Labhshankar Jadavji Thaker

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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