Kolkata theatre icon Usha Ganguly dies at 75

Kolkata theatre icon Usha Ganguly has died at the age of 75. She was alone at home and on Thursday morning her domestic help found her lying unconscious.

Theatre stalwart Usha Ganguly died in her south Kolkata residence on Thursday morning following a prolonged illness. She was 75.

Usha Ganguly had said that she had no life beyond theatre.

Ganguly, who founded the theatre group Rangakarmee, which essentially produces Hindi plays, had been one of the biggest names in the Kolkata theatre industry. She won the Sangeet Natak Akademy award in 1998.

Born in Rajasthan in 1945, Ganguly completed her education in Kolkata. She had been engaged in theatre since the early 1970s. She founded Rangakarmee, known for producing socially relevant plays, in 1976.

In an interview a few years ago, Ganguly had said that she had no life except for theatre. Her 1992 direction, the play Rudaali, based on a short story by Mahashweta Devi, has earned an iconic stature since then. Her other plays include Gudiya Ghar (1981), Holi (1989), Court Martial (1991), Himmat Mai (1998), and Mukti (1999). She also collaborated with the late filmmaker Rituparno Ghosh in writing the script of the film Raincoat.

She was trained as a Bharatnatyam dancer and also served as a lecturer in Hindi at a college in Kolkata. She had also served as a member of the Senate of Calcutta University for five years and as a member of the executive committee of Sangeet Natak Akademi.

On Thursday, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee expressed her deepest grief at the passing of Ganguly. A senior official of the state government said Ganguly was alone at home and on Thursday morning her domestic help found her lying unconscious. The body will be sent for post-mortem examinations.