Draft:Kamlakar Sontakke

Kamlakar Murlidhar Sontakke (born 1939) is a distinguished figure in the field of theatre arts and cultural administration in India. His extensive contributions span across academic, administrative, and creative domains.

Early Life and Education

Kamlakar Murlidhar Sontakke was born in 1939 in Wadod Chatha, a remote village near Ajanta in the Aurangabad district of Maharashtra. He completed his secondary education in the district, and later moved to Aurangabad for higher education in 1955. He pursued his post-graduate studies in Hindi Literature at Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, Aurangabad, graduating in 1960. He would go on to obtain a Diploma from the National School of Drama, New Delhi, in 1966, where he graduated with distinction, earning a gold medal and the prestigious Bharat Puraskar. His academic journey was further enriched by the British Council Colombo Fellowship, which allowed him to study British Theatre for two years. He also holds an NCC certificate awarded in 1960, for volunteering with the National Cadet Corps (India).

Academic Achievements

Sontakke’s academic career began at the National School of Drama, where he taught speech, acting, and production from 1966 to 1968. He then headed Amrut Natya Bharati, the first formal theatre training institute in Mumbai, Maharashtra, from 1968 to 1970. His British Council Fellowship facilitated a comprehensive tour of the UK, France, Italy, Germany, and Holland, where he engaged with various repertory companies and theatre institutions.

In 1972, Sontakke established the first faculty of Theatre Arts at Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, where he headed the department and taught postgraduate students until 1978. He later led the Pravin Academy of Theatre Arts with INT in Mumbai, the first multilingual theatre training centre in India, from 1979 to 1983. During this period, he trained approximately 250 actors, directors, designers, and visualisers, many of whom have significantly contributed to Marathi, Hindi, Gujarati, and English theatre, films, and television. Over 50 of his students hold responsible positions in university faculties, Doordarshan, Song and Drama divisions, and other government and semi-government organisations.

Administrative Experience

Sontakke served as the Director of the Department of Culture, Government of Maharashtra, from 1984 to 1986. He then served as the Director of the South Central Zone Cultural Centre in Nagpur, overseeing Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, and Maharashtra from 1986 to 1990. During his tenure, he introduced innovative cultural schemes for folk, traditional, and classical performing arts, promoting artists on national and international platforms through various thematic programmes and festivals. The centre was acclaimed for its high artistic standards, programme presentations, documentation, and popularity.

From 1991 to 1998, Sontakke was the Chief Executive of the Nehru Centre, an autonomous organization of national repute dedicated to promoting scientific thought through its six wings: planetarium, research, exhibition, publication, cultural, and social awareness. Since 1966, he has also been a freelance consultant to various government and semi-government bodies, including the Department of Culture, Government of India, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Youth Affairs, ICCR, National School of Drama, Zonal Cultural Centres, State Academies, and eight Indian universities.

Artistic Experience

Kamlakar Sontakke has directed over 50 plays in Hindi, Marathi, English, and Gujarati. He has translated more than 15 full-length plays into Hindi from Marathi and 10 plays into Marathi from Hindi and English. As an actor, he has performed in over 30 plays in Hindi, Marathi, and English. Notably, his performances in professional Marathi plays such as “Anandi Gopal,” “Rakta Nako Maja Prem Have,” and “Satyam Shivam Sunderam” have collectively scored more than 350 shows. Sontakke has also acted in several Hindi serials and directed projects for both national and private channels. He has also written over 30 articles on various performing arts and participated in numerous national seminars.

Sontakke has organized and participated in about 25 national cultural festivals as a Creative Director, including Apna Utsav Delhi (1986), Apna Utsav Mumbai (1989), and the 8th Asian Track and Field Meet. He has conducted various national festivals in Mizoram, Arunachal, Assam, Bihar, Andaman, Hyderabad, Bangalore, and Mumbai, as well as the National Games, Afro-Asian Games, Commonwealth Youth Games, and Pune Festival over a span of 15 years. Internationally, he has conducted cultural festivals in Paris and Mauritius and participated in festivals in Japan and the UK. He was invited as a Creative Consultant to the Government of Mauritius for its Silver Jubilee Celebration Programme and paid a visit to Japan on the invitation of the Ministry of External Affairs of Japan as a media and cultural expert. Additionally, he was appointed as a cultural consultant to the Government of Andhra Pradesh (2003–2004) and worked as the Creative Director of the National Games Meet and the 1st Afro-Asian Games Meet in Hyderabad in 2004.

Translations

From Marathi to Hindi:

• Chakra (Vidyadhar Pundlik)
• Rangpanchalik (Pu Shi Rege)
• Dumar (Va Ra Kant)
• Khamosh Adalat Jari Hai, Kanyadan (Vijay Tendulkar)
• Ek Shunya Bajirao, Chafa (Chin Tram Khanlokar)
• Gol Gol Rani, Panya Tuza Rang Kasa, Lakdacha Dev (Vasant Ninave)
• Krisnhadweep (Madhukar Toradmal)
• Gandhi Viruddh Ambedkar, Kirvant (Premchand Gajvi)
• Hands up (Vasant Kamat)
• Chhinn (Waman Tawade)
• Adhantar (Jayant Pawar)
• Thastha (Sanjay Pawar)
• Chit Ya Pat (Irwati Karnik)

From Other Languages to Marathi/Hindi:

• Sharshayan (G Shankar Pille – Malayalam)
• Hathi Ka Pilla (Bertolt Brecht)
• The Dumb Waiter (Harold Pinter)
• Poetry Translations:
• Sitakant Mahapatra - from Hindi to Marathi (Chimne ga bai)
• Dasu Vaidya – from Marathi to Hindi (Yatayat Bhare Raste Par)
• Agni Sekhar – from Hindi to Marathi (Aayushychi Spandane)

Other Translations:

• Hindi Ki Prem Kathayen (Gyanpeth publication – in Marathi) - Hindi Til Premkatha
• Dojakh (Kashmiri short stories from Hindi to Marathi) – Narkvasachya Yatna
• Don Quickzot (from Hindi translation by Chavinath Pandey to Marathi) – Don Quickzot
• Pankha Vina Bharari (Smt. Ghadi) from Marathi to Hindi – Udan

Publications

• KALAKSHERATIL WALANWATA: A collection of 11 articles on Marathi-speaking artists, including Rohini Hattangadi, Suhas Joshi, Reema Lagu, Girish Oak, Ajit Kelkar, and others.
• KIMAYAGAR KALAAKAAR: A compilation of articles on Hindi-speaking artists, featuring Shabana Azmi, Seema Biswas, Om Puri, Irrfan Khan, Rajkummar Rao, and others.

Academic Associations

• Member of Bharat Bhavan, Bhopal; Kala Academy, Goa; NCPA, Mumbai; Balbhavan, Delhi and Mumbai; and CCRT, Delhi for more than 15 years.
• Member of various committees of the Department of Culture and Youth Welfare for over 12 years.
• Member of the Celebration Wing of the Ministry of Defense for 9 years.
• Member of various state government and zonal centre advisory committees and CCRT for over 10 years.
• Member of academic councils and selection committees of six university departments (Baroda, Chandigarh, Punjab, Patiala, Calcutta, Mumbai), AIR, Doordarshan (Prasar Bharati), NFDC, and other organisations.
• Member of the Academic Council, Governing Body, and Vice-Chairman of the National School of Drama, New Delhi (1996-1998).

Awards

• Natya Darpan Award (2000)
• Maharashtra Kala Gaurav Award (2003)
• Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (2013)

Electronic and Digital Media Associations

• Directed extended consultancy to documentary films of the Government of Maharashtra and the International Labour Organisation (UNESCO).
• Acted on the advisory committee of NFDC (Extension Programmes and Administration).
• Acted in the feature film “Prahar,” produced and directed by Nana Patekar.
• Acted in Hindi serials such as “Amanat,” “Khushi” for Siddhant Cine Vision, “Kahin Khushi Kahin Gam” – a Cinevista production, “Ek Mahal Ho Sapno Ka” – Shobhna Desai production, and “Gharkool” – SAB TV, totaling more than 600 episodes.
• Produced for DD Sahyadri - 8 landmark plays of Marathi theatre as teleplays, including “Barrister,” “Mahasagar,” “Waje Paul Aaple,” “Choo Manter,” “Pikla Paan,” and “Ladhai” in Marathi.
• Produced and directed several serials like “Ujjwal Prabhat,” “Asmita,” “Aamdar Saubhagyawati,” “ACP Durga,” “Ashi He Dharmkanya,” and others.
• Produced media programmes based on literature and theatre for Doordarshan & private channels.