Ratan Thiyam (born 20 January 1948) is an

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

playwright and theatre director, and the winner of

Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (IPA: Saṅgīta Nāṭaka Akādamī Puraskāra), also known as the Akademi Puraskar, is an award given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi Sangeet Natak Akademi (The National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama in Englis ...

in 1987, one of leading figures of the "''theatre of roots''" movement in

Indian theatre Theatre of India is one of the most ancient forms of theatre and it features a detailed textual, sculptural, and dramatic effects which emerged in mid first millennium BC. Like in the areas of music and dance, the Indian theatre is also define ...

, which started in the 1970s. Cody, p. 1348 Also known as Thiyam Nemai, Ratan Thiyam is known for writing and staging plays that use ancient

traditions and forms in a contemporary context. A former painter, and proficient in direction, design, script and music, Thiyam is often considered one of leading contemporary theatre gurus. He worked as Chairperson of the prestigious

National School of Drama National School of Drama (NSD) is a theatre training institute situated at New Delhi, India. It is an autonomous organization under Ministry of Culture, Government of India. It was set up in 1959 by the Sangeet Natak Akademi and became an indepe ...

from 2013-2017. He had also worked as Vice-Chairman of

Sangeet Natak Akademi Sangeet Natak Akademi (The National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama in English) is the national level academy for performing arts set up by the Government of India. History It was set up by the Indian education ministry on 31 May 1952 and be ...

before joining NSD. He has also worked as Director of National School of Drama from 1987 to 1989. He is also the founder-director of ''Chorus Repertory Theatre'', formed on the outskirts of

Imphal Imphal ( Meitei pronunciation: /im.pʰal/; English pronunciation: ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Manipur. The metropolitan centre of the city contains the ruins of Kangla Palace (also known as Kangla Fort), the royal seat of the fo ...

, Manipur in 1976. He was awarded the

in Direction in 1987, given by

, India's National Academy for Music, Dance and Drama, and the

Padma Shri Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, ...

given by

Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...

in 1989. He was awarded the 2012

Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship The Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship, also known as Akademi Ratna Sadasyata, is an Indian honour for the performing arts presented by Sangeet Natak Academy. It is "the most prestigious and rare honour" conferred by the Academy and is "restricte ...

, the highest honour in the performing arts conferred by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy for Music, Dance and Drama. In the year 2013, Ratan Thiyam receives honorary D.lit from Assam University, Silchar.

Early life and education

Ratan Thiyam graduated from

, New Delhi in 1974.

Career

He went on to set up a theatre group called Chorus Repertory Theatre in

, Manipur in 1976. He was also briefly the director of

(NSD), New Delhi (1987–88). His production of

Ajneya Sachchidananda Hirananda Vatsyayan (7 March 1911 – 4 April 1987), popularly known by his pen name Agyeya (also transliterated Ajneya, meaning 'the unknowable'), was an Indian writer, poet, novelist, literary critic, journalist, translator a ...

's ''Uttar Priyadarshi'' in Meitei was staged at the 1st

Bharat Rang Mahotsav Bharat Rang Mahotsav (BRM) (भारत रंग महोत्सव) or the National Theatre Festival, started in 1999, is the annual theatre festival organised by National School of Drama (NSD), New Delhi. The festival was started to showcas ...

(BRM), the annual theatre festival of

(NSD), Delhi in 1999, his presentation of

Kalidasa Kālidāsa (''fl.'' 4th–5th century CE) was a Classical Sanskrit author who is often considered ancient India's greatest poet and playwright. His plays and poetry are primarily based on the Vedas, the Rāmāyaṇa, the Mahābhārata and ...

's epic poem '' Ritusamharam'' was closing production of 4th BRM in 2002, subsequently the 10th BRM in 2008, which also marked the golden jubilee of NSD, opened at

Kamani Auditorium Kamani may refer to: Places * Pobiti Kamani or ''Pobitite Kamani'', a rock phenomenon in Varna Province, Bulgaria * Kamani, Bhamo, a village in north-eastern Burma * Kamani, Iran, a village in Hamadan Province, Iran * Kamani, Georgia, a villa ...

, New Delhi, with a performance was ''Prologue'', the first part of his ''Manipur Trilogy'', when all past alumni has gathered for the festival. The 12th BRM in January 2010 featured Ratan Thiyam's ''When we Dead Awaken''.

The plays of Ratan Thiyam

His works profess a deep concern for social welfare and spiritual yearnings in the midst of the political chaos in the modern world. His plays infuse rationalised and multifaceted analysis of myriad perspectives. Using ingenious theatrical stagecraft, his plays are tinged with literary beauty and meaning. Most of Ratan Thiyam's plays are thematically Indianised and are profound plays with universal appeal. His works are strongly influenced by

Natya Sastra The ''Nāṭya Śāstra'' (, ''Nāṭyaśāstra'') is a Sanskrit treatise on the performing arts. The text is attributed to sage Bharata Muni, and its first complete compilation is dated to between 200 BCE and 200 CE, but estimates vary ...

, an Indian theatre style propounded by Bharata during the second century B.C., as also

ancient Greek drama Ancient Greek theatre was a theatrical culture that flourished in ancient Greece from 700 BC. The city-state of Athens, which became a significant cultural, political, and religious place during this period, was its centre, where the theatre was ...

, and the

Noh is a major form of classical Japanese dance-drama that has been performed since the 14th century. Developed by Kan'ami and his son Zeami, it is the oldest major theatre art that is still regularly performed today. Although the terms Noh and ' ...

theatre of Japan. His approach to theatre has been shaped by years of study under the tutelage of several major exponents of the traditional Meitei performing arts. Thiyam is also known for his use of traditional martial arts, of

Thang-Ta Huyen langlon is an Indian martial art from Manipur. In the Meitei language, means war while or can mean net, knowledge or art. consists of two main components: thang-ta (armed combat) and sarit sarak (unarmed fighting). The primary weapons ...

in his plays, such as in ''

Urubhangam ''Urubhanga'' or ''Urubhangam'', (Devanagari: ऊरुभङ्गम्), ( en, The Breaking of the Thighs, italic=yes) is a Sanskrit play written by Bhasa in the 2nd or 3rd century CE. Based on the well-known epic, the '' Mahābhārata'', by ...

'' (Broken Thigh), of Sanskrit playwright

Bhāsa Bhāsa is one of the earliest and most celebrated Indian playwrights in Sanskrit, predating Kalidasa. His name was already well-known by the 1st century BCE and he belongs to the late-Mauryan (322-184 BCE) period at the earliest, but the thir ...

itself based on an episode from epic, the ''

Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the ''Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the Kuruk ...

'', which along with ''Chakravyuh'' (Army Formation) is considered one of his finest works. In 1986, he adapted Jean Anouilh's "Antigone" as ''Lengshonnei'', a comment on the personal behaviour of politicians, failing to handle political situation in the state. ''Uttar Priyadarshi'' (The Final Beatitude), an adaptation of Hindi verse play by playwright and poet

Agyeya Sachchidananda Hirananda Vatsyayan (7 March 1911 – 4 April 1987), popularly known by his pen name Agyeya (also transliterated Ajneya, meaning 'the unknowable'), was an Indian writer, poet, novelist, literary critic, journalist, translator ...

in 1996, based on a story of redemption of King

Ashoka Ashoka (, ; also ''Asoka''; 304 – 232 BCE), popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was the third emperor of the Maurya Empire of Indian subcontinent during to 232 BCE. His empire covered a large part of the Indian subcontinent, ...

, a man's struggle against his own inner dark side and a plea for peace, knowing its impact on future generation. The play has since travelled to many parts of the South Asia, Australia and the US. His play ''

Andha Yug ''Andha Yug'' (Hindi: अंधा युग, ''The Age of Blindness'' or ''The Blind Age'') is a 1953 verse play written in Hindi, by renowned novelist, poet, and playwright Dharamvir Bharati (1926-1997). Set in the last day of the Great Mahabhar ...

'' (The Blind Age), known for creating an intense and intimate experience, around the epochal theme, was famously staged in an open-air performance, at Tonga, Japan, on 5 August 1994, a day before the forty-ninth anniversary of Atomic Holocaust in

Hiroshima is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 1,199,391. The gross domestic product (GDP) in Greater Hiroshima, Hiroshima Urban Employment Area, was US$61.3 billion as of 2010. Kazumi Matsui h ...

. His major plays include Ritusamharam: The work seeks solace and sanity amidst chaos and violence of today's world. In 2014, Thiyam opened a Manipuri adaptation of

Macbeth ''Macbeth'' (, full title ''The Tragedie of Macbeth'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those w ...

, translocated to a historical Meitei context, with names of characters unchanged. It was the opening act at the 2019 inaugural Bangladesh International Theatre Festival.

List of plays

* ''Karanabharam'' (1979) (''Karna-bhara'': Karna's burden by Sanskrit playwright Bhasa) Dharwadker, p. 105 * ''Imphal Imphal'' (1982) * ''Chakravyuha'' (1984) (Army Formation) * ''Lengshonnei'' (1986) (An adaptation of

Jean Anouilh Jean Marie Lucien Pierre Anouilh (; 23 June 1910 – 3 October 1987) was a French dramatist whose career spanned five decades. Though his work ranged from high drama to absurdist farce, Anouilh is best known for his 1944 play ''Antigone'', an ad ...

's ''

Antigone In Greek mythology, Antigone ( ; Ancient Greek: Ἀντιγόνη) is the daughter of Oedipus and either his mother Jocasta or, in another variation of the myth, Euryganeia. She is a sister of Polynices, Eteocles, and Ismene.Roman, L., & Roma ...

'') * ''Uttar Priyadarshi'' (The Final Beatitude, by Hindi playwright

) (1996)Review: Uttarpriyadarshi
by Renee Renouf, ''ballet magazine'', December 2000, * ''Chinglon Mapan Tampak Ama'' (Nine Hills One Valley) * ''Ritusamharam'' ('' Ritusamharam'' by Sanskrit playwright

) * ''

''(The Blind Age, by Hindi playwright

Dharamvir Bharati Dharamvir Bharati (25 December 1926 – 4 September 1997) was a renowned Hindi poet, author, playwright and a social thinker of India. He was the chief editor of the popular Hindi weekly magazine '' Dharmayug'', from 1960 till 1987.The Illustr ...

) * ''Wahoudok'' (Prologue) * ''Ashibagee Eshei'' (based on

When We Dead Awaken ''When We Dead Awaken'' ( no, Når vi døde vågner) is the last Play (theatre), play written by Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen. Published in December 1899, Ibsen wrote the play between February and November of that year. The first performance wa ...

, by Norwegian playwright

Henrik Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright and theatre director. As one of the founders of modernism in theatre, Ibsen is often referred to as "the father of realism" and one of the most influential playw ...

) (2008) *

Lairembigee Eshei Lairembigee Eshei ( mni, /lāi.rem.bi.gi í.səi/, lit. Song of the Goddess), also known as Song of the Nymphs, is a Meitei language play, written and directed by Ratan Thiyam, performed by the "Chorus Repertoire Theatre" of Imphal. It was shown as ...

( Song of the Nymphs) * ''The King of Dark Chamber'' (''Raja'', 2012), based on a play ''

Raja ''Raja'' (; from , IAST ') is a royal title used for South Asian monarchs. The title is equivalent to king or princely ruler in South Asia and Southeast Asia. The title has a long history in South Asia and Southeast Asia, being attested f ...

'' (1910) by

Rabindranath Tagore Rabindranath Tagore (; bn, রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer and painter. He resh ...

Awards

* 1984: Indo-Greek Friendship Award, 1984 (Greece) * 1987:

* 1987: Fringe Firsts Award, from

Edinburgh International Festival The Edinburgh International Festival is an annual arts festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, spread over the final three weeks in August. Notable figures from the international world of music (especially classical music) and the performing arts are i ...

br>
* 1989:

* 1990: Diploma of Festival Internacional Cervantino, Cervantino International Festival, (Mexico) * 2005:

Kalidas Samman The Kalidas Samman ( hi, कालिदास सम्मान) is an arts award presented annually by the Government of Madhya Pradesh in India. The award is named after Kālidāsa, a renowned Classical Sanskrit writer of ancient India. The ...

* 2008: John D. Rockefeller Award * 2011: Bharat Muni Samman * 2012:

(Akademi Ratna) * 2013:

Bhupen Hazarika Bhupen Hazarika () (8 September 1926 – 5 November 2011) was an Indian playback singer, lyricist, musician, poet, actor, filmmaker and politician from Assam, widely known as ''Sudha Kontho'' (meaning cuckoo, literally "nectar-throated"). His ...

Foundation Award

In popular culture

''Some Roots Grow Upwards'' a 2003 documentary by Kavita Joshi and Malati Rao, was based on the life and work of Ratan Thiyam, especially his political ideologies, and his use of theatre as medium of political protest.Open Frame 2003– August 21–27 2003

India Habitat Centre The India Habitat Centre is a multipurpose building in the city of New Delhi, India. It was the brain child of the HuDCO Chairman, Santosh Sharma. The India Habitat Centre is one of India's most comprehensive convention centers that is aimed at ...

, New Delhi.

References

* *

External links

Chorus Repertory Theatre Official website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thiyam, Ratan Indian theatre directors Indian male dramatists and playwrights 1948 births Living people Dramatists and playwrights from Manipur Meitei people Indian scenic designers Indian drama teachers Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award National School of Drama alumni National School of Drama faculty Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts Indian arts administrators Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship 20th-century Indian designers 20th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Indian male writers