Author: Amitesh Grover
Amitesh Grover (b.1980) is a performer, director, writer, and curator based in New Delhi, India. His works move beyond theatre, into visual arts, films, photography, installations, publishing, and processes. His practice is firmly anchored in the politics of performance, and his works are shown internationally in theatres, galleries, public spaces, and on the internet.
He is the recipient of MASH FICA Award, Ustad Bismillah Khan National Award, Charles Wallace Award, and has been nominated for Arte Laguna Prize (Italy), Prix Ars Electronica Award (Austria) & Forecast Award (Germany). He has been on numerous residencies including PACT Zollverein (Germany), Tokyo Culture Creation Project (Japan), Arts Centre Melbourne (Australia), and Rote Fabrik Studios (Switzerland). He has given prominent talks on his work at PSi’23 (Germany), University of Exeter (U.K.), Lasalle College of Art (Singapore), National Drama Theatre (Lithuania), Cornell University (U.S.), among others. He is Festival Director for ITFoK Theatre Festival, and Curator (Performance Art) for Serendipity Arts Festival till 2021.
He studied at University of Arts London and is NSD alumnus. At present, he is Assistant Professor at National School of Drama (India), and teaches Interactive Art (M.F.A.) at Shiv Nadar University.
A Black Monkey in Ayodhya
Faizabad District Judge KM Pandey made the decision to open the gates of the Babri, back in February of 1986, assuring everybody that heavens will not fall if the locks are removed. In his autobiography, he mentions that his decision was validated by a black monkey, who sat holding the flag post on the roof of the court all day long, and despite offerings of groundnuts and fruits from thousands of people of Faizabad and Ayodhya, refused to accept any. The judge spots the black monkey later in the verandah of his bungalow, and salutes him, taking him to be some divine power.
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