Imphal: Renowned Indian playwright and theatre director Ratan Thiyam died at the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), Imphal in Manipur, on Wednesday, hospital sources said. He was 77. He breathed his last in the early morning hours of Wednesday after a prolonged illness.
The Manipur government honored Padma Shri Ratan Thiyam, the living legend of Manipur, with the Lifetime Achievement Award 2025 for his contributions to the field of art and culture. The award includes a citation, a shawl, and a cheque of Rs 10 lakhs.
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Ratan Thiyam (20 January 1948 – 23 July 2025) was an Indian playwright and theatre director, and the winner of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1987. He was one of the leading figures of the “theatre of roots” movement in Indian theatre, which began in the 1970s.
Ratan Thiyam, born into a family of artistes on January 20, 1948, at Nabadwip in Nadia district, West Bengal, grew up at Haobam Dewan Lane, Imphal.
His father, Guru Thiyam Tarunkumar, was one of the most respected gurus of Classical Manipuri Dance, and his mother, Bilasini Devi, was a renowned dancer. He grew up surrounded by art and art-making, but also amid the privations that accompanied the performative life.
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A graduate in Dramatic Arts from the National School of Drama in New Delhi, Ratan Thiyam was a multifaceted artist. He worked as a designer, music composer, choreographer, lighting expert, costume designer, architect, and also as a playwright, painter, and poet.
Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla, former Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, and several social and political leaders also expressed deep shock over the demise of the living legend of the state. They stated that Manipur has lost a towering personality whose expertise in theatre made the state proud on the global stage.