ABOUT FOUNDER

In a career spanning close to 50 years, Usha Ganguli (1947-2020) carved her personality of resilience and prowess in the field of theatre. An acclaimed Bharatnatyam dancer, Usha Ganguli was an actor, director, theatre designer, theatre activist, screenplay writer, translator and adapter, musician, and more all in one personality.

During an era when theatre in Bengal was firmly held by stalwarts, Usha Ganguli launched her career in theatre in 1970 in Kolkata. Stalwarts of the era Keya Chakraborty, Rudraprasad Sengupta, Shambhu Mitra, Tripti Mitra, Utpal Dutta, Ajitesh Bandopadhyay and others, inspired her, she worked and learned nuances of theatre under them. Finding her niche in the area of Hindi theatre where her perceptions on theatre got space, Usha Ganguli developed her unique ideas and successfully executed them on stage. Eventually, she conceptualised to institute a theatre group aspiring to have a wide outreach and audience base. In 1976, Usha Ganguli founded and launched Rangakarmee theatre group in Kolkata. With the mission to produce plays that opposed socio-economic-political misdeeds, issues of class, caste struggle, women exploitation, and social evils prevalent in society.

Throughout her career, Usha Ganguli received many prestigious awards and recognition for her contribution to Indian theatre. In 1998, she received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award.

Usha Ganguli served as a member of several state, national and international bodies where she ably pushed the cause of development and sustainability of theatre to the maximum. She strived to inculcate values of theatre in millennial ranga karmees who thronged her unique workshops.

An individual, who survived on her pure passion and dedication for theatre, Usha-di (as she is popularly addressed by all) remains an inspiration to her team in Rangakarmee and many others all over the world. Usha Ganguli has left her indelible mark on theatre.