Farewell to Dinesh Thakur

Dinesh Thakur, the great director, actor and writer of Hindi Theatre in India passed away on September 20 2012 after battling a long illness. In his eternal flight, he has left all us theatre people grieving. Dinesh Thakur gave his life to the stage. To be involved with only theatre for 36 years is not an easy thing to do. My first interaction with him dates back to 1980 when he came to see my group's first production EK THAA GADHA, written by Sharad Joshi. He liked the play and my acting so much that he offered me a role in a play by his theatre group Ank. The play BIWION KA MADRESSA has been one of Ank's most popular and successful plays. I agreed to do the part and the rehearsals started. Those days I was also dramatizing my own play KASAIWADA based on a story I had read in a magazine but the detailing involved in direction, I learnt from Dinesh Thakur.

	Dinesh Thakur and Om Katare

Whichever play he used to direct, it seemed that he had completely absorbed all its essence. The script was very important to him and he worked on it thoroughly. He always used to instruct his actors to make their speech right and to speak clearly. The bond we formed then remained intact over the years. He was like my Guru, my big brother and father. After my initial experience with him, one phone call from him was enough for me to do his bidding.

For our group's festivals, he would either come for the opening day or send his best wishes in the form of flowers. We have done 32 festivals so far and there hasn't been a single festival for which Dinesh Thakur would not have sent us his warm wishes. His theatre group Ank may have gone through many ups and downs; many actors even left him all of a sudden once and one wondered how he might pull through. But he never lost heart. He got new actors together and went ahead once again. I am well versed with the anxiety and difficulty a director feels when one of his actors suddenly leaves. The people who left him though were never actually able to leave him. They had formed their own bond with Ank. But Dinesh Thakur was his own man. Stubborn by nature, he had to do what his heart was set on doing. He was unafraid and brave and not one to accept defeat under any circumstances.

My group Yatri or I for that matter owe a lot to Dinesh Thakur. I learnt things staying close to him and for that I am ever indebted. I also laud Preeta Thakur's strength as she stood by him through these last few years especially. She was always there for him, never losing hope. At the least I can say that should Ank ever desire of Yatri's help, we will be there for them. I pray to God that Dinesh Thakur's soul be at rest.

Om Katare is the Artistic Director of his theatre group Yatri.