Poet, critic Nemi Chandra Jain remembered on birth centenary

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The 100th birth anniversary of eminent poet and theatre critic Nemi Chandra Jain was celebrated here with a memorial lecture and cultural programmes here.

Organised by Natarang Pratishthan, the centenary celebrations began with the Nemi Chandra Jain Memorial Lecture by historian Romila Thapar on the topic of "Presence of the Other: Religion and Society in Early North India" on Friday.

The celebrations saw a dramatic presentation "Sakshatkar Adhura Hai", based on the poetry and life of the critic, conceptualized by theatre director Bansi Kaul at the National School of Drama.

A photo exhibition on the occasion highlighted the life and works of Jain, where a special edition of Natarang, the theatre quarterly, was launched.

The charitable organisation, founded by Jain, also announced events in the memory of the Padma Shri awardee poet.

"On 16th of every month starting September, there will be discussions on central concerns of Nemi Ji in the field of Hindi fiction, poetry, theatre and culture - at Sahitya Akademi Conference Hall. The topics of discussion in all these will be around their present condition, dilemmas and possibilities," the organisation said in a statement.

In January, 2020 the Nemi Chandra Jain Playwriting Award will be conferred on the three best plays out of the several plays received by Natarang Pratishthan, it added.

The organisation will also publish collected works, his diary and a compilation of the Memorial Lectures.

Some other theatre groups like IPTA in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh have also planned theatre activities around the concerns of Nemi ji.

The three-day event will come to a close on Sunday with a classical music evening "Raag Sandhya" with Hindustani vocalist Pandit Madhup Mudgal at Triveni Kala Sangam Auditorium.