ASSAM: RENOWENED ARTIST SUKRACHARYA RABHA PERISHED

An artist with a unique talent passed away

Renowned Sukracharya Rabha, living in remote Rampur village of Agia in lower Assam’s Goalpara district and for him theatre is not merely a passion but a unique journey on the path of submission to nature and tranquillity.

Sukracharya Rabha who gained nationwide recognition for his open air theatre festival, passed away on 8th June. He died at the age of 41. According to sources he died due to cardiac arrest in his own residence.

Late Sukracharjya Rabha is awarded the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar of Sangeet Natak Akademi for the year 2009 for his notable talent in the field of theatre direction.

He learnt the art of theatre initially in workshops on theatre direction and design at Guwahati. He further trained under Shri H. Kanhailal and Smt. H. Sabitri at Kalakshetra, Imphal, Manipur for two years. Later he assisted Shri Kanhailal in the workshop productions and the project, Nature-Lore in 2005.

He also formed his theatre group, Badungduppa, a rural based theatre centre at his village in 1998 and made a mark as a young talent early in life. He has directed 12 plays in Rabha, Bodo and Nepali languages. Some of the plays are Tikhar, Changkoy, Rupalim, Hati aru Fandi, Lovita, To 'Poidom, Madaiah Muchi, Dangai and Damukchi and were performed widely. Shri Rabha also conducted workshop under the project The Ritual in Theatre, jointly by Dayna Martinez Moraless in collaboration with Theatre Embassy, the Netherlands and also organised workshops for rural artists and a theatre festival named ‘Under The Sal Tree Festival’ annually with his group.