Manjul Bhardwaj is an actor, director, writer, facilitator, and initiator in theatre. He is from Dahkora Village in Jhajjar District of Haryana, India. For the past 25 years, he has been based in Mumbai and dedicated himself to creating "The Theatre of Relevance." As a writer and director, he has written and directed more than 25 plays.
In 1992, Bhardwaj founded The Experimental Theatre Foundation, a pioneering theatre movement in India. He has conducted more than 300 "Theatre of Relevance" workshops for a variety of organizations, institutions and groups, in 28 states of India as well as abroad (Singapore and Germany). Brandeis University sends students for internship to understand fundamentals, principles, concepts and processes of "Theatre of Relevance".
His work has focused on issues such as child labour, people affected by HIV and AIDS, and what is known as "Sex-Selection" (the homicide of female fetus).
In 2006, he and his group were invited in "Kinder Kultur Karawane" by Buro Fur Kultur Und-Medien Projekte to Germany to perform the play "Vishwa – The World" for 41 days from 10 September to 20 October 2006. The play was performed 24 times in 13 cities of Germany (Hamburg, Ahrensburg, Berlin, Dessau, Penzberg, Biberach, Dobeln, Wiesbaden, Marburg, Chemnitz, Aschaffenburg, Freiburg and Radolfzell).
Theatre career Bhardwaj has written or directed the following plays:
Sr.No. Year Name of The Play Language Subject Play Time First Time Presented At First Time Presented on 1 1993 Door Se Kisi Ne Aawaj Di Hindi Secularism & National Integration 30 Mins Birla Krida Kendra, Girgaon, Mumbai 12 February 1993 2 1993 Dekha Dekhi Hindi Commercialization & Middle Class 60 mins Karnataka Sangh, Matunga, Mumbai 17 April 1993 3 1994 Mera Bachpan Hindi Child Labour 40 Mins Gautam Nagar, Charkop, Kandivali (W), Mumbai 12 April 1994 4 1994 Dwandwa Hindi Household Violence 30 Mins Tata Community Centre, Chembur, Mumbai 31 July 1994 5 1998 Napunsak Hindi Political & Social Satire 50 Mins Sydenham College, Churchgate, Mumbai 9 March 1998 6 1998 Main Aurat Hun Hindi Women Identity 30 Mins Mumbai University, Mumbai 11 April 1998 7 1999 Vidya Dadati Viniyam Hindi Importance of Education 40 Mins Karnataka Sangh, Matunga, Mumbai 13 January 1999 8 2000 B-7 English Globalization, Privatization, & Commercialization 50 Mins UNESCO Theatre, Hannover, Germany 7 September 2000 9 2001 B-7 Hindi Globalization, Privatization, & Commercialization 50 Mins Prithvi Theatre, Mumbai 18 January 2001 10 2002 Dhundh Hindi Child Sexual Exploitation 50 Mins A.V. Room, N.C.P.A. Mumbai 21 November 2002 11 2003 Red Light Hindi Human Trafficking 50 Mins Mumbai Police Gymkhana, Mumbai 16 March 2003 12 2005 Ladali Hindi Sex/Gender selection – Female Foeticide 60 Mins Tata Theatre, S.P.P.A.A. Mumbai 9 June 2005 13 2006 Vishwa – The World English Youth Struggles Dreams & their Idols 70 Mins Aufführung, "Kultur im Betrieb", Beiersdorf AG, Unnastraße 48, Hamburg, Germany 12 September 2006 14 2012 Chhed Chhad Kyun? Hindi Eve-teasing and Sexual Harassment 70 Mins Ravindra Natya Mandir, Mumbai 28 September 2012 15 2013 Garbh Hindi Awakening Human within Human 80 Mins Ravindra Natya Mandir, Mumbai 1 March 2013 16 2013 Drop by Drop :WaterGlobal SOFA GLOBAL State OF Art -Ekvilib Institute – Creative caravan – The project is supported by the Ministry of foreign affairs of the Republic of Slovenia India News Calling Aug 17, 2013 – Chandigarh Hindi Celebrating water's life-sustaining virtue but strongly opposing its Privatization 70 Mins Kinder Kultur Karawane −2013, Hamburg, Germany 31 August 2013 17 2015 Anhad Naad-Unheard Sounds of Universe Hindi Liberation of Art & Artists from Birth 90 Mins Ravindra Natya Mandir – Dadar (W) Mumbai 29 May 2015 18 2016 Sangrash Shetkaryancha Marathi Plight of Farmers & Agricultural Crisis in India 60 Mins Sindhudurg, Maharashtra May 2016 19 2017 Nyay ke Bhanwar Main Bhanwari Hindi Women Liberation to Challenge the Authority of Patriarchy 70 Mins M L Bhartia Auditorium, Lodhi Road, New Delhi 3. 17 November 2017
Awards/Nominations
UNFPA-Laadli Media Awards for Western Region for Gender Sensitivity 2006–07 – Category – 16. Theatre- Street Theatre Manjul Bhardwaj, Experimental Theatre Foundation
Theaters / Workshops Conducted Dates Location Name of the Theater / Workshop In Association with4 June 2012 15 – June 2012 Ashirwad Bhawan, Dongargarh, Chhattisgarh Bal Rang Karyashala – "Aao Khele Natak"The Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA) Dongargarh, Chhattisgarh
Corporate Trainer Bhardwaj is also a human process facilitator and corporate trainer. He has evolved "Theatre of Relevance" based training modules in corporate and management development. He is experimenting and implementing "Theatre of Relevance" based training modules for more than a decade in reputed public and private sector companies i.e., ONGC, Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, Tehri Hydro Development Corporation (THDC Ltd), Central Bank of India and Reliance Energy (Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group).
His concept ‘Role of theatre of Relevance in HR’ is used as pedagogical tool to learn HR process in EMPI's Udai Pareek HR labs in EMPI Business School, Delhi. He has also intervened in understanding human processes through theatre in ISABS. He is a visiting faculty in a number of institutions, academies and organizations in India and abroad.
References