Ratan Thiyam, one of India's most towering figures in theatre, passed away on Wednesday at the age of 77.

He was fighting prolonged illness and was admitted at the Regional Institute of Medical Science in Imphal, where he breathed his last at 1:30AM.

His demise marks the end of an era in Indian theatre.

He set new benchmarks for Indian theatre by involving politics and poetics together and that is how he shaped a new kind of narrative that took the Manipuri culture, traditional Meitei aesthetics and the northeast-Indian spiritual philosophy to the world stage.

As director of the National School of Drama (NSD), Thiyam also shaped the contemporary Indian theatre landscape through his iconic group Chorus Repertory Theatre, founded in 1976 in Imphal.

Over the decades Thiyam received numerous prestigious national and international honours. He was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1987 for his significant contribution to Indian theatre. In 1989, he was conferred the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian award.

Some of the other notable awards that Thiyam had in his bag were the Kalidas Samman(1997), Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration(2008), Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship(2012), Tagore Ratna(2012).

The most recent one was the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Government of Manipur on the occasion of the 54th Statehood Day for his unparalleled service to Manipuri theatre and cultural heritage.

The artistic community mourned Thiyam’s demise as an irreplaceable loss.

The Sahitya Akademi wrote: “He was one of the few directors who popularised ancient Indian traditions & touched millions of hearts through his works. He will be missed in the Indian performance and literary circles.”

Former CM of Manipur N. Biren Singh called Thiyam a “true luminary of Indian theatre and an esteemed son of Manipur”.

“His work carried the soul of Manipur, echoing its stories, its struggles, and its beauty”, Singh wrote on X.

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee also mourned Ratan Thiyam's death and shared a heartfelt tribute on X.

All India Radio mentioned some of Thiyam’s most notable productions as they shared a remembrance post for him. “Ratan Thiyam is known for his direction in the internally acclaimed dramas like "Chakrabvyuha", "Uttar Priyadarshi", "Hey Nungshibi Prithivi", "Chinglon Mapan Tampak ama”, the AIR noted.

Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma called Thiyam a “ leading light of the Theatre for Roots movement”. “He was a brilliant ambassador of the rich culture of Manipur and the North East and was able to use art as a vehicle to convey people’s emotions and aspirations”, Sarma wrote on X.