LesliGirard6 at 10:27, 27 March 2026

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{{Short description|Indian writer and theatre director (1949–2021)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}
{{Use Indian English|date=April 2018}}
{{Infobox person
| image = Bansi Kaul. Theatre Director. London.2000.jpg
|caption = Bansi kaul in 2000
| name = Bansi Kaul
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1949|08|23}}
| birth_place = [[Srinagar]], [[Jammu and Kashmir (state)|Jammu and Kashmir]], India
| height =
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2021|2|06|1949|8|23|df=yes}}
| death_place = [[Dwarka]], [[Delhi]], India
| years_active = 1974–2020
| othername =
| homepage =
| awards = {{Nowrap|[[Sangeet Natak Akademi Award]] (1995) <br> [[Padma Shri]] (2014)}}
}}
'''Bansi Kaul''' (23 August 1949 – 6 February 2021) was an Indian theatre director and the founder of Rang Vidushak, a theatre group in Bhopal.<ref>{{usurped|[https://web.archive.org/web/20210207032618/http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/mp/2006/01/24/stories/2006012400750100.htm `Laughter is a celebration']}} ''[[The Hindu]]'', 24 January 2006]</ref> He was a recipient of the [[Padma Shri]], India's fourth highest civilian honor, in 2014, and the [[Sangeet Natak Akademi Award]] in 1995. Some of his notable plays included ''Aala Afsar, Kahan Kabir,'' and ''Sidhi Dar Sidhi urf Tukke pe Tukka.'' He was a designer and associate show director for the [[2010 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony]] and also the art director for the 1986 and 1987 [[Khajuraho]] Festival.

==Early life==
Bansi Kaul was born on 23 August 1949 into a [[Kashmiri Pandit]] family in [[Srinagar]], [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu and Kashmir]], India.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Namdev|first=Samaksh|date=6 February 2021|title=Renowned theatre artist Bansi Kaul succumbs to cancer|url=https://www.cityspidey.com/news/12930/renowned-theatre-artist-bansi-kaul-succumbs-to-cancer|access-date=7 February 2021|website=www.cityspidey.com|language=en-GB}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Sangeet Natak Akademi Award – Bansi Kaul|url=https://sangeetnatak.gov.in/sna/citation_popup.php?id=1027&at=2|access-date=7 February 2021|website=sangeetnatak.gov.in}}</ref> He was interested in art and painting from an early age. He was exposed to [[Amateur theatre|amateur theater]] groups in Kashmir. He moved to [[New Delhi]] to join the [[National School of Drama]] (NSD), but, did not qualify for the first time, before successfully retrying. He graduated from the institute with a specialization in [[stagecraft]] in 1973.<ref name=":0" />

== Career ==
[[File:Bansi Kaul, Amritsar, 1976.jpg|thumb|Bansi Kaul in 1976.]]
Kaul started his career as a director with [[National School of Drama]]'s NSD Repertory Company and was also a member of the faculty of the school's department of extension, before forming his own theatre group in 1984.<ref>[http://www.nsd.gov.in/Annual_Report_2005-06.pdf NSD Annual Report] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718213711/http://www.nsd.gov.in/Annual_Report_2005-06.pdf|date=18 July 2011}}</ref> In 1986, he founded ''Rang Vidushak'', a theater group based in [[Bhopal]], that incorporated folk idioms into its production and evolved a new idiom of clown-theatre. The group performed in India and abroad in several languages such as Hindi, [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]], [[Sanskrit]], [[Tamil language|Tamil]] and [[Sinhalese language|Sinhalese]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Bergquist|first=Karin|date=12 January 2004|title=culturebase.net {{!}} The international artist database {{!}} Rang Vidushak|url=http://www.culturebase.net/artist.php?1288|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040112153908/http://www.culturebase.net/artist.php?1288|archive-date=12 January 2004|access-date=7 February 2021}}</ref>

Kaul directed and produced over 100 plays through his career, with some of his notable plays included ''Aala Afsar'' based on [[Nikolai Gogol]]'s satirical play [[The Government Inspector]], ''Kahan Kabir'' based on the collected works of poet-saint [[Kabir]]'','' and ''Sidhi Dar Sidhi urf Tukke pe Tukka'' an adaptation of Chinese folktale "Three promotions in succession"''.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":3">{{Cite news|last=Bajeli|first=Diwan Singh|date=31 December 2015|title=The sweet notes of success|language=en-IN|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/the-sweet-notes-of-success/article8050793.ece|access-date=7 February 2021|issn=0971-751X}}</ref>'' Most of his plays were based on the [[Nautanki]] style of street theater.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web|last=Tandon|first=Aditi|date=13 April 2004|title=The Tribune, Chandigarh, India – Chandigarh Stories|url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/2004/20040414/cth1.htm|access-date=7 February 2021|website=www.tribuneindia.com}}</ref> Other works included ''Mrichakatikam, Raja Agnivarna ka Pair, Agnileek, Veini Samhaar, Dashkumar Charitham, Sharvilk, Pancharathram, Andha Yug, Khel Guru Ka, Jo Ram Rachi Raakha, Aranyadhipathi Tantyamaama, Zindagi aur Zyonk, Vatan ka Raag, and Saudagar''.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=6 February 2021|title=पद्मश्री से सम्मानित रंगकर्मी बंसी कौल का निधन, दिल्ली के द्वारका में ली अंतिम सांस|url=https://www.patrika.com/bhopal-news/padma-shri-artist-bansi-kaul-passes-away-6674445/|access-date=7 February 2021|website=Patrika News|language=hindi}}</ref> In a review of a retrospective of his works ''Rang-Bansi'' ({{Translation|Colors of Bansi}}), newspaper ''[[The Hindu]]'' wrote, "As a designer, he (Kaul) treads two worlds – the designer of mega events with plenty of resources and the designer of the theatrical productions suffering from utter paucity of funds."<ref name=":3" />

Through his works, he explored the politics of laughter and studied riddles and myths across Indian traditional folk tales, including clowns, or ''Vidushak'', into the central figure of his works.<ref name=":0" /> His last production ''Paglaye Gusse Ka Dhuan'' in 2019 was for the [[Lucknow]] based Bhartendu Natya Akademi. The play was based on the works of [[Kashmiri poetry|Kashmiri poets]] and addressed the topic of [[Exodus of Kashmiri Pandits]] during years of militancy in the state.<ref name=":0" />

Building on his training in stagecraft, he worked as the art director for the 1986 and 1987 [[Khajuraho]] Festival and also for the [[Festival of India]] in China, Switzerland, and the USSR.<ref name=":0" /> Kaul was one of the lead designers and an associate show director for the [[2010 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony]]. Speaking about his mandate, he would say that the requirement was to bring Indian culture and themes to the event, without letting [[Bollywood]] come across as the "only cultural identity of the country".<ref name=":0" />

He was awarded the 1995 [[Sangeet Natak Akademi Award]] and the [[Padma Shri]], India's fourth highest civilian honor in 2014.<ref>{{cite web|date=25 January 2014|title=Padma Awards Announced|url=http://www.pib.nic.in/newsite/erelease.aspx?relid=69364|access-date=26 January 2014|publisher=Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Home Affairs}}</ref> He was also the recipient of the 2016 Rashtriya Kalidas Samman for ''Kahan Kabir''.<ref name=":0" /> He received the 1994 Shikhar Samman from the [[Government of Madhya Pradesh]], and the 1995 [[Safdar Hashmi]] Award from the [[Uttar Pradesh Sangeet Natak Akademi Award|Uttar Pradesh Sangeet Natak Akademi]].<ref name=":2" />

== Personal life ==
Kaul was married to theater artist Anjana Puri. Puri was a [[Sangeet Natak Akademi Award]]ee herself and composed music for many of his productions.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Sangeet Natak Akademi Award – Anjana Puri|url=https://sangeetnatak.gov.in/sna/citation_popup.php?id=1915&at=2|access-date=7 February 2021|website=sangeetnatak.gov.in}}</ref><ref name=":3"/>

Kaul died from cancer on 6 February 2021, in Delhi. He was 71.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Nath|first=Dipanita|date=7 February 2021|title=Bansi Kaul: Master of stagecraft, explorer of humour|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/master-of-stagecraft-explorer-of-humour-7177898/|access-date=7 February 2021|website=The Indian Express|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1" />

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Padma Shri Award Recipients in Art}}
{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kaul, Bansi}}
[[Category:1949 births]]
[[Category:2021 deaths]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award]]
[[Category:Kashmiri people]]
[[Category:Kashmiri Pandits]]
[[Category:Indian male dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:National School of Drama alumni]]
[[Category:Academic staff of the National School of Drama]]
[[Category:Indian theatre directors]]
[[Category:Hindi theatre]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts]]
[[Category:People from Srinagar]]
[[Category:Dramatists and playwrights from Jammu and Kashmir]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian male writers]]

Bansi Kaul - Revision history

LesliGirard6 at 10:27, 27 March 2026