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Piyal Bhattacharya

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Indian theatre director, dancer, scholar

Piyal Bhattacharya
BornPiyal Bhattacharya
Howrah, Howrah, West Bengal, India
Occupation
NationalityIndian
SubjectSanskrit, Natyashastra Marga Natya

Piyal Bhattacharya is an Indian theatre director and Natyashastra scholar from Kolkata, West Bengal. He is proficient in Sanskrit, English, Bengali, Hindi and Malayalam. He has founded the Spanda Art Space near Garia, Kolkata.

Life and work

Born in Howrah, West Bengal, Piyal Bhattacharya received training in Kathakali under Kalamandalam Balasubramanian at Kerala Kalamandalam. Later, he studied Natyashastra and musicology under Kamlesh Dutt Tripathi, Bharat Gupt, Puru Dadheech, N. Ramanathan, Urmila Sharma and others. He learnt Rudraveena of Dagar Gharana under Suvir Mishra, Asit Banerjee, Bahauddin Dagar, and of Dabir Khan Gharana from Ujwalendu Chakraborty; Haveli Sangeet under Gokulotsav Maharaj; Sarasvathi-veena under Vijaya Varalakshmi; Pung-Achoba under Premjit Singh; and Kalaripayattu under P.K. Balan Gurukkal. Bhattacharya is known for his work on the reconstruction of a holistic system of Natya from the Natyashastra, i.e., the Marga Natya. He has contributed significantly with reconstruction of the Karana (dance) including Vachikabhinaya, and Aharya, and Angahara (movements of the body, including gestures, facial expressions, and dance). He has also worked towards reconstructing the Atodyas (musical instruments or instrumental music) – Tri-Pushkaras, Vipanchi-Chitra-Mattakokila Vinas – and the Gandharva system of singing. He is a visiting faculty of National School of Drama, Sikkim, etc.

Research

Piyal has undertaken thorough research into the reconstruction of Marga Natya, stemming from Nritta, Geet, and Abhinaya practices outlined in Bharata (sage)'s Natyashastra. His aim is to engage with contemporary societal issues while forging a connection between ancient and modern theatrical forms. Central to his exploration is an investigation into the linguistic nuances present in Indian theatrical traditions.

Theatre direction

Bhattacharya has directed ChitraPurvaranga, Uparupaka Bhanaka, Bhanika and Shudraka's Padmapabhritakam Bhana as Padmanka-Gatha. For two other directorial ventures, he adopted Kalidasa's Meghadutam and Ritusamharam respectively as Viraha-Gatha and Samvatsar-Kathaa. His directorial ventures have been performed in major national and international dance and theatre festivals in India. He has also adopted Bhasa's five Sanskrit plays to direct Bhasa-Bharatam, a repertory-production of the National School of Drama, Sikkim.

Awards

References

  1. "Rising Above the Ordinary". The Statesman. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  2. "Prerona 2022". Narthaki. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  3. "Contemporary readings". The Hindu. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  4. "Sangeet Natak Akademi Award 2022 & 2023" (PDF). Press Information Bureau, Govt of India. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  5. "Report Quest to Bring Back Burmese Harp a Precursor to Veena". DNA. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
  6. "Point Missed". The Telegraph Online. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
  7. "Amrit Yatra a Rare Musical Show was an Ensemble of Ancient Indian Instruments". The Hindu. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
  8. "Restoring the core idea of Natyashastra". The Telegraph. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  9. "Prerona 2022". Narthaki. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  10. Banerjee, Meena (21 January 2016). "Guru of a lost tradition". The Hindu. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  11. Venkataraman, Leela. "The Changing Face of Classical Dance in India". Pulse Connects. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  12. "An elevating, enlightening performance". Times of India. 13 October 2018. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  13. "Rare gem". The Telegraph. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  14. Chowdhurie, Tapati. "Samvatsar Katha". Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  15. "Gallery Bhasbharatam". Sikkim NSD. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  16. "Sangeet Natak Akademi-winning scholar Piyal Bhattacharya takes t2ONLINE on a walkthrough of his institute Chidakash Kalalaya in Calcutta. Glimpses from the art abode". T2 Online. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
  17. "Two Streams of Indian Classical Music". The Statesman. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
  18. "Sangeet Natak Akademi Award 2022 & 2023" (PDF). Press Information Bureau, Govt of India. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
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