Saumya Joshi

{{short description|Indian poet, writer, playwright, director and actor}}

{{Infobox writer

| name = Saumya Joshi

| image = Saumay joshi.jpg

| caption =Joshi at Gujarat Vishwakosh Trust; April 2013

| birth_name = Saumya Jayantbhai Joshi

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1973|7|3}}

| birth_place = Ahmedabad, Gujarat

| occupation = poet, writer, playwright, director, actor

| language = Gujarati

| nationality = Indian

| education = Master of Arts

| alma_mater = Gujarat University

| period =

| genres = Drama, Ghazal, Free verse, Geet

| subjects =

| movement =

| notableworks = * Greenroomma (2008)

Welcome Zindagi
102 Not Out

| spouse =

| children =

| relatives = Abhijat Joshi (elder brother)

| awards = * Takhtasinh Parmar Prize (2008–09)

Yuva Gaurav Puraskar (2007)

| signature = Saumya Joshi autograph.svg

| years_active = 1991–present

| website =

}}

Saumya Joshi (born 3 July 1973) is an Indian poet, writer, playwright, director and actor associated with Gujarati language literature, theatre and films. He is known in Gujarati theatre for his plays Welcome Zindagi and 102 Not Out. Greenroomma (2008; In the Greenroom) is his collection of poems. He has been awarded by Chandravadan Chimanlal Mehta Award for his contribution to Gujarati theatre in 2013. He is also recipient of the Yuva Gaurav Puraskar (2007) and Takhtasinh Parmar Prize (2008–09).{{cite web | title=A poet's stagecraft | website=The Times of India | date=7 April 2013 | url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/A-poets-stagecraft/articleshow/19422024.cms | access-date=29 April 2016 | archive-date=21 September 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160921122414/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/A-poets-stagecraft/articleshow/19422024.cms | url-status=live }}

Early life

File:Saumya Joshi poet.jpg

Joshi was born on 3 July 1973 in Ahmedabad, Gujarat to Jayant Joshi and Neela Joshi. He completed his primary and secondary education from Vijaynagar High School, Ahmedabad in 1990. He completed his Bachelor of Arts from H. K. Arts College, Ahmedabad in 1993 and Master of Arts from School of Languages of Gujarat University in 1995 with English literature as one of his subjects.{{cite web | title=સૌમ્ય જોશી | website=મોરપીંછ | date=23 April 2016 | url=http://heenaparekh.com/2016/04/23/saumya-joshi/ | language=gu | access-date=29 April 2016 | archive-date=1 June 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160601010154/http://heenaparekh.com/2016/04/23/saumya-joshi/ | url-status=live }}

Career

File:H K Arts College Ahmedabad.jpg

Joshi started his career as a Professor of English literature in his alma mater H. K. Arts College in 1995. In 2010, he founded the Fade-In Theatre with other young theatre people. He left his job as a professor in September 2011 to pursue the theatre.{{fact|date=December 2018}}

Joshi started to write poems at the age of 18. His first poem was published in Kavilok. Subsequently, his poems were published in other Gujarati magazines including Shabdasrishti, Kavita, Shabdalay, Navneet Samarpan, and Kumar. He debuted in Gujarati theatre with his play Rami Lo Ne Yaar!.{{when|date=April 2016}} {{cite web | title=An all-new state | website=Livemint | date=11 November 2011 | url=http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/hnSBO9QYcVh4sicsJPqHeN/An-allnew-state.html | access-date=29 April 2016 | archive-date=3 June 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160603085020/http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/hnSBO9QYcVh4sicsJPqHeN/An-allnew-state.html | url-status=live }}

Works

= Poetry =

Greenroomma (In the Greenroom), his only collection of poems, was published in 2008. His poems are in different genres of poetry such as Ghazal, Nazm, Geet and Free verse and on different subjects such as Sex Worker, the Rana deserted by Meera, the boy at the Sivakasi fireworks factory, a shepherd named Jetho, the poor little sister, a labourer finding respite from the scorching sun beneath the gunny bag which he heaves. The book was critically acclaimed.

= Plays =

He debuted in Gujarati theatre with his play Rami Lo Ne Yaar!. He got critically acclaimed for his play Dost Chokkas Ahin Ek Nagar Vastu Hatu, a musical black comedy based on 2002 Gujarat riots. This play prompted The Week magazine to name Joshi as one of the 50 rising stars of India in 2003. Soon after, his play Aathma Taaru Nu Aakash became the first play from Gujarat to be selected for the prestigious Prithvi Theatre Festival in Mumbai in 2005. His other critically acclaimed and commercially successful plays are Welcome Zindagi and 102 Not out. 102 Not out is about a 102-year-old father who wants to break the world record of a Chinese man who has lived for 120 years. His other plays include Munjaro, Mahatma Bomb, Tu Tu Tu Tu Tu Tara and Dharo Ke Tame Manji Chho.

=Films=

His play 102 Not Out is adapted as a Hindi language Indian film 102 Not Out directed by Umesh Shukla. He is credited as a writer of the film.{{cite web|last=Bhattacharya|first=Roshmila|title=Paresh Rawal to play Amitabh Bachchan's son|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news-interviews/Paresh-Rawal-to-play-Amitabh-Bachchans-son/articleshow/27835398.cms|website=Times of India|date=24 December 2013|access-date=17 February 2018|archive-date=21 May 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140521042541/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news-interviews/Paresh-Rawal-to-play-Amitabh-Bachchans-son/articleshow/27835398.cms|url-status=live}} He also wrote dialogues and lyrics for 2018 Gujarati language film Hellaro.{{cite news |title='Hellaro' 1st Gujarati film to win top national award {{!}} Ahmedabad News |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/hellaro-1st-gujarati-film-to-win-top-national-award/articleshow/70612338.cms |access-date=12 October 2019 |work=The Times of India |date=10 August 2019 |language=en |archive-date=27 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190827073515/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/hellaro-1st-gujarati-film-to-win-top-national-award/articleshow/70612338.cms |url-status=live }}

Recognition

Joshi won Yuva Gaurav Puraskar (2007) and Takhtasinh Parmar Prize (2008-09) for his contribution in Gujarati literature. He received Chandravadan Chimanlal Mehta Award, named after renowned Gujarati dramatist Chandravadan Mehta, in 2013 for his contribution in Gujarati theatre. He is also a recipient of the Ravji Patel Award, Balvantray Thakor Prize and Sadbhavna Award (2014).{{cite book |last=Shukla |first=Kirit |date=2015 |title=Gujarati Sahityakar Parichaykosh |location= Ahmedabad |publisher= Gujarat Sahitya Akademi |page= 130 |isbn= 9789383317028 }}