Dr Pratibha Agrawal is the prime mover of NATYA SHODH SANSTHAN. She is not only one of the founders of the organisation but also the moving spirit behind the initiation, development, and continuation of the institution.

While putting up an exhibition of the playwright Bharatendu Harishchandra, Agrawal realised the importance of having an archive that would help in collating materials and saving information for posterity, and the seeds of the Sansthan were sown.

Hailing from the family of Bharatendu Harishchandra, theatre was in her genes. Apart from carrying on with her academic pursuits, she has been an actor, a playwright, a director, and the founder of the famous theatre group Anamika, whose productions ran to full houses in Calcutta and elsewhere.

So, when the Santhan was founded in 1981, she could easily forge relationships with all the eminent theatre personalities of the country. They came forward generously with their materials for the archives and invaluable intellectual contributions and participated in several programmes, seminars, and talks.

Sansthan gradually built its pan-Indian image.

With an MA in Hindi and a PhD, Dr Pratibha Agrawal stepped into the world of teaching. She was the Head of the Department of Hindi and then Vice Principal and Principal of Shree Shikshayatan College, Kolkata. For her significant research on Hindi muhavara, she got a D.Litt.

Agrawal has authored and translated many books and plays.

To immortalise the memories of her late husband, Madan Mohan Agrawal, who had always been a source of inspiration for her, she founded the Upchar Trust in 1980, which had a meaningful role to play in the foundation of NATYA SHODH SANSTHAN.

For her contributions to performing arts and literature, several awards were conferred on her—the Sangeet Natak Akademi award, the Uttar Pradesh Hindi Sansthan Puraskar for her translation works, the Madhya Pradesh Sahitya Parishad Puraskar, the Bharatiya Anuvad Parishad Puraskar, and an award from the Sahitya Akademi.