Where is Swadesh Deepak?
30 Jun 2012 1:14 AM GMT
Playwright Swadesh Deepak, best known for the popular Hindi play Court Martial, has been missing since June 2006 from his hometown in Ambala in Haryana. In early 2006, Deepak reportedly showed symptoms of acute depression. He was suffering from bipolar disorder also, a condition that was diagnosed after a couple of suicide attempts. On 2 June 2006, Deepak left home for his routine morning walk, and since then went missing. All attempts to trace him have shown little results.
Deepak was under medication for a long time. He even documented those fateful years which was published in Kathadesh, a leading Hindi monthly, and later as a book named Maine Mandu Nahin Dekha. His words triggered a widespread debate on how mental illness is perceived in India.
Deepak became a household name after the publication of Court Martial. The play depicts the roots of casteism in the Indian Army. Court Martial has been staged more than 2000 times in India by well-known Indian theatre directors Ranjeet Kapoor, Arvind Gaur, Usha Ganguly and Abhijeet Choudhary. The director of Asmita theatre in New Delhi, Arvind Gaur, who is known for his work in innovative, socially and politically relevant works, recall his days with Swadesh Deepak with whom he shares a close relationship. ‘He was a very creative person, a genius writer who was a master of words, the reason which elicited me to direct the play Court Martial. I still do not believe he is missing, and search for him among the audience after every play, hoping he would be there, sitting in the last row watching the performances.’
Delhi based popular theatre group Asmita Theater's summer festival which has started from 6 May and will go on till 8 July 2012, has been showcasing their plays, mesmerising the audience with their power-packed performances.
Deepak was under medication for a long time. He even documented those fateful years which was published in Kathadesh, a leading Hindi monthly, and later as a book named Maine Mandu Nahin Dekha. His words triggered a widespread debate on how mental illness is perceived in India.
Deepak became a household name after the publication of Court Martial. The play depicts the roots of casteism in the Indian Army. Court Martial has been staged more than 2000 times in India by well-known Indian theatre directors Ranjeet Kapoor, Arvind Gaur, Usha Ganguly and Abhijeet Choudhary. The director of Asmita theatre in New Delhi, Arvind Gaur, who is known for his work in innovative, socially and politically relevant works, recall his days with Swadesh Deepak with whom he shares a close relationship. ‘He was a very creative person, a genius writer who was a master of words, the reason which elicited me to direct the play Court Martial. I still do not believe he is missing, and search for him among the audience after every play, hoping he would be there, sitting in the last row watching the performances.’
Delhi based popular theatre group Asmita Theater's summer festival which has started from 6 May and will go on till 8 July 2012, has been showcasing their plays, mesmerising the audience with their power-packed performances.
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