Balwant Thakur being conferred B V Karanth Life Time Achievement Award

TNN Bureau. Updated: 1/30/2018 2:55:10 PM Art and Culture

Jammu: Director Natrang Padamshree Balwant Thakur is to receive the 1st B.V. Karanth Life Time Achievement Award in the field of theatre on 4th February, 2018 at Bal Bhawan, Hissar on the culmination of Haryana’s Biggest National Puppet and Theatre Festival ‘Rang Aangan’. Instituted by Abhinaya Rang Manch, the Award carries Rupees Fifty One Thousand Cash, Citation, a Shawl and a memento.

With this honour, Balwant Thakur will be the first Indian Theatre Director to hold this recognition. It may be recalled that recently Government of Jammu & Kashmir on the occasion of Republic Day selected for State’s highest honour ‘Life Time Achievement Award’ for the year 2018. Born in 1960, Balwant Thakur is one of the most creative theatre directors of the country who have given a new identity to Indian theatre with their highly innovative theatre productions. Decorated with the highest Indian honor in performing arts i.e, Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for Direction in theatre, Balwant Thakur is credited for being the youngest theatre director of India who has participated over two hundred Fifty National Theatre Festivals as director, which is a record in the country.

Known as a magic man of theatre, his outstanding visual poetics on stage like ‘Ghumayee’ ‘Bawa Jitto’ ‘Suno Eh Kahani’ ‘Chauraha’ and ‘Mahabhoj’ have vibrated the theatre scene of North India. Credited for bringing Dogri theatre to the National and International limelight, he has been highly instrumental in creating a new cultural renaissance in the State of Jammu and Kashmir.



He started theatre with a big bang and his maiden entry in the State Academy theatre Festival won the State Academy Award for best production in 1983 and continued this tradition of winning State Academy Awards for best productions in 1984, 1985, and till he left participating the festival in 1986. He represented the State of Jammu & Kashmir twice in the North Zone theatre festival organized by Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi and toped twice and later won top honors at the National level in the year 1987 and 1990.

Recognizing his outstanding contribution in Indian theatre, the Department of Culture, Govt. of India Awarded him the National Senior fellowship for three years to do research on the performing modes of Jammu. In 1992 he was decorated with yet another prestigious award of the country i.e, ‘Sanskriti Award’ for direction in theatre, which is given once in three years to a theatre person.

Same year he got The Ford Foundation (USA) Grant Award for his research project ‘Search for a New Theatre Language’. This gave a new flip to his creative endeavours and he won the rarest honors like ‘Abhinayak Samman’ ‘Saptrishi Samman’ ‘Naksha Samman’ and ‘Kala Nidhi Purskar’ ‘Pearls of India Award’. In Children’s theatre, Balwant Thakur is one among the very few theatre directors of the country who have revolutionized the theatre scene and have evolved a new dramaturgy for children.

His plays like ‘Mere Hisse Ki Dhoop Kahan Hai’ ‘Aap Hamare Hain Kaun’ ‘Hum Hain Naa’ and ‘Bhag Beta Bhag’ are being credited as the most demanded children productions which have been featured in almost all the major theatre events in India. As playwright he has twelve original plays to his credit which are considered as one of the significant contribution to Indian Theatre in the post India Independence period. His most regarded initiative ‘Theatre for a Social change’ under which he conducted five hundred shows in the remote villages of J&K brought a revolutionary change in the mindset of the rural folk of the Indo-Pak border villages from Nagri (Kathua) to Kupwara (Kashmir).

Back home he was honored by Dogri Sanstha, Jammu Citizen Council, Chamber of Commerce, Amar Rajput Sabha, Brahamin Prathinidhi Sabha, J&K Fine Arts Society, Zorawar Singh Memorial Committee, Laddakh Theatre Organisation and Bakshi Memorial Committee, Manch Rangmanch, Punjab Naatshalla, Chandigarh Sangeet Natak Akademi, Kerala Sangeet Natak Akademi, Abhinaya Kala Mandir, Naksha Gobardanga (West Bengal) and Punjab Arts Council. He has also been honored with the title ‘Duggar Rattan’. In 2005 he won the best Director Award in the Ist Doordarshan Theatre Festival.

In 2011 he was honored by the Royal Award ‘Maharaja Gulab Singh Memorial Award-2011’, Gursharan Singh Commitment to Theatre Award (World Theatre Day Honor of Punjab Govt)-2013. ‘Rabindranath Tagore Award- 2013, He was conferred PADAMSHREE by President of India in 2013. BIG Duggar Award for Theatre- 2015. Prithvi Raj Kapoor Samman-2017, and Highest State honour of J&K Government ‘Life-Time Achievement Award-2018’ for Art and Culture by J&K Government.

He worked as Secretary J&K Academy of Art Culture and Languages for eight years. Among many accomplishments, under his creative guidance the State of J&K won Best tableaux Award for the first time in 1997 and continued the tradition of winning Best Awards in 1999 and 2001. He also served on the Boards of prestigious Institutions of the country including, Department of Culture, Govt. of India, Sangeet Natak Akademi, Indian Council for Cultural Relations, North Zone Cultural Centre, Council for Promotion of Urdu Language and as an expert for National School of Drama, Department of Culture, M.P., Department of Language & Culture, H.P. and Association of Indian Universities.

Widely travelled Balwant Thakur held his presentations in Bangkok (Thailand) Singapore, London, Oxford, Brighton, Manchester, Stratford, Berlin, Frankfurt, (Germany), Rome (Italy) Moscow, Yoroslov, Belgrade, St. Petersburg, Shanghai,, Beijing, Xining,, Nanjing, Turkey, Almaty, Bishkek, Denmark, Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhaabi, and Dhaka. Currently working as Regional Director-cum-consultant in Indian Council for Cultural Relations, Ministry of External Affairs, and Government of India


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