Mohan Maharishi is an Indian theatre director, actor and a playwright. He was awarded the

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, India's National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama. It is the highest Indian recogni ...

for 'Direction' in 1992.

Early life

Mohan Maharishi graduated from

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 in ...

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament Hous ...

in 1965, and later served as its Director 1984-86.

Career

Mohan Maharishi is most known for his revolutionary plays in

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...

, such as ''Einstein'' (1994), ''Raja Ki Rasoi'' ''Vidyottamā'', and ''Saanp Seedhi'' and also countless Hindi plays that he has directed over the years, including, ''Andhayug'', ''Rani Jindan'' (Punjabi), Othello, ''Ho Rahega Kuchh Na Kuchh'' inspired by

Marsha Norman Marsha Norman (born September 21, 1947) is an American playwright, screenwriter, and novelist. She received the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for her play '' 'night, Mother''. She wrote the book and lyrics for such Broadway musicals as '' T ...

's 1983 English play, " 'Night, Mother" and ''Dear Bapu'' (2008). Amongst notable play written by him include, "Einstein", "Raja Ki Rasoi", "Joseph Ka Mukadma", "Deewar Mein Ek Khirkee Rahati Thi" and "Ho Rahega Kuch Na Kuch" Drama. He has also worked in historical Series

Bharat Ek Khoj ''Bharat Ek Khoj'' () is a 53-episode Indian historical drama based on the book '' The Discovery of India'' (1946) by Jawaharlal Nehru that covers a 5,000-year history of India from its beginnings to independence from the British in 1947. The ...

which was produced and directed by

Shyam Benegal Shyam Benegal (born 14 December 1934) is an Indian film director, screenwriter and documentary filmmaker. Often regarded as the pioneer of parallel cinema, he is widely considered as one of the greatest filmmakers post 1970s. He has received ...

in that he played the role of Muslim Social reformer

Sir Syed Ahmed Khan Sir Syed Ahmad Khan KCSI (17 October 1817 – 27 March 1898; also Sayyid Ahmad Khan) was an Indian Muslim reformer, philosopher, and educationist in nineteenth-century British India. Though initially espousing Hindu-Muslim unity, he ...

. Previously, he had also remained the Theatre Advisor to the Government of

Mauritius Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label= Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It ...

(1973–1979). After his return from Mauritius he started teaching at 'Department of Indian Theatre',

Panjab University, Chandigarh Panjab University (PU) is a collegiate public state university located in Chandigarh, Punjab. Funded through both State and Union governments, it is considered a state university. It traces its origins to the University of the Punjab in ...

, and in 1987, he started his second tenure as the Professor and Department Head of the Department of Indian Theatre,

, and lived in

Chandigarh Chandigarh () is a planned city in India. Chandigarh is bordered by the state of Punjab to the west and the south, and by the state of Haryana to the east. It constitutes the bulk of the Chandigarh Capital Region or Greater Chandigarh, which al ...

till his retirement in 2004, ''

The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the sec ...

'', 18 April 2005. and moving back to

, he set up ''Natwa Theatre Society''.Othello by ''Natwa Theatre Society''
''

'', 25 November 2005. Mohan Maharishi is known for his simplistic yet theatrically sound and heartwarming productions and is widely regarded as one of the best directors Indian theatre has ever produced.

References

External links

‘Dear Bapu’, at National School of Drama’s ‘Bharat Rang Mahotsav, 2008’
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maharishi, Mohan National School of Drama alumni Indian male dramatists and playwrights Indian theatre directors Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Indian drama teachers National School of Drama faculty Living people Hindi dramatists and playwrights Hindi theatre Indian arts administrators Year of birth missing (living people)