Girish Chandra Ghosh

 

The Father of Bengali Theatre, Girish Chandra Ghosh, was born on February 28, 1844, in Bagbazar, North Kolkata. He used to study in Hare School and had a penchant for theatre from an extremely early age. In his boyhood, he used to participate in Bagbazar Amateur Theatre, a form of jatra, the Bengali folk theatre.

Girish Chandra Ghosh was a Bengali musician, poet, playwright, novelist, theatre director and actor. He was largely responsible for the golden age of Bengali theatre. He can be referred to as the Father of Bengali Theatre. He was a versatile genius, a scholar without having any formal educational background, an actor of repute and a mentor who brought up many actors and actresses, including Binodini dasi. He cofounded the Great National Theatre, the first Bengali professional theatre company in 1872, wrote nearly 40 plays and acted and directed many more.