The list of awards gives a glimpse into the life of theatre person Ramesh Mehta Chamanlal Memorial Award for Lifetime Achievement,Sahitya Kala Parishad Award,Delhi Award,Delhi Natya Sangh Award and Uttar Pradesh Sangeet Natak Akademy Award,among others. A member of Three Arts Club,he would have dignitaries such as Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and President Zakir Hussain in the audience,and his venues ranged from Shimlas Gaiety Theatre to auditoriums in Delhi. The playwright,actor and director,who specialised in satirical and comic roles at which auditoriums would crack up,however,had an unfulfilled wish he wanted to publish his autobiography and compilation of plays. He entrusted the task to his daughter Renuka Singh. On Tuesday,a year after Mehta died,Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar launched Rang Samagrah,two volumes of Mehtas works. The hall was packed with theatre lovers,old members of the Three Arts Club and new ones such as Anuradha Dar and editor of the book,Ravindranath Bhavray. He finished writing the autobiography in 2008. After my mother passed away in 2012,my father would increasingly regret that his books had not been published, says Singh,giving a hint into the arduous process of getting the works published. Rang Samagrah (Sanjay Prakashan,Rs 2,150) comprises two volumes the first is his autobiography and six three-act plays,while the second boasts five three-act plays and four short plays.
