Govindram Nirmalkar, a famous exponent of the Nacha form of theatre of Chhattisgarh and who went on to become a leading actor in Habib Tanvir's troupe Naya Theatre, passed away on 27th July 2014. He was 79 years old. He had been admitted to the BR Ambedkar Memorial hospital in Raipur and had been ill for a long time. He had been suffering for the past two years from a paralytic attack.

Recipient of awards such as the Sangeet Natak Akademi award, Govindram Nirmalkar made his mark in modern theatre under the late Habib Tanvir's direction. He was feted for playing Charandas in CHARANDAS CHOR, which won the Edinburgh Fringe Festival award (1982). He also played memorable parts in other Naya Theatre productions such as PONGA PUNDIT and AGRA BAZAR.