On the wings of memory
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Nemichandra Jain was remembered fondly on his birth anniversary.
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The birth anniversary of the late Nemichandra Jain, a theatre scholar and critic, was recently observed in New Delhi. The evening was jointly organised by Nemi Nidhi and Natrang Pratishthan at the Sahitya Akademi auditorium. Among the events was a d
ialogue between two eminent theatre personalities of contemporary Indian theatre — Mahesh Elkunchwar and Maya Rao. Considering their standing in the theatre arena, this was a fitting tribute to Jain.
Born in Agra in 1919, Jain was a multifaceted personality. He was a poet, a writer, a theatre scholar and teacher. Considered as a pioneer in theatre and drama criticism, he brought to his reviews the sensibility of a poet and the depth of a scholar. Apart from his knowledge of Hindi and English, he knew several Indian languages, which helped him to give his critical analysis of contemporary Indian theatre and dramaturgy an all-India perspective. He was instrumental in bringing many regional plays to the Hindi stage before they were staged in their respective regions.
His scholarly range is discernible in the books he wrote. Some of his books include “Drishya-Adrishya”, “Ranga Parampara” and “Badalte Pariprekshya”. For his scholarly contribution as a critic of contemporary Indian theatre, he had received several awards including the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award and the Padma Shri.
Jain wrote during the 1970s and ’80s. It was a time when a wave swept Indian theatre to discover its roots and invent an indigenous form to reflect contemporary sensibility. It was a period which scholars consider as the golden period in the history of the Indian theatre movement. In his fortnightly column called “From the Wings”, he would elaborate on important events and comment on emerging trends. Now these pieces have appeared in a book “From the Wings” published by the National School of Drama. It was released on this occasion Elkunchwar.
For his scholarly contribution as a critic of contemporary Indian theatre, he had received several awards including the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award and the Padma Shri.
DIWAN SINGH BAJELI
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