivastava (7 May 2010). "Livewire, uninterrupted". The Asian Age. Retrieved 2010-05-08.
  4. ↑ "Brechtfast in Ballimaran". Time Out Delhi. Retrieved 2008-10-09.
  5. ↑ Trisha Gupta. "Super trouper". Retrieved 2008-10-09.
  6. ↑ Neelima Menon (27 April 2008). "Staging Narratives-Storytelling session for visually impaired children". The Indian Express. Retrieved 2008-12-24.
  7. ↑ Stony Brook University (14 October 2004). "Untitled: A Solo Theatrical Performance by Lushin Dubey". Charles B.Wang Center. Retrieved 2008-12-24.
  8. ↑ Ishita Agarwal (24 June 2008). "Theatre tactics". Chennai, India: The Hindu. Retrieved 2008-10-09.
  9. ↑ Kinni Chowdhry (30 August 2010). "It is not just a play". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 2010-08-31.
  10. ↑ Esha Vaish (7 July 2012). "‘Dialogue and debate from street plays inspire change’". Tehelka. Retrieved 2013-07-18.
  11. ↑ "Teach India strikes the right chord". Times of India. 14 July 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-09.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 "A treat for the senses". Chennai, India: The Hindu. 5 July 2007. Retrieved 2008-10-09.
  13. ↑ Jahnvi Sreedhar (23 Feb 2012). "A Toast to Twenty". The Indian Express. Retrieved 2013-07-13.
  14. ↑ सत्यसिंधु (2 March 2012). "जीवन का हर रंग है दिल्ली में-संस्कृति और तहजीब से लबरेज:अरविंद गौड़". [livehindustan.com]. Retrieved 2013-07-12.
  15. ↑ Theatre Pasta (8 October 2007). "Nalina Mittra catches up with Arvind Gaur to find out more about his journey". Theatre Magazine. Archived from the original on 27 December 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-24.
  16. ↑ Sites.google.com. "About Director-Arvind Gaur". Retrieved 2008-12-30.
  17. ↑ Deepa Punjani. "In Retrospect: Select plays of the 9th National Theatre Festival at Nehru Centre, Mumbai". mumbaitheatreguide.com. Archived from the original on 24 April 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-08.
  18. ↑ Sudhanva Deshpande (9 July 2005). "When Plays Cop it". Tehelka. Retrieved 2013-07-17.
  19. ↑ Rana A. Siddiqui (7 December 2001). "The fall of a shooting star". The Tribune. Retrieved 2008-10-09.
  20. ↑ Mohd Arshi Rafique (4 March 2009). "Cut above-About a common man, but no common play this". The Indian Express. Retrieved 2009-03-05.
  21. ↑ Baishali Adak (4 March 2012). "Ek mamooli aadmi on stage". DECCAN HERALD. Retrieved 2013-07-18.
  22. ↑ Madhur Tankha (25 August 2007). "A tale of duplicity and deprivation". Chennai, India: The Hindu. Retrieved 2008-10-09.
  23. ↑ Romesh Chander (18 February 2005). "Drama and mythology". Chennai, India: The Hindu. Archived from the original on 6 December 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-24.
  24. ↑ Romesh Chander (20 August 2009). "An ongoing dialogue". The Hindu. Retrieved 2009-08-24.
  25. ↑ P.ANIMA (17 July 2009). "A spirited adventure". Chennai, India: The Hindu. Retrieved 2009-07-22.
  26. ↑ Madhur Tankha (3 March 2011). "Conflicting thoughts of two political stalwarts". The Hindu. Retrieved 2013-07-11.
  27. ↑ PHEROZE L. VINCENT (1 Feb 2013). "Hard-hitting drama". The Hindu. Retrieved 2013-07-13.
  28. ↑ "34th Vikram Sarabhai International Art Festival". The Times of India. 24 December 2009. Retrieved 2009-12-31.
  29. ↑ Dipanita Nath (2010-07-30). "The Difficulty of Being Good". The Indian Express. Retrieved 2010-08-22.
  30. ↑ P.ANIMA (16 Sep 2010). "The road to goodness". Delhi, India: The Hindu. Retrieved 2013-07-13.
  31. ↑ PHEROZE L.VINCENT (31 August 2012). "A journey of questions". Delhi, India: The Hindu. Retrieved 2013-07-13.
  32. ↑ Neha Sen (30 June 2011). "Play-shoe-throwing incident comes to life again". The Times of India. Retrieved 2011-07-01.
  33. ↑ By Uday Bhatia (January 19, 2012). "A footwear-flinging Iraqi journalist inspires a new play, says Time Out". Time Out. Retrieved June 22, 2013.
  34. ↑ Mahesh Bhatt (May 14, 2011). "Footprints of dissent,FIRST PERSON-Mahesh Bhatt". The Hindu. Retrieved June 21, 2013.
  35. ↑ Rana Siddiqui Zaman (June 3, 2011). "Shoe act hits the stage". The Hindu. Retrieved June 21, 2013.
  36. ↑ Katyayini Singh (May 27, 2013). "Scene in Summer". The Indian Express. Retrieved July 11, 2013.
  37. ↑ Iknoor Kaur (June 4, 2013). "CONSUMER CONFIDENTIAL:Dario Fo's satire". The Pioneer. Retrieved July 11, 2013.
  38. ↑ Mita Kapur. "Madhavi solo by Rashi Bunny:The story of every woman". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 2010-05-10.
  39. ↑ Drama Critics. "Bhisham Sahni's Madhavi by Rashi Bunny at British Council". Anand Foundation. Retrieved 2008-12-23.
  40. ↑ Chitra Parayath (6 April 2003). "Untitled solo at Marlboro, New England". lokvani(Public Voice). Retrieved 2008-12-24.
  41. ↑ Saumya Ancheri (16 April 2010). "A woman scorned". Time Out Mumbai. Retrieved 2010-04-29.
  42. ↑ Ankur Kalita (29 July 2004). "Solo for Peace". The Indian Express. Retrieved 2008-12-24.
  43. ↑ Pronoti Datta. (15 April 2006). "Riot act". Time Out. Retrieved 2010-04-12.
  44. ↑ Staff reporter (28 March 2005). "For the love of showbiz". Chennai, India: The Hindu. Retrieved 2008-10-09.
  45. ↑ Sumati Mehrishi Sharma (31 December 2005). "Mind Games". The Indian Express. Retrieved 2008-10-09.
  46. ↑ Mala Kumar (12 May 2003). "Missing the rainbow". The Hindu. Retrieved 2008-10-09.
  47. ↑ Naina Dey (14 January 2010). "Cult of subtle satire". The Statesman. Retrieved 2010-02-05.
  48. ↑ Drama critic (11 April 2005). "An unspoken bitter truth". Chennai, India: The Hindu. Retrieved 2008-12-24.
  49. ↑ SHALINI UMACHANDRAN (12 Sep 2004). "`It happens here too'". Chennai, India: The Hindu. Retrieved 2013-07-13.
  50. ↑ Shailaja Tripathi (23 Nov 2011). "The play's the thing". Delhi,India: The Hindu. Retrieved 2013-07-11.
  51. ↑ Dipanita Nath. "Road Shows page -1". The Indian Express. Retrieved 2010-04-11.
  52. ↑ Dipanita Nath. "Road Shows page-2". The Indian Express. Retrieved 2010-04-11.
  53. ↑ "Sonam Kapoor braves Delhi’s heat!". Times of India. 8 April 2012. Retrieved 21 June 2013.
  54. ↑ Sites.google.com. "Prominent Actor's who worked with Arvind Gaur". Archived from the original on 12 March 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-05.

External links

  1. The good man of Delhi stage by Archana (2008-09-26) Mail-Today.
  2. Founder of Asmita Group, by Rohit Malik, Delhi Events (2008.12.30)
  3. Gandhari, solo-act by Aishveryaa Nidhi
  4. "All The World’s A Platform" by Shailaja Tripathi. Expressindia ,( 2003.09.17)
  5. "Heal the wounds" by Rohini Ramakrishan,(2004/12/11), The Hindu
  6. Dramatics Society of Lady Shri Ram College
  7. "A plethora of problems afflicts Hindi theatre" Rana A Siddiqui, The Tribune.(2001.12.28)
  8. "Mahesh Dattani's Final Solutions"Oneness Peace Festival,Hindu College,University of Delhi(2005.09.16)
  9. "Play of rules-Arvind Gaur's street theatre-Hatke Bachke"Nandini Nair,The Hindu (2009.01.12)
  10. "Nobody’s Child-Bitter Chocolate" Express Features Service,The Indian Express (2004.01.08)
  11. "The Park’s The Other Festival"Onassis Awardee Manjula Padmanabhan's "Hidden fires"-The Museum Theatre,Chennai(2005.12.07)
  12. http://asmitatheatregroup.com/