Lucknow :

Swadesh Bandhu, an eminent theatre personality and a pioneer of the theatre movement in Uttar Pradesh, died following prolonged illness in Delhi on Sunday. He was 77.

For the past two years, Bandhu had been suffering from acute respiratory ailment and had suffered nervous breakdowns a couple of times, said his son Ritu Raj.

A 1978 graduate from Bhartendu Natya Akademi, Bandhu was the founder of Darpan, a theatre group in Lucknow.

Originally established in Kanpur, he opened Darpan’s Lucknow edition in 1971.

He acted in more than 250 plays.It was Bandhu who brought the trend of inviting directors from National School of Drama to direct plays in the city that further helped in creating an environment of theatre appreciation.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> News> City News> Lucknow News / TNN / December 18th, 2017