Jalgaon: Childhood is like a ball of clay; the first guru to shape it is the parents, and then the teachers. Teachers sometimes shape this ball with affection and sometimes with severity and create the citizens of tomorrow from it. Creating citizens who are aware of the arts is not an easy task. The students created by Dnyaneshwar Gaikwad have not only become good citizens but also become good human beings, asserted veteran actor Pushkar Shrotri.
He was speaking as the chief guest at the book launch and felicitation ceremony of children's drama writer Dnyaneshwar Gaikwad's Balnatya Samhita.
Gaikwad, a theatre artist, writer and director who has been working to promote and keep the children's theatre movement flourishing in various cities of Maharashtra including the city for the past 48 years, was honored with the 'Balrangbhoomi Jeevan Gaurav' award by the Balrang bhoomi Parishad in a ceremony held at the Bhaiyasaheb Gandhe Auditorium here for the publication of selected children's theatre scripts and his work in children's theatre to date.
Gaikwad, who has written more than 45 children's plays and one-or two-act children's plays, has worked to expand the emotional world of children through children's plays.
The child artists who have acted in the children's plays he wrote are today working in films and commercial theatre, and in order to make their writings reach more and more children's theatre institutions and directors, his selected scripts were published by Shreyas Prakasana in the city. The program was attended by senior actor, director and film producer Pushkar Shrotri, former MP Dr Ulhas Patil, geologist Sampada Joshi, actress Anjali Dharu and other dignitaries.
The program was introduced by Anjali Dharu while Yogesh Shukla reviewed the work of Dnyaneshwar Gaikwad till date. Two children's play collections, Aamhi Dhruv Udayache and Here Bhute Lakhansa, were released by the dignitaries.
This collection includes a total of 7 children's plays. After the book release, Dnyaneshwar Gaikwad was honored with the Balrangbhoomi Jeevan Gaurav Award, which consists of a memento, shawl, certificate and cash prize of Rs. 5,000, by the dignitaries.
On this occasion, Balrangbhoomi Parishad President Yogesh Shukla, Chief Executive Vinod Dhage, Vice President Neha Pawar, Treasurer Sachin Mahajan, Executive Members Darshan Gujrathi, Dnyaneshwar Sonawane, Sudarshan Patil, Avadhoot Dalal, Mohit Patil, Bhalchandra Patil, Ulhas Thackeray etc. were present on the stage.
After the felicitation ceremony, songs and scenes from the children's dramas written by Dnyaneshwar Gaikwad, Here Lives the Ghosts and We Are the Dhruv Udya, were presented by child artists from Guruvarya Parshuram Vithoba Primary School and Natyarang Theatres Jalgaon. The program was moderated by Dr Shraddha Patil Shukla and the vote of thanks was given by Vinod Dhage.
