Draft:Ramesh Prasad Panigrahi

About

Ramesh Prasad Panigrahi is a notable Indian playwright ( 85 plays and he is also theatre director) writing in Odia and in English. He is the first playwright in India who has written the History of Odia literature in three volumes. He has also investigated into the history of Odia culture in Face, Surface, Interface: Ontology of Odia Culture (and co-edited an anthology of essays on Odia culture, captioned Continuity in the Flux). Panigrahi has also co-edited a book on Odishan painting with Dr. Dinanath Pathy (Oddiyan: Six contemporary Painters). Panigrahi has contributed significantly to the revival of the ancient folk theatre forms of Odisha. He worked as the technical director of Prahallad Nataka (a famous folk form of theatre of Odisha) of the Luduludi (Bhanjanagar) village (Tara Tarini Prahallada Natya Sangha, with Guru Biswa bihary Khadenga (1942-2014) as the director). After working with the Troupe for about a week Panigrahi lead the troupe and participated in the Tamilnadu Kattaikuttu Kalai Valarchi Munnetra Sangam at Katpadi in 2004 , the only folk theatre festival of India where lots of European theatre workers participate as technicians/volunteers/organizers. Besides, Dr. Panigrahi has worked as the playwright and Director of 9 Gananatya troupes of Odisha producing 18 jatra plays between 1984 and 1991. He moved on truck boards to different tribal and rural villages to share their problems and voice their silent suffering. He collected the raw material of his plays from them. The exploited women folk of rural/tribal Odisha provided him with endless source of ingredients for his writing and theatre direction, for his performative diction which was culled from the real people he lived with. Prof. Sanghamitra Mishra (Department of vernacular literature, Utkal University has discussed in one of her essays how the women characters of Ramesh Panigrahi continuously fight injustice and how the subordinate position given to them is not willed in heaven and it is a blasphemous patriarchal construct. He used to generate awareness against exploitation in Bhatipara village near Titilagarh (Bolangir) and later, worked with the Parajas and the Kondhs of Koraput, Nowrangpur, Papadahandi, Lakshmipur and Narayanpatna. He also acted, directed and staged plays for the Bondas of Jolaput, Malkangiri.

  He has also worked with Prof. Tatiana Oraskaina, professor of classical Indology, Asien-Afrika Institut Department, Humburg  (Germany) and toured over the hills where Kutia Kondhs and Lanjia Souras of Ganjam Agency live. Tatiana teaches languages, Media and Culture of Modern South Asia at Humburg. 

Ramesh Panigrahi has a postgraduate degree in English literature from Khallikote college (Berhampur University, South Odisha. Berhampur was in Madras Presidency till 1936) and studied under Prof. A.P.O’Brien. He has a Ph.D degree from Utkal University, and he worked for about 8 years with Prof. Prafulla C. Kar, M.S. University, Vadodara on existential Psychology, and its application in postmodern American Theatre. He feels indebted to Prof Asha Bhandarkar (who was working as a research scholar at Osmania University, Hyderabad) Prof. Bhandarkar had steered his course through the esoteric terrains of existential psychology and its manifestation in the theatre of the inner space.

He has also worked with and received the active guidance of Prof . William Mulder, (Ohio), Prof. Luther S. Ludtke(California) and the legendary American theatre critic, Prof. Gerald Weales. During his intermittent visits to Hyderabad between 1978 and 1990   he has participated in the Rabindra Bhavan (Hyderabad) theatre productions of Prof. Isaac Sequeira with whom were associated Prof. Robert M. Crunden, Prof. Birje-Patel and Prof. James Warner Bjorkman. Prof. Sequeira  also helped him to understand American popular culture. He used to whistle blues, country music and rock-n’ – roll and the original songs used in Bertolt Brecht’s theatre. Dr. Panigrahi, as a close associate of Akshay Mohanty ( He worked with Akshay Mohanty in several Odia films and booked him as a music composer for his Jatra plays as a director) enjoyed with him Prof Sequeiera’s whistling in the course of his visit to Ravenshaw College, Cuttack during the Platinum Jubilee celebration of the Post graduate Department of English.  

Dr. Panigrahi has engaged classes at the postgraduate department of English Literature, M.S.University, Vadodara to teach postmodern American Theatre and Sam Shepard’s play, The Curse of the Starving Class. ( Panigrahi acknowledges with gratitude the help rendered by the University by providing him with a space in the Nussirvanji Hall of Residence during his stay at Vadodara. The University of Vadodara was also kind enough to provide him with a study and the reading facilities at the Gayekward Library, (M.S. University) since he studied with Prof. P.C.Kar. Dr. Panigrahi has taught e-journalism at the Institute of Media Studies, Bhubaneswar, lectured at I.M.S., Dhenkanal on creative journalism and engaged classes at the School of Film Studies at Krishna Campus, KIIT University, Bhubaneswar to train the students in effective screenplay writing for film and television. Besides he is occasionally invited to S.T.I. (All India Radio) and National Academy of Broadcasting and Multimedia (Prasar Bharati), Bhubaneswar for training and induction programmers for the newly recruited executives and engineers of All India Radio and Television centers. Dr. Panigrahi was elected as the Delegated Board Member of the Central Board of Film Certification Mumbai between 2003 and 2005. Dr. Panigrahi is a visiting faculty for taking theory and practical classes on creative writing at different autonomous colleges where the course is taught.

References/ Academic Studies on Ramesh P. Panigrahi Note: The plays of Ramesh Prasad Panigrahi were first included in the University curricula in 1968. His plays were studied first in the graduate courses and later in postgraduate courses in all the universities that teach Odia literature: Berhampur University, Sambalpur University, Utkal University, Shantiniketan University,West Bengal, Ravenshaw University, Cuttack and in autonomous colleges like Rama Devi (Autonomous) College, Bhubaneswar and B.J.B.(Autonomous)College, Bhubaneswar. His plays are performed in Hindi and Bengali translation at Delhi and in Kalyani, (West Bengal), Kolkata and on different cultural events of West Bengal. Canmass, a reputed Theatre Organization from Paradip, Odisha had organized a National Theatre Festival of his plays from 18-03-2014 to 24-03-2014. Hereunder is given a bibliographic account of the research works done on his works. 1.Natyakar Ramesh Panigrahi: Sristi-O-Srasta, Ed.Prof. Krishna Chandra Pradhan & Dr. Bayamanu Churchi, Satyanarayan Book Store, Binodbihari, Cuttack-2, Odisha, 2013

 2.Dr. Sanak kumar Badtya,M.Phil, Ph.D, Sampratika Odia Natakara Prekshya-pata-re Ramesh Panigrahi : Eka Adhyayana (The place of Ramesh Panigrahi in the context of Odia Theatre, Unpublished Ph.D. thesis, Berhampur University, 1996)

3.Padmabibhusan Dr. Sitakant Mahapatra (Jnanpith Awardee) “Modern Odia Drama” in Contemporary Indian Literature,Vol-1, Ed. K.M.George, Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi, 1984. 4.Dr. Lita Mohanty Ramesh Panigrahi-nka Natakare Atikalpanara Prayoga ( The element of fantasy deployed in Ramesh Panigrahi’s Plays, 2000), Unpublished Ph.D.Thesis, Utkal University. 5. Dr. Batakrishna Swain, Ramesh Panigrahi-nka Jatra Natak, Unpublished Ph.D. Thesis, Utkal University, 2004 6. Dr. Ajoy kumar Sutar, Ramesh Panigrahi-nka Jatra Natakare Prayoga-O-Pareekshya, Unpublished Ph.D. thesis, Utkal University, 2010 7. Sabitabala Nayak, Odia Ekankika O Salis-biheena Ekankikakar Ramesh Prasad Panigrahi, (A Study of the short plays of Ramesh Panigrahi, A playwright with no compromise) Unpublished Thesis, Sambalpur University, 2011. 8. Dr. Pratima kumari Panigrahi, Odia Natya Jagata-ku Ramesh Panigrahi-nka Dana, (The contribution of Ramesh Panigrahi to the field of Odia Drama) Unpublished Ph.D thesis, Berhampur University,2015 9., Dr. Nikhilesh Mohanty, Ramesh Panigrahi-nka Natakare Myth O Lokanatya Sailee( Deployment of Myth and the folk theatre style in Ramesh Panigrahi’s plays, 2015) Unpublished Ph.D. thesis, Utkal University, 2015 10 Dr. Bibekananda Panigrahi, Mu-Ambhe-O-Ambhemane: A gateway to the New Theatre Movement in Odisha, 2013 11.Prof. Sanghamitra Mishra. A study of the women characters in Ramesh Panigrahi’s plays 12. Prof. Gurucharan Behera,( Professor of English, Benares Hindu University, Varanasi, U.P.) Fantasy in Ramesh Panigrahi’s plays 13.Dr. Simachal Nahak, Timira Trushna: A Bird’s Eye view 14.Dr. Swarajyalaxmi Mishra, Hati-ku-Homeopathy Natakare Galpayana O Samrachana prasanga (Structure and Narratology in Hatiku Homeopathy) 15.Dr. Ganeswar Mishra. Ananda nagaraku Jatra: A study in metaphysics 16. Prof. Bijoy kumar Satpathy: The Idea of Revolution in Mahanataka 17. Shri Nihar Chandra Patnayak: The study of Society in Ramesh Panigrahi’s Plays 18. Prof. Debi prasanna Patnayak. Chinha-Achinha-ra Natyakar-Ramesh Prasad Panigrahi (The playwright of the known and unknown territories) 19. Prof. Niladribhushan Harichandan: Creative experiments in Dhritarahtra-ra Akhi 20. Pradeep kumar Rath, I.A.S.: The myth of Maha-purusha (superman) in Manduka Upakhyanam 21. Prof. Sanghamitra Mishra: Ramesh Panigrahi: An intrinsic interpretation of his plays 22. Prof. Krishna Chandra Pradhan: Theoretical Roots of Social Realism in Ramesh Panigrahi’s plays

References/ Academic Studies on Ramesh P. Panigrahi Note: The plays of Ramesh Prasad Panigrahi were first included in the University curricula in 1968. He was studied first in the graduate courses and later in postgraduate courses in all the universities that teach Odia literature: Berhampur University, Sambalpur University, Utkal University, Shantiniketan University,West Bengal, Ravenshaw University, Cuttack and in autonomous colleges like Rama Devi (Autonomous) College, Bhubaneswar and B.J.B.(Autonomous)College, Bhubaneswar. His plays are performed in Hindi and Bengali translation at Delhi and in Kalyani, West Bengal. Canmass,a reputed Theatre Organization from Paradip. Odisha had organized a National Theatre Festival of his plays from 18-03-2014 to 24-03-2014. Hereunder is given a bibliographic account of the research works done on his works. 1.Natyakar Ramesh Panigrahi:Sristi-O-Srasta, Ed.Prof. Krishna Chandra Pradhan & Dr. Bayamanu Churchi, Satyanarayan Book Store, Binodbihari, Cuttack-2, Odisha, 2013

 2.Dr. Sanak kumar Badtya,M.Phil, Ph.D, Sampratika Odia Natakara Prekshya-pata-re Ramesh Panigrahi : Eka Adhyayana (The place of Ramesh Panigrahi in the context of Odia Theatre, Unpublished Ph.D. thesis, Berhampur University, 1996)

3.Padmabibhusan Dr. Sitakant Mahapatra (Jnanpith Awardee) “Modern Odia Drama” in Contemporary Indian Literature,Vol-1, Ed. K.M.George, Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi, 1984. 4.Dr. Lita Mohanty Ramesh Panigrahi-nka Natakare Atikalpanara Prayoga ( The element of fantasy deployed in Ramesh Panigrahi’s Plays, 2000), Unpublished Ph.D.Thesis, Utkal University. 5. Dr. Batakrishna Swain, Ramesh Panigrahi-nka Jatra Natak, Unpublished Ph.D. Thesis, Utkal University, 2004 6. Dr. Ajoy kumar Sutar, Ramesh Panigrahi-nka Jatra Natakare Prayoga-O-Pareekshya, Unpublished Ph.D. thesis, Utkal University, 2010 7. Sabitabala Nayak, Odia Ekankika O Salis-biheena Ekankikakar Ramesh Prasad Panigrahi, (A Study of the short plays of Ramesh Panigrahi, A playwright with no compromise) Unpublished Thesis, Sambalpur University, 2011. 8. Dr. Pratima kumari Panigrahi, Odia Natya Jagata-ku Ramesh Panigrahi-nka Dana,(The contribution of Ramesh Panigrahi to the field of Odia Drama) Unpublished Ph.D thesis, Berhampur University,2015 9., Dr. Nikhilesh Mohanty, Ramesh Panigrahi-nka Natakare Myth O LOkanatya Sailee( Deployment of Myth and the folk theatre elements in Ramesh Panigrahi’s plays, 2015) Unpublished Ph.D. thesis, Utkal University, 2015 10 Dr. Bibekananda Panigrahi, Mu-Ambhe-O-Ambhemane: A gateway to the New Theatre Movement in Odisha, 2013 11.Prof. Sanghamitra Mishra. A study of the women characters in Ramesh Panigrahi’s plays 12. Prof. Gurucharan Behera,( Benares Hindu University, Varanasi, U.P.) Fantasy in Ramesh Panigrahi’s plays 13.Dr. Simachal Nahak, Timira Trushna: A Bird’s Eye view 14.Dr. Swarajyalaxmi Mishra, Hati-ku-Homeopathy Natakare Galpayana O Samrachana prasanga (Structure and Narratology in Hatiku Homeopathy) 15.Dr. Ganeswar Mishra. Ananda nagaraku Jatra: A study in metaphysics 16. Prof. Bijoy kumar Satpathy: The Idea of Revolution in Mahanataka 17. Shri Nihar Chandra Patnayak: The study of Society in Ramesh Panigrahi’s Plays 18. Prof. Debi prasanna Patnayak. Chinha-Achinha-ra Natyakar-Ramesh Prasad Panigrahi (The playwright of the known and unknown territories) 19.Prof. Niladribhushan Harichandan: Creative experiments in Dhritarahtra-ra Akhi 20. Pradeep kumar Rath, I.A.S.: The myth of Maha-purusha (superman) in Manduka Upakhyanam 21. Prof. Sanghamitra Mishra: Ramesh Panigrahi: An intrinsic interpretation of his plays 22. Prof. Krishna Chandra Pradhan: Theoretical Roots of Social Realism in Ramesh Panigrahi’s plays