Govind Ram Nirmalkar | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1935-10-10)10 October 1935 Mohara,Rajnandgaon,Chhattisgarh, India |
| Died | 27 July 2014(2014-07-27) (aged 78) Raipur,Chhattisgarh, India |
| Occupation(s) | Actor Folk theatre artist |
| Known for | Nacha folk theatre |
| Awards | Padma Shri Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Tulsi Samman Dau Mandarji Samman |
Govind Ram Nirmalkar (1935–2014) was an Indian actor and folk theatre artist, known for his contributions to the Nacha folk theatre ofChhattisgarh.[1] His portrayal of the protagonist inCharan Das Chor, a play byHabib Tanveer, won him critical acclaim.[2] The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian honour of thePadma Shri, in 2009, for his contributions to Arts.[3] He was also a recipient of the 2012Sangeet Natak Akademi Award.[4]
Govind Ram Nirmalkar was born in Mohara, a small village inRajnandgaon district of the Indian state ofChhattisgarh on 10 October 1935.[5] His early training was under Madanlal Nishad, a noted artist of theNacha Theatre, the traditional folk theatre of the state. He trained playing the traditional music instruments ofDholak andManjira and started participating in Nacha shows as an accompanist.[5] He joined Kheli Nacha Party, a known Nacha theatre troupe, in 1947 and stayed with them till 1970 and acted in many of their plays.[6] In 1971, he moved to theNaya Theatre ofHabib Tanvir where he stayed till his retirement in 2005.[4] During the 35 years with the troupe, he acted in many plays staged by them, including the title role inCharandas Chor, considered by many as the masterpiece of Tanvir, which won the Fringe First award at theEdinburgh Festival Fringe in 1982.[7]Lala Shoharat Rai,Mitti ki Gaadi,Bahadur Kalarin,Jis Lahore Nai Dekhya,Hirma ki Amar Kahani,Ponga Pundit andAgra Bazar are some of the other notable Naya Theatre productions he performed in.[5]
TheGovernment of Madhya Pradesh awardedTulsi Samman jointly to Nirmalkar, Madanlal Nishad, his mentor, and Nacha Theatre, his old troupe, in 1988.[8] He received theDau Mandarji Samman of theGovernment of Chhattisgarh in 2006.[5] Three years later, the Government of India included him in the 2009Republic Day honours list for the civilian honour of thePadma Shri[3] and theIndira Kala Sangeet University (IKSU),Khairagarh honoured him with the degree of DLitt (honoris causa) in 2013.[8]
Nirmalkar died on 27 July 2014 at B. R. Ambedkar Memorial Hospital, Raipur in Chhattisgarh, succumbing to brain hemorrhage that followed a prolonged period of illnesses.[9][10] It is reported that he was in debts and died in poverty.[11][12]Padmashri Govind Ram Nirmalkar Auditorium, an auditorium atRajnandgaon is named after him.[13]
