2026 – 2027
Sharwari Pande
Sharwari is a theatre artist and actor who has completed an M.A. in Theatre from Lalit Kala Kendra. She has built a strong foundation in stage performance through different styles of productions such as Tartuffe, By the Way Meet Veera Stark, A Devised Play (Konala Sangu Nakos). She is a trained Kathak dancer with a visharad degree. She has done set design for the play Savlya and other university plays. She enjoys drawing and painting, and loves to bring creativity and versatility to every performance.
Pushpak Bhat (NSD TIE)
Pushpak is a theatre practitioner, actor-teacher, and theatre educator with over 10 years of experience. He completed the Post-Graduation Certificate Course in Theatre in Education from the National School of Drama (TIE Wing), Tripura, and holds an MFA in Drama. His work mainly focuses on Children’s Theatre and Theatre in Education (TIE). For the past five years, he has been conducting theatre workshops and creating performances with children. He is leading a year-long Theatre in Education project in Municipal schools at Nagpur. As a founding member of Meraki Theatre, he believes theatre is a powerful medium for learning, creativity, empathy, and meaningful social and community engagement.
Akshay Mane
Akshay is a graduate in Economics. But his passion and commitment is towards theatre. He is associated with Bhalji Pendharkar Cultural Centre, and has acted in several plays such as Three Top Hats, Kakhet Kalsa an Gavala Valsa etc. He is also learning classical music from Akhil Bhartiya Gandharva Mahavidyalay since 4 years. Akshay believes that drama is not for entertainment alone – it can be a strong medium for bringing positive change in society. He thinks that the Goshtarang Fellowship will steer him to a new direction of working with a cause for society.
Navjyot Naik
Navjyot is a theatre artiste and actor with over 10 years of experience. He completed his Graduation in Konkani & Marathi. He is associated with Hauns Theatre Training Centre & Hauns Sangeet Natya Mandal since 2016. Through this group he participated in many drama competitions, one act plays, street plays as well as ITFOK (International Theatre Festival of Kerala in 2021) and National Kala Utsav held at Delhi in 2017. He received basic Theatre Lessons from Late Shree Vijayakumar Naik and Shree Kavindra Phaldesai. He is also associated with Theatre Flamingo under which he completed the Ghumche Kattarr Children Theatre project held in 2019. He is interested to work with new people, new spaces and discover new methods.
Shubham Kumbhar
Shubham is a theatre artist who has been working with the Bhalji Pendharkar institute for over 6 years. He has showcased his acting talent in several notable plays, including Rajkirit (Dashavatar), The Switchman, Kakhet Kalasa ani Gavala Valsa, and Three Top Hats. Beyond acting, Shubham has made other creative contributions to the stage: he authored the play Kakhet Kalasa ani Gavala Valsa, crafted various props and puppets, and designed the sets for multiple productions. For Shubham, theater means pushing oneself beyond one’s own limitations, a process that he believes deeply impacts one’s real life. He strongly feels that the training he will receive through the Goshtarang Fellowship will prove to be invaluable for his artistic journey.
Rutuja Utekar
Rutuja Is pursued a Master’s degree in Analytical Chemistry and is actively engaged in research, with a particular interest in understanding environmental processes through scientific inquiry. Alongside her academic journey, she has nurtured a deep interest in theatre since her school days, participating in various play competitions. This strengthened her confidence, creativity, and love for performance. She has also worked with children through educational and creative activities, where she discovered the importance of crafting engaging and inclusive learning experiences. She believes that art has the power to inspire curiosity, encourage self-expression, and build meaningful human connections. She is passionate about bringing together all these for community engagement.
Goshtarang 