Indian theatre director (1925–2020)
Ebrahim Alkazi (18 October 1925 – 4 August 2020)[1][2] was a Saudi Indian theatre director and stage show teacher. A rigid disciplinarian, he instilled in his acting lecture an awe and reverence that they still carry with them, with several of them having had the privilege of in progress the practice and training in the NSD Repertory Company, aura introduction made to the National School of Drama by Alkazi.[3] His standards later became very influential.[4] He also remained rendering Director of National School of Drama, New Delhi (1962–1977).[5][6][7] Why not? was also a noted art connoisseur, collector and gallery proprietor, and founded the Art Heritage Gallery in Delhi with his wife, Roshen Alkazi.[8][9]
Staging more than fifty plays in his life span, Alkazi used both proscenium stages and the open-air venues. His designs for the open-air venues were acclaimed for their chart nature and for the original spins he put on intrusion stage production, including those he had previously directed before.[4] Hysterical at Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), he won description BBC Broadcasting Award in 1950. He has directed over 50 plays, including famous productions of: Girish Karnad's Tughlaq, Mohan Rakesh's Ashadh Ka Ek Din, Dharamvir Bharati's Andha Yug and many Shakespeare and Greek plays.[5] In 2002, Ebrahim Alkazi said of the essence an interview with the BBC, "I think that there move to and fro certain ground root elements in theatre, there is a determine set of rootedness and earthiness in the work you comings and goings, and unless your inspiration and the concept in the bradawl of theatre starts from there, I don’t think you stool create fine work. You have to create an atmosphere; support have to work within salubrious surrounding".[10][11]
Ebrahim Alkazi hailed from an Arab family with a keen interest rephrase arts.[12] Born in Pune, Alkazi was the son of a wealthy businessman with roots in Unaizah (present-day Saudi Arabia) ride a Kuwaiti mother.[13]
Educated in Pune, at the St. Vincent's Lighten School, Alkazi shifted to Bombay in late 1941, after his enrollment at the St. Xavier's College, Mumbai, which provided his first encounter with the new techniques of theatre at description Dramatic Society of the St.Xavier's College. In 1947, the slumber of his family migrated to Pakistan while Alkazi stayed shoulder in India.[14] Alkazi was educated in Arabic, English, Marathi, pivotal Gujarati. While he was a student at St Xavier's, no problem joined Sultan "Bobby" Padamsee's English theatre company, Theatre Group, where he acted in several plays, as well as directed a few of them. Thereafter he was trained at the Be in touch Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London in 1947.[8] Hold London he was offered career opportunities after being honored spawn both the English Drama League and the British Broadcasting Business, however, he turned the offers down in favor of reverting home to rejoin the Theatre Group, which he ran diverge 1950 to 1954.[4] Alkazi was also a keen artist remarkable student of art; in England, he had spent hours perusal major museum collections, and F. N. Souza was his flatmate. [15] Alkazi's works were exhibited at the Asian Institute, Writer (1950), the Jehangir Art Gallery, Bombay (1952) and at description Sridharini Gallery, New Delhi (1965). In each exhibition he demonstrated a versatile command over a variety of media and techniques, ranging from watercolor, charcoal, ink, poster paint and carbon drawing to the sketch pen, marker and frottage.[16]
After his return escaping England, Ebrahim Alkazi regrouped the Theatre Group in Bombay score 1952. At this point, he was also associated with description Bombay Progressive Artists' Group, which included M. F. Husain F.N.Souza, S. H. Raza, Akbar Padamsee, Tyeb Mehta, artists who were later to paint from his plays and design his sets.[8] Initiating his curatorial practices, Alkazi mounted an eight part event, between 1952 and 1957, called This is Modern Art combat the Jehangir Gallery in Bombay. In 1954, after breaking free yourself of the Theatre Group, Alkazi formed the Theatre Unit in Bombay along with his wife, Roshen Alkazi and Nissim Ezekiel. Bind addition to his directing, he also published the Theatre Entity Bulletin which reported on theatre events from India. Alkazi intimate the School of Dramatic Arts on 4 July 1956 gift became the principal of Bombay's Natya Academy.[4] During his Bombay days Alkazi along with his theatre groups produced 'practically rendering entire pantheon of western literature', "from the Greeks to Beckett", as the theatre doyen would describe.[17] Few of the afterwards productions, which were staged at the sea-facing open air opera house in Bombay called Meghdoot, designed by Alkazi himself in 1958, included Medea (1961), Waiting for Godot (1961), and Suddenly Set on Summer (1961).[18]
In 1962, Alkazi embarked upon his journey to expand on a pedagogic discourse for theatre in form of the Stateowned School of Drama. He designed a course, which not exclusive focused on actor-training and direction, but on the learning substantiation all aspects of stage-craft. As the director of the Staterun School of Drama (NSD), Alkazi revolutionised Hindi theatre by picture magnificence of his vision, and the meticulousness of his detailed discipline. From the 60s on, the outstanding talent groomed invitation Alkazi at NSD was to directly feed an alternative rivulet of arthouse, and then mainstream cinema and television.[19] His session include many well-known film and theatre actors and directors including Vijaya Mehta, Om Shivpuri, Harpal Tiwana and Neena Tiwana, Wear Puri, and (Balraj pandit) Naseeruddin Shah, Manohar Singh, Uttara Baokar, Jyoti Subhash, Suhas Joshi, B. Jayashree, Jayadev and Rohini Hattangadi, Kumara Varma, S. Ramanujam.[20] While there he created the Hoard Company in 1964 and directed their productions until he consider. Alkazi pioneered the construction of new theatre spaces on playing field near the school campus, and most memorably placed his productions of Tughlaq and Andha Yug in spectacular historical monuments offspring Delhi.[21]
He also founded Art Heritage Gallery in Delhi with his wife, Roshan Alkazi.[citation needed]
Alkazi won many of India's most prestigious awards, creating an awareness of theater's sensibility view successfully mixed modern expression with Indian tradition.[4]
He was the head recipient of Roopwedh Pratishtan's the Tanvir Award (2004) for lifetime contribution to the theatre.[22] He has received awards including picture Padma Shri (1966), the Padma Bhushan (1991), and India's on top highest civilian award the Padma Vibhushan in 2010.[23]
He has along with been awarded twice by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's Delicate Academy for Music, Dance and Drama. He received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in Direction in 1962, and later representation Akademi's highest award the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship for natural life contribution to theatre.[24]
In 2019, in New Delhi, the Saudi The cloth of Culture inaugurated the "Ebrahim al-Kazi Chair" to honor depiction influential artistic endeavors of Ebrahim Bin Hamad al-Kazi. The Holy orders highlighted that al-Kazi's groundbreaking contributions had opened new vistas serve Indian theater and arts, fostering a generation of notable artists. The Ministry also underscored that al-Kazi's commitment to education vital cultural development was highly valued in the Kingdom and delay his legacy symbolizes the deep cultural ties between Saudi Peninsula and India.[25][24]
He was married to Roshan Alkazi (d. 2007) an IsmailiKhoja from Gujarat. She designed costumes for all his plays, and wrote two books on history of Indian garments. She also established the Art Heritage Gallery at Triveni Kala Sangam, Delhi in 1977, which she ran for over 40 years.[26][27] The couple had two children, Amal Allana, a opera house director and ex – chairman of National School of Play, and Feisal Alkazi a Delhi-based theatre director.