Hari Madhab Mukhopadhyay

Hari Madhab Mukhopadhyay was born in Balurghat, in present-day South Dinajpur district of West Bengal, then part of British India. His father was Nilkantha Mukhopadhyay. From an early age, he developed a deep attraction towards theatre. In 1956, he formed a theatre group named Taruntirtha in Balurghat. After completing school, he moved to Kolkata for college education and regularly attended theatre performances across the city during his student years. He received training in theatre under directors Jagmohan Majumdar and Ajitesh Bandopadhyay, among others. He remained associated with the Howrah-based theatre group 'Natnatyam' for three years. During this period, he earned a postgraduate degree in commerce from the University of Calcutta. Drawn back by his commitment to theatre, he returned to Balurghat and joined Balurghat College as a professor in 1967. ==Theatrical career==

Due to his deep love for theatre, he remained actively involved in both professional and amateur theatre alongside his academic career. In 1969, he founded the theatre group Tritirtha in Balurghat. Up to 2008, a total of 58 plays were staged under his production and direction, including Tin Bigyani, Jal, Galileo and Debangshi. As a fully dedicated theatre practitioner, he worked not only as an actor and director, but also took on responsibilities such as narrator, composer, lighting designer, costume designer, and set designer. He is regarded as the guiding force behind the “theatre movement” of Balurghat. Plays written Among several others, these are the plays he wrote. Plays directed and performed Among several others, these are the plays directed and performed by him. ==Awards and honours==

• In 1977, he received the Dishari Award for producing and directing Debigirjan by Bijon Bhattacharya; • The Government of West Bengal's Department of Information and Cultural Affairs awarded his play Debangshi as Best Production; • In 2007, he was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for theatre direction by the Sangeet Natak Akademi; • In 2019, Raiganj University conferred upon him an honorary D.Litt. degree; • In 2026, he was posthumously honoured with the Padma Shri. ==References==