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Arvind Gaur

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Arvind Gaur

Arvind Gauris anIndian theatredirector,actortrainer,social activist,street theatreworker andstory teller.[1]He is known for socially and politically relevant plays inIndia.[2][3]Gaur's plays are contemporary and thought-provoking, connecting intimate personal spheres of existence to larger social political issues.[4][5]His work deals withInternet censorship,communalism,casteissues,feudalism,domestic violence,crimesofstate,politics of power,violence,injustice,social discrimination,marginalisation,andracism.Arvind is the founder of Asmita, which is a theatre group inDelhi.[6][7]

Gaur was the recipient of a research fellowship awarded by theMinistry 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.[8]

He organizes theatre workshops for children[9]in schools andslumsas well asstreet theatreperformances on socio-political issues.[10][11][12]He has directed more than hundreds stage and street plays over 25 years.[13][14][15]

Personal life

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He was born on 2 February 1963 in Delhi. Arvind's father Late. Shri Shiva Nandan Sharma was a Mathematics scholar and his mother Late. Saraswati Devi was a housewife. His father died on 16 April 2009 and his mother died on 19 September 2019. He has one brother Anil Gaur and three sisters: Shashi Prabha, late Mithlesh and Anita Gaur. He is married to Dr. Sangeeta Gaur. He has twins daughters Kakoli Gaur Nagpal and Saveree Gaur.[16]Prince Nagpal married his daughter Kakoli Gaur.

Theatre career

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After completing his schooling from Model School, Delhi, he decided to study engineering in Electronic Communication. He later joined the Delhi Public Library drama group where he acted in and directed plays.[14][17]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, calledVideshi 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 theNavbharat Timesnewspaper as culture columnist for about four years.[14]

Gaur worked forPress Trust of India(PTI-TV) where he was incharge of research and programming. He was associated with TV serialTana-Bana.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.[18]

Arvind's debut play wasBhisham Sahni'sHanoosh(February, 1993). He started his theatre journey with plays likeTughlaq,Andha Yug,Caligula,Julius Caesar,etc.

He performedGirish Karnad'sTughlaqin a small basement theatre (SRC).Tughlaqwas selected as "the best play of the year 1994" bySahitya Kala Parishad.

Major directions

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Solo play direction

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Street plays

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Gaur directed more than 40street theatreperformances on socio-political issues. He has always raised voice against any socio-political issue that effects the common public. He directed street plays likeCorruption,Garbage,Road Rage,andDastakwhich 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.[60] [61][62]

Awards

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Gaur won the Special Honour Award by Delhi International Film festival 2015[63]

Films/visual media

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Translation and Scripting

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Translation

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He translatedRabindranath Tagore's Visarjan (Sacrifice), which is performed by the Darpana Theatre Group and directed by Ujjwal Dave. Gaur translated Unsuni in Hindi; script and direction byMallika Sarabhai.

Scripts

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He scripted plays like Untitled, Gandhari...in search of light, I will not Cry, Bitter Chocolate (based onPinki Virani's book),Madhavisolo play (based onBhisham Sahni's play) and many street plays for Asmita Theatre.

Design

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

Major Actors

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Major cinema and theatre actors who trained under Arvind Gaur areKangana Ranaut,[65]Deepak Dobriyal,Manu Rishi,Shilpa Shukla,Rashi Bunny,Aishveryaa Nidhi,Tillotama Shome,Imran Zahid,Sheena Chohan,Seema Azmi,Ishwak Singh and Suraj Singh ofVeere Di Weddingfame.Sonam Kapoorattended Gaur's acting workshop to learn the nuances of street theatre for her filmRaanjhanaa. Other prominent theatre actors who worked with him areMallika Sarabhai,Piyush Mishra,Lushin Dubey,Bubbles Sabharwal, Ruth Sheard, Jaimini Kumar, etc.[66]

Further reading

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  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 byInternational Theatre Institute

References

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  1. ^Neelima Menon (27 April 2008)."Staging Narratives-Storytelling session for visually impaired children".The Indian Express.Retrieved24 December2008.
  2. ^Nandini Nair (3 May 2008)."Walking the causeway".The Hindu.Chennai, India. Archived fromthe originalon 6 May 2008.Retrieved9 October2008.
  3. ^Sonal Jaitly (10 June 2012)."Theatre is calling for change in India".Washington Times.Retrieved18 July2013.
  4. ^Vatsala Shrivastava (7 May 2010)."Livewire, uninterrupted".The Asian Age.Retrieved8 May2010.
  5. ^"Brechtfast in Ballimaran".Time Out Delhi. Archived fromthe originalon 31 December 2013.Retrieved9 October2008.
  6. ^"Delhi celebrates its street play culture".Hindustan Times.11 April 2017.
  7. ^Trisha Gupta."Super trouper".Archived fromthe originalon 31 December 2013.Retrieved9 October2008.
  8. ^Stony Brook University (14 October 2004)."Untitled: A Solo Theatrical Performance by Lushin Dubey".Charles B.Wang Center. Archived fromthe originalon 5 August 2012.Retrieved24 December2008.
  9. ^Ishita Agarwal (24 June 2008)."Theatre tactics".The Hindu.Chennai, India. Archived fromthe originalon 3 November 2012.Retrieved9 October2008.
  10. ^Kinni Chowdhry (30 August 2010)."It is not just a play".Hindustan Times.Archived fromthe originalon 25 January 2013.Retrieved31 August2010.
  11. ^Esha Vaish (7 July 2012)."Dialogue and debate from street plays inspire change".Tehelka. Archived fromthe originalon 14 May 2013.Retrieved18 July2013.
  12. ^"Teach India strikes the right chord".The Times of India.14 July 2008. Archived fromthe originalon 21 October 2012.Retrieved9 October2008.
  13. ^Malini Nair (1 July 2017)."Such a drama queen".The Hindu.Retrieved21 August2018.
  14. ^abc"A treat for the senses".The Hindu.Chennai, India. 5 July 2007. Archived fromthe originalon 3 November 2012.Retrieved9 October2008.
  15. ^Jahnvi Sreedhar (23 February 2012)."A Toast to Twenty".The Indian Express.Retrieved13 July2013.
  16. ^Borah, Prabalika M. (22 February 2021)."Actor Saveree Sri Gaur reflects on the realism of 'Bhor'".The Hindu.ISSN0971-751X.Retrieved21 June2021.
  17. ^सत्यसिंधु (2 March 2012)."जीवन का हर रंग है दिल्ली में-संस्कृति और तहजीब से लबरेज:अरविंद गौड़".[livehindustan.com].Retrieved12 July2013.
  18. ^Theatre Pasta (8 October 2007)."Nalina Mittra catches up with Arvind Gaur to find out more about his journey".Theatre Magazine. Archived fromthe originalon 27 December 2008.Retrieved24 December2008.
  19. ^Deepa Punjani."In Retrospect: Select plays of the 9th National Theatre Festival at Nehru Centre, Mumbai".mumbaitheatreguide.com. Archived fromthe originalon 24 April 2008.Retrieved8 October2008.
  20. ^Sudhanva Deshpande (9 July 2005)."When Plays Cop it".Tehelka. Archived fromthe originalon 4 March 2016.Retrieved17 July2013.
  21. ^Rana A. Siddiqui (7 December 2001)."The fall of a shooting star".The Tribune.Retrieved9 October2008.
  22. ^Mohd Arshi Rafique (4 March 2009)."Cut above-About a common man, but no common play this".The Indian Express.Retrieved5 March2009.
  23. ^Baishali Adak (4 March 2012)."Ek mamooli aadmi on stage".DECCAN HERALD.Retrieved18 July2013.
  24. ^Madhur Tankha (25 August 2007)."A tale of duplicity and deprivation".The Hindu.Chennai, India. Archived fromthe originalon 3 November 2012.Retrieved9 October2008.
  25. ^Romesh Chander (18 February 2005)."Drama and mythology".The Hindu.Chennai, India. Archived fromthe originalon 6 December 2008.Retrieved24 December2008.
  26. ^Romesh Chander (20 August 2009)."An ongoing dialogue".The Hindu.Retrieved24 August2009.
  27. ^P.ANIMA (17 July 2009)."A spirited adventure".The Hindu.Chennai, India. Archived fromthe originalon 2 January 2011.Retrieved22 July2009.
  28. ^Madhur Tankha (3 March 2011)."Conflicting thoughts of two political stalwarts".The Hindu.Archived fromthe originalon 8 March 2011.Retrieved11 July2013.
  29. ^PHEROZE L. VINCENT (1 February 2013)."Hard-hitting drama".The Hindu.Retrieved13 July2013.
  30. ^"34th Vikram Sarabhai International Art Festival".The Times of India.24 December 2009. Archived fromthe originalon 9 May 2012.Retrieved31 December2009.
  31. ^Dipanita Nath (30 July 2010)."The Difficulty of Being Good".The Indian Express.Retrieved22 August2010.
  32. ^P.ANIMA (16 September 2010)."The road to goodness".The Hindu.Delhi, India.Retrieved13 July2013.
  33. ^PHEROZE L.VINCENT (31 August 2012)."A journey of questions".The Hindu.Delhi, India.Retrieved13 July2013.
  34. ^Neha Sen (30 June 2011)."Play-shoe-throwing incident comes to life again".The Times of India.Archived fromthe originalon 5 November 2012.Retrieved1 July2011.
  35. ^Uday Bhatia (19 January 2012)."A footwear-flinging Iraqi journalist inspires a new play, says Time Out".Time Out.Archived fromthe originalon 19 March 2014.Retrieved22 June2013.
  36. ^Mahesh Bhatt (14 May 2011)."Footprints of dissent, FIRST PERSON-Mahesh Bhatt".The Hindu.Retrieved21 June2013.
  37. ^Rana Siddiqui Zaman (3 June 2011)."Shoe act hits the stage".The Hindu.Archived fromthe originalon 10 August 2011.Retrieved21 June2013.
  38. ^Katyayini Singh (27 May 2013)."Scene in Summer".The Indian Express.Archived fromthe originalon 13 July 2013.Retrieved11 July2013.
  39. ^Iknoor Kaur (4 June 2013)."CONSUMER CONFIDENTIAL:Dario Fo's satire".The Pioneer.Retrieved11 July2013.
  40. ^Mita Kapur."Madhavi solo by Rashi Bunny:The story of every woman".Hindustan Times.Retrieved10 May2010.
  41. ^Drama Critics."Bhisham Sahni's Madhavi by Rashi Bunny at British Council".Anand Foundation. Archived fromthe originalon 11 May 2008.Retrieved23 December2008.
  42. ^Chitra Parayath (6 April 2003)."Untitled solo at Marlboro, New England".lokvani(Public Voice).Retrieved24 December2008.
  43. ^Saumya Ancheri (16 April 2010)."A woman scorned".Time Out Mumbai. Archived fromthe originalon 16 July 2011.Retrieved29 April2010.
  44. ^Ankur Kalita (29 July 2004)."Solo for Peace".The Indian Express.Archived fromthe originalon 15 August 2004.Retrieved24 December2008.
  45. ^Pronoti Datta. (15 April 2006)."Riot act".Time Out.Archived fromthe originalon 16 July 2011.Retrieved12 April2010.
  46. ^"Mahabharata, through the 'eyes' of Gandhari".The Times of India.Ipshita Mishra.Retrieved16 August2015.
  47. ^"A Woman of Many Shades".DNA syndication.After Hrs Correspondent. Archived fromthe originalon 4 March 2016.Retrieved16 August2015.
  48. ^"Indian Drama Festival in Sydney Fringe".Art News Portal.GEOFF SIRMAI SYDNEY FRINGE PUBLICITY.Retrieved16 August2015.
  49. ^"Mahabharata through the 'eyes' of Gandhari".The Indian Subcontinent Times.Ashok Kumar. Archived fromthe originalon 20 September 2018.Retrieved16 August2015.
  50. ^"TRANSCENDING TIME Bringing Gandhari alive as a rebel".Tribune India.Neha Saini.
  51. ^Sumati Mehrishi Sharma (31 December 2005)."Mind Games".The Indian Express.Archived fromthe originalon 17 February 2009.Retrieved9 October2008.
  52. ^Mala Kumar (12 May 2003)."Missing the rainbow".The Hindu.Archived from the original on 23 April 2004.Retrieved9 October2008.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  53. ^Naina Dey (14 January 2010)."Cult of subtle satire".The Statesman.Archived fromthe originalon 7 June 2011.Retrieved5 February2010.
  54. ^"World Classic for all ages, THE LITTLE PRINCE, Solo Performance by Rashi Bunny in Hindi".Mumbai, India.Retrieved20 July2018.
  55. ^Drama critic (11 April 2005)."An unspoken bitter truth".The Hindu.Chennai, India. Archived fromthe originalon 3 November 2012.Retrieved24 December2008.
  56. ^SHALINI UMACHANDRAN (12 September 2004)."It happens here too".The Hindu.Chennai, India. Archived fromthe originalon 30 September 2004.Retrieved13 July2013.
  57. ^Shailaja Tripathi (23 November 2011)."The play's the thing".The Hindu.Delhi, India.Retrieved11 July2013.
  58. ^Pratyush Patra."Aruna Shanbaug's story retold on stage".The Times of India.Delhi, India.Retrieved4 December2018.
  59. ^Shikha Jain (21 October 2018)."Aruna's Story: She was no less a martyr who sparked progressive change".Retrieved4 December2018.
  60. ^Sashikala VP and Mihir Srivastava."Delhi, a Natak hub".News Laundry.Retrieved21 August2018.
  61. ^Sukant Deepak."Arvind Gaur explains how Asmita checks the system by not becoming a part of it".India Today.Retrieved10 September2017.
  62. ^Dipanita Nath (11 April 2010)."Road Shows page-2".The Indian Express.Retrieved11 April2010.
  63. ^"Special Honour Award".WithOutBox. Delhi International Film festival. Archived fromthe originalon 4 December 2018.Retrieved20 August2018.
  64. ^"Arvind Gaur IMDB".IMDB.Retrieved20 August2018.
  65. ^"Kangana Ranaut and her gift to Indian theatre".IWMBuzz.23 March 2020.
  66. ^Sites.google.com."Prominent Actor's who worked with Arvind Gaur".Archivedfrom the original on 12 March 2009.Retrieved5 March2009.{{cite web}}:|author=has generic name (help)
[edit]
  1. The good man of Delhi stage by Archana (2008-09-26) Mail-Today.Archived15 March 2009 at theWayback Machine
  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)[dead link]
  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. Asmita Theatre Group
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