Labhshankar Jadavji Thaker is a Gujarati playwright. He was born in the small village of Sedla in Surendranagar district in 1935. He continued his father's traditional profession as Ayurvedic physician, but from early youth deviated in all fields of literature and social norms. With a group of young poets in the early 1960s, he revolted against composing in Sanskrit metres, and under existentialist influence challenged orthodox rituals.
Labhshankar Jadavji Thaker's most important contribution in drama centres on not only rejecting the commercial theatre formulae but also leaving behind the absurdist fashion, with
Madhu Rye. Madhu Rye led a writers' workshop in the 1970s. His plays Marijavani majha i.e. 'Pleasure of Dying' in 1979, Vriksha or 'Tree' in 1981, Pilu gulab ane him i.e. 'Yellow Rose and F' in 1982, Mansukhlal Majithia in 1983, and Kahe koyal shor machaye i.e. 'Why the Koel Cries So Loudly' in 1985 are considered refreshingly stylized, pointing to a totally new direction in
Gujarati theatre. Some were staged by both professional and experimental groups. Vriksha and Mansukhlal Majithia are disturbing studies of degenerated human values. He was a sensitive performer. Thaker also acted some of the shorter pieces showing how he visualized dramatic language.
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(Last Updated on : 25-07-2009)