Usha Ganguly

Usha Ganguli (1945 – 23 April 2020) was an Indian theatre director-actor and activist, most known for her work in Hindi theatre in Kolkata in the 1970s and 1980s. She founded Rangakarmee theatre group in 1976, known for its productions like Mahabhoj, Rudali, Court Martial, and Antaryatra. Apart from thespian Shyamanand Jalan of Padatik (established 1972), she was the only other theatre director to practise Hindi theatre in Kolkata, which is largely Bengali speaking.

She was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for Direction, given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama in 1998. She was also honoured by the West Bengal Government as the best actress for the play Gudia Ghar.

Career Ganguly began her career as a teacher at Bhowanipur Education Society College, Calcutta, an undergraduate college affiliated with the University of Calcutta, in 1970. Also in the same year, she started acting with Sangit Kala Mandir and also started work for her first play Mitti Ki Gadi (based on Mrichchakatikam by Shudrak) (1970), where she played the role of Vasantsena. She continued teaching as a Hindi Lecturer at Bhowanipur Education Society College, until her retirement in 2008 and practised theatre all the while.

She formed a theatre group, Rangakarmee, in January 1976.

In 2005, Rangkarmee was the only Indian theatre group to perform at the Theatre der Welt Festival in Stuttgart, Germany. The group staged its first multilingual production, Bhor about the minds of inmates of a drug rehab centre in August 2010.

Plays Mahabhoj (The Great Feast) (1984) Lok Katha (Folk Tale) (1987) Holi (1989) Court Martial (1991) Rudali (The Mourner) (1992) Himmat Mai (Mother Courage) (1998) Mukti (1999) Shobhayatra (2000) Kashinama (2003) Chandalika Sarhad Par Manto Manasi (in Bengali) (2011)

Works Rudali (play based on Mahashweta Devi's story), Radhakrishna Prakashan, 2004. . Antarmahal.