Eminent dramatist, theatre organiser and Economics teacher Kartik Chandra Rath passed away at his residence at Bana Bagicha of Sheikh Bazar here on Monday afternoon. He was 70 and is survived by his wife and three children.
Rath was ailing for past few days. His last rites were performed at the Puri Swargadwar in the evening with his only son Siladitya lighting the funeral pyre.
“People of the State will remember him for his unflinching dedication in singlehandedly organising the annual International Theatre Festival and Theatre Olympiad in Cuttack for nearly 25 years without fail,” said his childhood friend and music director Swarup Nayak.
A recipient of Kendra Sangeet Natak Akademi award and Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi award, Rath has penned over a hundred plays and directed over 500 plays.
His play “Bhagwan Jane Manisha” staged at the National Theatre Festival in Allahabad way back in the 1980s gave him an opening as a dramatist.