Born :- 21-May-1892
Died :- 19th Century
Place of Birth :- Cuttack

Aswini Kumar Ghose was a dedicated Odia theatre personality. His granduncle, Ramshankar Ray, was the pioneer Oriya dramatist and Ramshankar’s brother, Gourishankar Ray, was an ardent lover and patron of art. Playwright Kartik Chandra Ghose was his younger brother. He started his playwright career with the mythological Bhishma in 1915. This was staged by students of Ravenshaw College in Cuttack. It gave him a name as a new dramatist. His third play, Seoji in 1918 was a historical piece, performed by students of Cuttack Medical School.

At the Medical School Aswini Kumar was introduced to Banamali Pati, owner of Radhakrishna Theatre in Balanga, Puri district. This meeting proved very auspicious for Odia theatre. At Pati’s request, Ghose wrote regularly for him. The two men grew very close and Ghose found a platform for his drama. Kalapahad in 1922 and Konarka in 1927 had long runs at Radhakrishna Theatre.

Following Pati's untimely death, Ghose bought the company while mortgaging his own house. Aswini Kumar renamed it Banamali Art Theatre after his departed friend, and tried, albeit unsuccessfully, to manage it. After its closure he wrote for the newly formed Annapurna Theatre. In the list there were some popular plays like Raghu Arakshita i.e. Raghu the Destitute in 1937, Bandhu Mahanti, Chandaluni, i.e. Scavenger Woman in 1946, Sri Lokanath in 1946, and Chashajhia i.e. Farmer's Daughter in 1946.

Ghose sacrificed his personal life for the cause of theatre and died a pauper in the year 1962 at the age of 70. He authored forty-one plays. He gave mythological and historical drama a new identity. Especially in the latter, he applied the novel technique of humanistic analysis of characters. He portrayed two historical figures, Kalapahad and Govinda Vidyadhar, as strange yet lovable. He was a master craftsman with a deep sense of dramatic balance, for his plots remain unparalleled.

Poetic Drama

Novels

Plays

One act Play