Balwant Gargi
Encyclopedia
Balwant Gargi ' onMouseout='HidePop("80984")' href="/topics/Hindi">Hindi
: बलवंत गार्गी, Balwant Gārgi) was a renowned Punjabi language
dramatist, theatre director, novelist, and short story writer, and academic.
). Balwant Gargi was born in a house in the Neeta Mal street, near the 1800-year-old historical Gobind Fort, famous for being the spot where Razia Sultan was imprisoned. The second son in the family of Shiv Chand, a Head Clerk in the Irrigation Department, he would go on create history in the world of Indian and Punjabi literature.
Gargi studied at Government College Lahore, and completed M.A.(English) and M.A.(Political Science) from FC College in Lahore
. He also studied theatre with Norah Richards
at her school in Kangra Valley
.
, London
, New Delhi
and around the USA.
Gargi's first play, Loha kutt (English:Blacksmith) in 1944 became controversial for its stark picture of the Punjab countryside. At that juncture, he focused on poverty, illiteracy, ignorance, and superstition marking rural life, which continued in Saelpathar (English:Petrified Stone) in 1949, Navan mudh (English:New Beginning) in 1950, and Ghugi (English:Dove) in 1950. In the 1950 edition of Loha kutt, he resorted to drawing poetic and dramatic elements from J. M. Synge and Garcia Lorca. In subsequent works like Kanak di balli (English:Stalk of Wheat) in 1968 and Dhuni di agg (English:Fire in the Furnace) in 1977, these became his chief vehicles. For all the specificity of native locale, the former deflected as much towards Lorca's Blood Wedding as the latter reminded one of Yerma. In Mirza-Sahiban in 1976, customs and conventions came in for bitter censure. Gradually, Gargi's preoccupation with sex, violence, and death became almost an obsession. Antonin Artaud
`s theatre of cruelty grew into his categorical imperative. This required his dramaturgy to proceed through mythopoeia, which turns explicit in his last plays.
In Saunkan (English:Rival Women) in 1979, the paradigm of Yama-Yami, the Hindu god of death and his twin sister, becomes an occasion to glorify sexual union. Altogether dispensing with socio-political discourse, he turned to his new theme with a vengeance in Abhisarka (English:Lover) in 1990. His penchant for the unexpected grew all-powerful.
For subject matter Gargi moved freely over social milieu, mythology, history, and folklore. For form and technique he relied as much upon Sanskrit classics as on Lorca's poetic drama, Brecht's epic theatre, or Artaud's theatre of cruelty. In the composition and performance of his dozen full-length plays and five collections of one-act drama, he traveled from the realistic to the mythopoeic mode.
In addition to this dramatic corpus, his short stories began to be published in English. A book, Folk Theatre of India, published in New York
and two semi-autobiographical novels in English and Punjabi, The Naked Triangle (Nangi Dhup) and The Purple Moonlight (Kashni Vehra) brought him to the forefront of cosmopolitan attention.
, the highest Indian literary award, in 1962 for his play Rang Manch. This was followed by the Padma Shri
(1972), and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
in Punjabi Playwriting in 1998. Gargi is one of the few artistic to win both the Sahitya Akademi and Sangeet Natak Akademi awards.
, where he met his wife Jeanne Henry. This period was the basis of his autobiography "The Naked Triangle"
He was the founder-director of the Indian Theatre Department, Panjab University, Chandigarh
. The open air theatre at the department is named after him. His students include Anupam Kher
, Kiron Kher, Satish Kaushik
, Poonam Dhillon
, and many other current Bollywood stars.
Over the years, Gargi lectured and taught as a Distinguished Visiting Professor at Harvard University, Vassar College, Mount Holyoke College, Trinity College, University of Hawaii, Yale University, and many other renowned international institutions.
His children, Manu Gargi and Jannat Gargi are settled in USA. Manu is a producer of films in Hollywood.
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
: बलवंत गार्गी, Balwant Gārgi) was a renowned Punjabi language
Punjabi language
Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by inhabitants of the historical Punjab region . For Sikhs, the Punjabi language stands as the official language in which all ceremonies take place. In Pakistan, Punjabi is the most widely spoken language...
dramatist, theatre director, novelist, and short story writer, and academic.
Early life
Balwant Gargi Born on December 4, 1916 in Neeta Khandan in Bathinda (PunjabPunjab (India)
Punjab ) is a state in the northwest of the Republic of India, forming part of the larger Punjab region. The state is bordered by the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh to the east, Haryana to the south and southeast and Rajasthan to the southwest as well as the Pakistani province of Punjab to the...
). Balwant Gargi was born in a house in the Neeta Mal street, near the 1800-year-old historical Gobind Fort, famous for being the spot where Razia Sultan was imprisoned. The second son in the family of Shiv Chand, a Head Clerk in the Irrigation Department, he would go on create history in the world of Indian and Punjabi literature.
Gargi studied at Government College Lahore, and completed M.A.(English) and M.A.(Political Science) from FC College in Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
. He also studied theatre with Norah Richards
Norah Richards
Norah Richards was an Irish-born actress and theatre practitioner, who was later called the Lady Gregory of the Punjab. She devoted 60 years of her life towards enriching the culture of this land of five rivers. She came to the Punjab in 1911, and produced in 1914 the first Punjabi play, Dulhan...
at her school in Kangra Valley
Kangra Valley
Kangra Valley is situated in Himachal Pradesh, India. It is a popular tourist destination, with the peak season around March and April.Dharamsala, the headquarters of Kangra district, lies on the southern spur of Dhauladhar in the valley .-Geography:...
.
Plays
Gargi wrote several plays, including Loha Kutt, Kesro, Kanak Di Balli, Sohni Mahiwal, Sultan Razia, Soukan, Mirza Sahiba and Dhooni di Agg and short stories Mircha Wala Sadh, Pattan di Berhi and Kuari Disi. His plays were translated into 12 languages, and have been performed around the world, including MoscowMoscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
and around the USA.
Gargi's first play, Loha kutt (English:Blacksmith) in 1944 became controversial for its stark picture of the Punjab countryside. At that juncture, he focused on poverty, illiteracy, ignorance, and superstition marking rural life, which continued in Saelpathar (English:Petrified Stone) in 1949, Navan mudh (English:New Beginning) in 1950, and Ghugi (English:Dove) in 1950. In the 1950 edition of Loha kutt, he resorted to drawing poetic and dramatic elements from J. M. Synge and Garcia Lorca. In subsequent works like Kanak di balli (English:Stalk of Wheat) in 1968 and Dhuni di agg (English:Fire in the Furnace) in 1977, these became his chief vehicles. For all the specificity of native locale, the former deflected as much towards Lorca's Blood Wedding as the latter reminded one of Yerma. In Mirza-Sahiban in 1976, customs and conventions came in for bitter censure. Gradually, Gargi's preoccupation with sex, violence, and death became almost an obsession. Antonin Artaud
Antonin Artaud
Antoine Marie Joseph Artaud, more well-known as Antonin Artaud was a French playwright, poet, actor and theatre director...
`s theatre of cruelty grew into his categorical imperative. This required his dramaturgy to proceed through mythopoeia, which turns explicit in his last plays.
In Saunkan (English:Rival Women) in 1979, the paradigm of Yama-Yami, the Hindu god of death and his twin sister, becomes an occasion to glorify sexual union. Altogether dispensing with socio-political discourse, he turned to his new theme with a vengeance in Abhisarka (English:Lover) in 1990. His penchant for the unexpected grew all-powerful.
For subject matter Gargi moved freely over social milieu, mythology, history, and folklore. For form and technique he relied as much upon Sanskrit classics as on Lorca's poetic drama, Brecht's epic theatre, or Artaud's theatre of cruelty. In the composition and performance of his dozen full-length plays and five collections of one-act drama, he traveled from the realistic to the mythopoeic mode.
In addition to this dramatic corpus, his short stories began to be published in English. A book, Folk Theatre of India, published in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and two semi-autobiographical novels in English and Punjabi, The Naked Triangle (Nangi Dhup) and The Purple Moonlight (Kashni Vehra) brought him to the forefront of cosmopolitan attention.
Awards
Gargi was awarded the Sahitya Akademi awardSahitya Akademi Award
Sahitya Akademi Award is a literary honor in India which Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, annually confers on writers of outstanding works in one of the following twenty-four major Indian languagesAssamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri,...
, the highest Indian literary award, in 1962 for his play Rang Manch. This was followed by the Padma Shri
Padma Shri
Padma Shri is the fourth highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan...
(1972), and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
Sangeet Natak Akademi Puraskar is an award given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama. It is the highest Indian recognition given to practicing artists. The award consists since 2003 of Rs. 50,000, a citation, an angavastram , and a tamrapatra...
in Punjabi Playwriting in 1998. Gargi is one of the few artistic to win both the Sahitya Akademi and Sangeet Natak Akademi awards.
Theatre & teaching
Balwant Gargi taught for two years (1966–67) at the University of WashingtonUniversity of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
, where he met his wife Jeanne Henry. This period was the basis of his autobiography "The Naked Triangle"
He was the founder-director of the Indian Theatre Department, Panjab University, Chandigarh
Chandigarh
Chandigarh is a union territory of India that serves as the capital of two states, Haryana and Punjab. The name Chandigarh translates as "The Fort of Chandi". The name is from an ancient temple called Chandi Mandir, devoted to the Hindu goddess Chandi, in the city...
. The open air theatre at the department is named after him. His students include Anupam Kher
Anupam Kher
Anupam Kher is an Indian actor who has appeared in nearly 400 films and 100 plays. Though mainly appearing in Bollywood films, he has had roles in some films from other nations as well...
, Kiron Kher, Satish Kaushik
Satish Kaushik
Satish Kaushik is an Indian film director and actor in Hindi films and theatre.As a film actor his most remembered for his role as 'Calendar' in Mr. India, and as 'Chanu Ahmed' in Sarah Gavron's English film Brick Lane...
, Poonam Dhillon
Poonam Dhillon
Poonam Dhillon is an Indian Hindi film, theatre and TV actress. She is best known for her 1979 film, Noorie, for her six films with Rajesh Khanna Red Rose, Dard, Nishaan, Zamana, Awam and Sohni Mahiwal , Samundar Saveray Wali Gaadi and Naam .- Early life :Dhall was born 18 April 1962 in Kanpur,...
, and many other current Bollywood stars.
Over the years, Gargi lectured and taught as a Distinguished Visiting Professor at Harvard University, Vassar College, Mount Holyoke College, Trinity College, University of Hawaii, Yale University, and many other renowned international institutions.
His children, Manu Gargi and Jannat Gargi are settled in USA. Manu is a producer of films in Hollywood.