Kesha Ranjan Pradhan, a devoted theatre worker, writes and directs plays in Sambalpuri, the sonorous language spoken in Western Orissa. His plays have been performed and awarded in Agra, Patna, New Delhi, Lucknow, Guwahati, Jamshedpur, Dalmia Nagar, Gurgaon, Kolkata, Cuttack, Bhubaneswar, Sambalpur, Bolangir, Berhampur, Rourkela and at several cultural centres.
His plays Amba and Gadhar Katha, considered trend setters, have won national acclaim and been translated into Bhojpuri and Hindi respectively. The hilarious comedies Nagnadi and Raematir Baer have been performed at hundreds of villages and towns. Asur, Kalmaspad, Bhagnas and Sunar Chere have won critical appreciation. Among his translated works are Gaon and Tajmahalar Tender. He has adapted stories of Tolstoy, Gorky, Premchand, Manoj Das, Rabi Patnaik and Hrushikesh Panda. Challenge, a historical play is a tribute to Madanlal Dhingra, the first Indian Martyr in foreign soil and Ghati is a documentation of the sagacious fight of a family of martyrs in western orissa against the British Raj before 1857.
Lengda Raja, Mahapuru and Adbhut Parbat have featured in International Children Theatre Festivals in New Delhi and Kolkata. Kuili Kuili Kie Raja has already become a sensation with its global theme and indigenous folk style. Bimbadharar Katha, adaptation of a Hrushikesh Panda story, is a representative Sambalpuri/Koshli play. His plays Guru Dakshina and Authare Bhagabati are experiments on the Story Theatre form. His recent play Ratnalavar Katha is a treat to the eyes, ears and mind. The new play he is working on involves a non human character, a tiger along with a king and a tribal couple.
His plays amalgamate the rich Sambalpuri folk music with the main stream theatre. As an innovative director, he has experimented with the idea of theatre at no cost, often dispensing with heavy settings or audio visual extravaganza. This has proved highly rewarding for his troupe, The Loo can boast of 60 performances a year and 300 days of rehearsals. The Loo plays have become regular features in public functions in western Orissa and created a new interest in theatre among people.
Mr. Pradhan has been associated with a good number of campus productions and conducted quite a few production oriented workshops. He has written and directed Street Plays for Mass Awareness and Community Development. He has also produced plays with destitute women and special children.
Mr. Pradhan has written a number of radio plays in Oriya. He also writes stories, lyrics and essays; and is associated with the literary magazine ‘Bharni’ and the Kosli e-mgazine ‘Beni’.
He retired as the Principal of Anchal College, Padampur. He plays chess too. A FIDE rated player, he has represented the state in National B Chess in 1992 (Pune), 1994 (Nagpur), 1996 (Chennai) and 1998(Surat).