Profile

Harish Trivedi, - a naturlazed U.S. Citizen - immigrated to the United States in mid 1960s to work on his doctorate in Theatre and Communication with minors in Public Broadcasting, Television and Films. Harish holds master’s degree in Economics and Political Science. He has academic qualifications, degrees and diplomas in Law, Library Science, Management, Information Management. Harish got his training in theatre at the Institute of Dramatic Arts (affiliated with theatre group Rangabhoomi) in Bombay.

Journalism & Theatre:

Harish started his careere in journalism and worked at Janmbabhoomi publications and later at the Times of India in Bombay prior to his departure to the United States.

In Dayton, Ohio, for over twenty-years Harish worked first at the Journal Herald and later at the Dayton Daily News.

His articles and book reviews have appeared in the Times of India, the Journal Herald and Dayton Daily News. His writings in Gujrati have also appeared in magazines and newspapers in India and in the United States.

He has written about theatre, films and humor articles for Sandesh and other Gujrati publications. His most controversial effort was a parody of the much reveared and iconic magazine KUMAR in the annual publication AAVAZ that was Edited by Jayanti Patel. The parody was called KUMBHAR (meaning - a potter.

While in India Harish wrote plays that were produced by Rangbhoomi in Bombay. Two of the most memorable, note worthy and successful plays were Kanchan Bhayo Katheer (with Prof. Vishnukumar Vyas, Upendra Trivedi, Jayanti Patel and Tarla Mehta and directed by Prof. Vyas) and Darpan(with Krishnakant Vasavda, Surendra Shah, Veena Prabhu and Leelaben Jariwala. It was directed by Honey Chhaya) –both the plays were free adaptations from an Amercan and a British play respectively.

During his college years in Bombay (now Mumbai) he participated in inter-collegiate drama competetion along with Navin Parekh, Varsha Acharya (now Adalja), Meghnad Desai (Now Lord Meghnad), Madhukar Shah, Ramesh Shah and many other talented artists and stage managers. He adapted Ibsen’s Dolls House in Gujarati with Meghnad Desai. The Gujarati version Dhingali Ghar was staged at the centennial of the Bombay University as well as at the Indian National Theatre sponsored full-length play competition. In that play he also played the part of Dr. Atul (Dr. Rank in the original). The play was directed by Tarak Mehta. Legendary actor Herbert Marshall who was then with the Natya Sangha, Bombay (a purcursor of the National School of Drama) was one of the distinguished members of the audience and after the play came backstage and complemented the artists.

While in college, Harish also hosted Drama Festivals for over five years for the Dadar Gujarati Seva Samaj. Jayanti Patel, Upendra Trivedi, Kishore Bhatt, Surendra Shah, Arvind Joshi, Shailesh Dave, Varsha Acharya, Tarla Mehta, Vishnukumar Vyas, Lilabahen Jariwala and many prominent stage actors of the time participated in those drama festivals.

Between 1955 and 1967 Harish also directed and acted in many one-act plays that were staged all around Bombay.

Harish Trivedi’s throughly revised and re-written version of Vajubhai Tank’s literal translation of Pirandello’s Six Characters In Search of An Author titled Takhto Bolechhe (in Gujrati) won prizes for production, acting and set-design at the Maharashtra State Drama competition. Lead roles were played by Krishnakant Vasavda, Veena Prabhu (daughter of Dr. D. G. Vyas), Maneesha Patel, Vinod Vora, Niranjan Shah and then very young Darshan Jariwala. The play was directed by Honey Chhaya and the set design was by Chhel Vaida and Paresh Daru.

During early 1960s he wrote a monthly feature for the All India Radio, Bombay.

In the United States –

While at Michigan State University working on his doctorate in Theatre and Communication, Harish translated five Gujarati folk plays called Bhavai Veshas scenes. The translation was later published with the title Five Indian Folk Plays by the Michigan State University and Writers’ Workshop. The plays were edited by Dr. Farley Richmond and Dr. Tevia Abrams. One play or Vesha – Vaniano Vesh was produced for the local educational television – with all non-Indian student cast from the Department of Theatre at the university.

Harish established the India Foundation to promote India and Indian culture in the United States in 1986. He has been the Chairman and Founder Trustee of that organization for nearly a quarter of a century. During this time he has curated ten festivals of films from India, presented many plays, Indian classical dance and music festival and exhibition of photographs and paintings by Indian artists as well as eminent photographers from the United States. The State govenors, senators, congressmen and Consul Generals and Ambassadors of India to the United States have graced many a events sponsored by the India Foundation.

World renown artists, actors, directors, musicians and dancers such as Mohan Agashe, Satish Alekar, Dilip Chitre, Ismail Merchant, Mallika Sarabhai, the Jhaveri Sisters, Rabindra Atibudhi, Veena Devi, Sonal Mansingh, Pandit V. G. Jog, Shaffatullah Khan, Pandit Vijay Kichalu, Ajoy Chakrobaty, Zakir Hussai, Allah Rakha, Sultan Khan and the list could go on and on…

Scholars on India and from India and journalists such as Dr. Ram Joshi, Harindra Dave, Umashankar Joshi, Dr. Ramesh Shukla, Kumar Ketkar, Jayraj Salgaonkar, Dr. Maneesha Tikekar, Dr. Pramod K. Nayar, Niranjan Bhagat, Surendra Sharma and many more also visited Dayton and shared their knowledge and expertise with the community members as well as with college and university students and faculty members.
In 1988 in collaboration with Middfest International and the India Foundation Harish published the very first anthology of poems by expat Indians from the U.S.A and Canada titled Poetry:India. It was the very first anthology that included poems in multiple languages of India. The poems in this anthology were printed in the original Indian language with an English translation of the same along side of it. Poetry:India included Gujrati poems by Adil Mansuri, Indra Shah, Preeti Sen Gupta, Chandrakant Shah and many others as well as poems in Marathi, Bengali, Telugu and other languages.

His recent theatre work includes the memorable biopic Narmad – Maari Hakikat and its English version Narmad – My Life, Hindi version of Pirandelo’s Six Characters In Search of An Author with Dr. Shail Gowda, Mark Twain In India, An Evening with Mary Carpenter, Echoes, Exit-stance, An Evening with Dorothy Parker and Bharati. Echoes, Bharati and the Dorothy Parker are awaiting production. His Amrit Keshav Nayak – a long one-act play in Gujarti was published early in 2007 by the Asait Sahitya Sabha, Mehsana, (Gujrat) India. Narmad – Maari Hakikat (the production script) has been published by Kala Gurjari, Mumbai. Harish also published (with the permission of Mr. Gulabdas Broker) a re-edited and expanded version of Narmad’s biography in English that was originally written by Gulabdas Broker and was published by Sahitya Academi, India in the early 1960s and now out of print. The publication was made possible by the India Foundation in Dayton, Ohio with a grant from the local arts funding agency.
Exit-stance was selected for performances during the Cincinnati Fringe Festival between May 28th and June 8th 2008.

Harish is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America. The Dramatists Guild is the professional association of American playwrights.

Awards and Honors:

Recipient of two Community Service Awards presented by the India Club of Greater Dayton,

Two awards by Special Libraries Association, News Division,
Honored twice by Ohio Civil Rights Commission and Civil Rights Commission, Dayton, Ohio.

Racial Rainbow ‘Yes We Can Spirit’ Award, May 7, 2009

Talks and Workshops:

Harish has talked extensively about India, Indian Literature, Hinduism – a hisotric perspective, Indian Theatre, Gujarati Theatre, India – yesterday, today and tomorrow, Asian Indians in the United States, India – Information for Coroporate Chiefs and those working with their Indian couterparts in India, and staged reading of his play Exit-stance.

Harish is a naturalized citizen of United States and has been resident of the United States for over four- decades. He lives with his wife Sharonjee and two cats – Baboo and Raja - in Dayton, Ohio.

Contact: The India Foundation, 895 Kentshire Dr. Dayton, Ohio 45459-2327 U.S.A. email: harisht895@sbcglobal.net).