Veteran thespian Urmil Kumar Thapliyal dies at 78
Renowned theater personality and litterateur Urmil Kumar Thapliyal passed away in Lucknow following a prolonged illness. He was 78. The veteran thespian, who had been suffering from intestinal cancer, breathed his last late on Tuesday evening, family sources said. He is survived by his wife, son, and daughter. Thapliyal worked all through his life for the revival of nautanki and popularizing theater.
He was associated with the popular theater Darpan
The veteran was associated with Darpan, the 50-year-old popular theater group of the state capital. He also had a long inning with the All India Radio. Thapliyal's death has left scores of theater artists and art lovers of the state capital in mourning. On Twitter, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath extended his condolences to Thapliyal's family.
The demise of Thapliyal ji is extremely sad: CM Adityanath
"The demise of a well-known theater artist and litterateur Shri Urmil Kumar Thapliyal ji, who enriched the art world with his talent, is extremely sad," CM Adityanath tweeted. "Praying to Lord Shri Ram to grant the departed soul a place in his supreme abode and strength to the bereaved family members to bear this loss," he added.
Here's what CM Adityanath tweeted
Thapliyal had also learned Garhwali and Kumaoni folk music
Born in 1943 in Dhaudhan Mason village in the Garhwal hills of the present-day Uttarakhand, Thapliyal began dabbling in theater at an early age, as an actor in Ramlilas staged in Dehradun. He learned Garhwali and Kumaoni folk music during his formative years as an actor-director. He relocated to Lucknow in 1965 when he got a job in All India Radio as a newsreader.
