Badal Sarkar Biography 
Badal Sarkar was a dramatist and theatre director from Bengal. He is most known for his anti-establishment plays during the Naxalite movement in the 1970s. He is the founder of Shatabdi, the theatre company founded in the year 1976. His playwrights, Ebong Indrajit, Basi Khabar and Saari Raat are regarded classic and timeless. Ebong Indrajit - a prolific work is a landmark play in Indian theatre. He was an experimental director and playwright of contemporary times. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1972, Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1968 and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship in 1997. His real name is Sudhindra Sarkar. He was a proponent of the "Third theatre" movement that stood ideologically against the state.
Badal Sarkar was born on July 15, 1925 in Kolkata. His father was a history professor. Badal studied from Scottish Church College, Bengal Engineering College (Civil) and Jadavpur University (MA in literature). While working as an architect in India, he entered theatre. He started with acting and later movied to playwrights as well as direction. His first works were comedies while later on, he concentrated on serious subjects. After writing landmark play, Ebong Indrajit, he wrote a series of plays, Baaki Itihaash (1965), Pralap (1966), Tringsha Shatabdi (1966), Pagla Ghoda (1967) and Shesh Naai (1969). He wrote these plays for Sombhu Mitra's Bohurupee group.
He formed the "Shatabdi" theatre group and Ebong Indrajit was the first play released under it. It narrates the story of three people - Amal, Bimal, Kamal and a loner Indrajit. During early 1970’s he emerged as a leading playwright and theatre director. He revolutionized Bengali theatre through his works. His plays deeply reflected the atrocities that prevailed in the society and decayed hierarchical system. His "Third theatre" movement was well known. "Bhoma" was one of such works belonging to this category.
Published: N/A
Updated: January 08, 2014
