Special to the Express: Rajoo Barot – A life in theatre, a conscience on stage

When he returned to Ahmedabad in the late 1970s, Gujarati theatre was going through a moment of transition. Along with fellow practitioners, Barot became part of a generation that wanted to move beyond comfortable, formulaic theatre. His collaboration with Bharat Dave and later his pivotal role in shaping the Ahmedabad Theatre Group (ATG) reflected this aspiration: to build a theatre that was serious, technically strong, socially engaged, and yet accessible to audiences.

ATG was not merely a theatre group; it became a training ground, a collective conscience, and a sustained experiment in professional theatre practice.

Rajoo Barot’s directorial work stands out for its range and clarity of intent. From intense psychological and political dramas like Sanak and Marmabhed to socially grounded works such as Sava Amari Jaat Alag Chhe and Ha, Hu Tane Chahu Chhu Jindagi, his plays consistently addressed questions of violence, communal harmony, gender, justice, and individual responsibility. These were not didactic productions; they were carefully structured, emotionally precise, and rooted in strong ensemble performances. Audiences in Gujarat, Mumbai, Delhi, and international stages responded not just to the themes, but to the discipline and integrity of the craft.

A distinctive feature of Barot’s theatre was his belief in the collective. He resisted star-centric theatre and instead built ensembles where every actor mattered. This approach earned ATG a reputation for unusually consistent performances, where even minor roles were finely etched.

His commitment to nurturing new writers — such as Abhijat Joshi, Saumya Joshi, Paresh Vyas and Iqbal Unnashi —helped shape a generation of Gujarati playwrights who dared to engage with contemporary realities.

Equally significant was his engagement with music and folk traditions. Recognising the scarcity of trained singer-actors, Barot carved an alternative path by curating and presenting Gujarati rangbhoomi songs, (Zaverchand) Meghani’s compositions, and water and folk songs through musical theatre and performance programmes. Initiatives like Taz-e- Theatre were not nostalgic exercises but living archives—ways of keeping performance traditions alive, relevant, and performable for newer audiences.

His engagement with classical and epic material further revealed his interpretative depth.

Productions such as Paritraan, Socrates, and Kaikeyi demonstrated his ability to read canonical texts with contemporary ethical urgency. In Kaikeyi, for instance, he resisted the simplistic villainisation of the character and instead presented her as a politically astute and morally complex figure—an approach that resonated strongly with modern audiences.

Beyond directing, Rajoo Barot was a teacher in the truest sense. Through workshops, theatre camps across Gujarat, and international training initiatives, he believed in continuous learning—for himself and for others. His work with rural and urban actors, and later with National School of Drama -NSD students in reviving and reinterpreting Bhavai, reflected a

lifelong commitment to process rather than spectacle. Theatre, for him, was not an event but a sustained practice.

His contributions were recognised with several honours, including the Gujarat State Gaurav Puraskar and the prestigious B.V. Karanth Smriti Puraskar from the National School of Drama in 2016. Yet, those who worked with him know that awards were never his measure of success.

What mattered more was whether the work remained honest— whether it asked difficult questions, whether it respected the audience, and whether it upheld the dignity of the performer.

In recent years, even as the pandemic brought theatre to a halt, Rajoo Barot continued to read, adapt, and experiment with readings and minimal forms. His engagement never ceased; it merely changed shape. That quiet perseverance perhaps best defines his legacy.

Rajoo Barot leaves behind not just a body of work, but a way of thinking about theatre — as a moral, social, and collective act. His absence will be deeply felt, but his influence will continue to live on in the actors he trained, the writers he encouraged, the institutions he strengthened, and the audiences he trusted with difficult truths.

Rajoo Barot’s association with our family, and with the institutions closest to us, has been deeply meaningful and personal. His long and thoughtful engagement with my father, Hasmukh Baradi, was grounded in mutual respect, shared values and a rigorous commitment to theatre as an intellectual and ethical practice. Through his collaboration with Garage Studio Theatre and the Theatre Media Centre, Rajoo bhai became part of a larger journey of documentation, dialogue, and reflection on Gujarati theatre. His contributions to the Natak–BUDRETI Quarterly enriched its critical discourse, and his presence and performance at the All About Natak Fest 2023, 2024 and 2025 remains a cherished memory—marked by clarity of thought, humility, and quiet authority on stage.

We extend our heartfelt condolences to Nafisa ben, his life partner and companion in this long artistic journey, and wish her strength in this moment of profound loss. We also stand in solidarity with the Ahmedabad Theatre Group—the collective that Rajoo bhai nurtured with patience, discipline, and conviction—and with all those whose lives and practice he shaped.

Rajoo bhai’s legacy will continue to live on in the institutions he strengthened, the artists he mentored, and the ethical seriousness he brought to Gujarati theatre.

Rajoobhai passed away during a tour to Uttarakhand on Friday.

Gujarati theatre bows in gratitude.

(Manvita Baradi is a theatre practitioner & urban planner)