1. Sudhindra Sircar, known as Badal Sarkar, was an influential Indian dramatist and theatre director, most known for his anti-establishment plays during the Naxalite movement in the 1970s and taking theatre out of the proscenium and into public arena, when he transformed his own theatre company, Shatabdi as a third theatre group.
Badal Sircar wrote more than fifty plays of which Ebong Indrajit, Basi Khabar, and Saari Raat are well known literary pieces.
Badal Sircar was awarded the Padma Shri in 1972, Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1968 and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship, the highest honour in the performing arts by Govt.
Badal Sircar was initially schooled at the Scottish Church Collegiate School.
Badal Sircar started his acting career in 1951, when he acted in his own play, Bara Trishna, performed by Chakra, a theatre group.
Badal Sircar followed them with plays like Baaki Itihaash, Pralap, Tringsha Shatabdi, Pagla Ghoda, Shesh Naai, all performed by Sombhu Mitra's Bohurupee group.
Badal Sircar revolutionised Bengali theatre with his wrath-ridden, anti-establishment plays during the Naxalite movement.
Badal Sircar's plays reflected the atrocities that prevailed in the society, the decayed hierarchical system and were socially enlightening.
Badal Sircar is a proponent of the "Third theatre" movement that stood ideologically against the state.
Badal Sircar directed his last play in 2003, and after that his movements were restricted after a road accident, but even many years later till 2011 he continued performing at play readings and writing new works like adapting William Shakespeare's Macbeth, two stories by Graham Greene and a novel, History of Love.
Badal Sircar was offered the Padma Bhushan by the Government of India in 2010, which he declined, stating that he is already a Sahitya Akademi Fellow, which is the biggest recognition for a writer.
Badal Sircar influenced a number of film directors, theatre directors as well as writers of his time.