Ratna Ojha. Picture by Manas Paran

July 25: Veteran theatre personality Ratna Ojha will receive the prestigious Natyasurya Award, 2005, for making significant contributions in the field of theatre.

Ojha is keen to carry forward the street theatre movement, which he started in 1971. He introduced streetplays in Assam with a skit called Kokaideo.

Chief minister, Tarun Gogoi will hand over the award to Ojha at a function at the Kumar Bhaskar Natya Mandir on Sunday. The award comprises a cash prize of Rs 50,000 along with a plaque and a traditional gamocha.

The award has a special meaning for Ojha as it is named after his guru Natyasurya Phani Sharma. “The award is a blessing from my guru Phani Sharma himself,” said Ojha, who has directed more than a hundred plays. “I will use the prize money to stage my forthcoming plays and I really hope it will aid the revival of the theatre movement.”

Ojha has already completed the script of his latest plays, Batote Batote Naat and Biyog Bhawana. After staging his plays in the state, he wants to make a tour of the country.

While the first play is a satirical take on present-day society, with a focus on the problem of corruption, the second one is an insider’s perspective on the struggles of an artiste.

Ojha and his peer group instead of waiting for the government to provide them with a platform, decided to save the almost “drowning boat” of Assamese theatre by staging the plays on the streets of Assam.

“At the time of Natyasurya’s death we didn’t have affordable halls where we could stage our plays,” said Ojha. “Then I came up with the idea of staging the plays on the streets, where, besides voicing our concern on important issues, the common man could see the most intimate form of art without paying a single penny.”

Apart from the highly-acclaimed trilogy Gohbor, Urbor and Kobor produced by his theatre troupe Gohbor Natyagosthi, Ojha introduced cartoon theatre in the region.

A multifaceted artiste, Ojha has also penned several novels and poems. He was also involved in the production and direction the documentary film Naam-ghar.

Ojha is part of the Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra’s general council and he is also associated with the Northeast Zonal Cultural Centre. He is also the vice-chairman of the Bhupen Hazarika Cultural Trust.

“No matter what I do, my first priority will always be theatre and its revival. It is an effective medium of passing social messages,” said Ojha.