Urvaraj Gaikwad is a Mechanical Engineer by training. To pursue his interest in theatre, he studied Performing Arts at K K Wagh College of Performing Arts, Nashik, and moved on to writing-directing-acting in Marathi plays. He received a nomination for Zee Gaurav 2017. Then he joined Goshtarang Fellowship and learnt various aspects of storytelling for children. After the fellowship, Urvaraj was appointed as the Joint Secretary of ‘Marathi Bal Rangabhoomi Natya Parishad’, Nashik. He conducts theatre workshops for rural children for free, and works with director Chinmay Kelkar in ‘Open Box’, an initiative for using children’s theatre for education. He has recently received the ‘Yuva Kala Gaurav 2021’ award.
Ganesh Jadhav hails from Shirdi (Nashik District). As a school boy, he had a keen interest in elocution and drama. But he decided to complete his graduation in Commerce before pursuing this interest further. He joined Lalit Kala Kendra, Pune, for a formal training in performing arts. He wrote and directed a few plays while studying. He also conducted theatre workshops for children, and participated in Theatre Olympic 2018 organized by NSD, Delhi. During the Goshtarang Fellowship, Ganesh learnt new skills of storytelling
for children.
Sagar Landage is from Amravati. He completed his Masters in Theatre from Lalit Kala Kendra, Pune. He was conducting theatre workshops with children in Amravati, when he got selected for the Goshtarang Fellowship. After the training and experience received during this Fellowship, Sagar launched ‘Rang Shala’ in Amravati to work with children. He is getting a good response, and he wants to continue to explore theatre and education.
Ruchika Khot lives in Kolhapur. She studied Marathi Literature and then did her Masters in Theatre. As a Goshtarang Fellow, she enjoyed the experience of performing children’s stories in various villages. Recently, she participated in the acting reality show ‘Maharashtra cha superstar’ on Zee Marathi TV channel. She also works with ‘Tiny Tales’, an initiative by other Goshtarang Fellows to continue storytelling work for children. Ruchika wants to be involved in theatre full-time, and is also exploring other media.
Dipali Kale lives in Aurangabad. She had completed B Ed and was working on Early Childhood Education, when she got selected for Goshtarang Fellowship. During the Fellowship she was able to combine her theoretical knowledge of education with performing arts. Later she completed her Masters in Education and is now working with ‘Prakriya Vachan Katta’, Pune, telling stories online for children. She says that the Goshtarang Fellowship has boosted her confidence which will stay with her in whatever field she works in.
Goshtarang 