The Hindu Playwright Award 2017 went to Gerish Khemani and Akshat Nigam for their play ‘In Search of Dariya Sagar’. The ₹2 lakh award, instituted in 2008 to reward the best new unpublished and unperformed play-script in English, was presented during the launch of the 13th edition of The Hindu Theatre Fest at the Crowne Plaza Hotel on Thursday.
The other shortlisted works included Deepika Arwind's ‘The Playwright is Dead’ and K. Madavane's ‘1947 - The Man from Lahore’, chosen by a panel of three judges from among the 183 entries received. The judges for this year's award were Arshia Sattar, author and translator; Keval Arora, who teaches literature and drama at Kirori Mal College, Delhi University; and theatre director and screenwriter Sunil Shanbag.
The citation prepared by the judges for the winning play read: “'In Search of Dariya Sagar' is a play that brings together public events and private lives, political history and personal memory, in a manner that resonates both the real and the magical. Set firmly in the present, it is tied to the past with threads that are alternately made of steel and gossamer. The play draws its narrative sustenance from the portrait of a small displaced community, challenging the stereotypes in which it is cast. And it seeks its dramatic arc from dreams, ghosts and restless spirits. Bringing these elements together, the playwrights create the possibility of a rich and full theatrical experience.”
In his acceptance speech, Mr. Khemani said that as a Sindhi, the story was a deeply personal one for him. He described it as an attempt at reconciling with the past and celebrating a world view that had been lost in the past few decades.
The award was presented by Mukund Padmanabhan, Editor, The Hindu, and curator of the The Hindu Theatre Fest. "There is a lot of Indian theatre that does not get the opportunity to get published and read," he said, adding that the Group is taking steps to get the shortlisted plays published. "Unless plays are read, they are not going to be performed."
The title sponsor for the fest is YES Bank. The other partners include Airtel, Naturals, Zebronics, The Park, Doordarshan and Aachi.
The Theatre Fest will run from August 11-13 and August 18-20 at Sir Mutha Concert Hall and Museum Theatre respectively. Tickets are available online (thehindu.com/tickets2017) and at the venue.
Sponsors:
- Title Sponsor – YES bank
- Associate Sponsor – Airtel
- Grooming Partner – Naturals
- Hospitality Partner – The Park (Chennai)
- Sound Partner – Zebronics
- Water Partner – Aachi
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