IN MEMORIAM

Sameera Iyenger,creative director,Prithvi Theatre
The news of Habib Tanvir’s demise was heartbreaking for the fraternity. In 2004,Tanvirji presented seven plays by Naya Theatre,including his landmark work Agra Bazaar,for the Prithvi Theatre Festival. He revived Agra Bazaar,which he had written and produced in 1954,for the festival and amassed its huge cast from across India. I haven’t seen a more professional group than his Naya Theatre. It’s amazing the way he connected with people.

Salim Arif,director
I worked and travelled with Habibsaab for a year-and-a-half as a part of an NSD fellowship. His biggest influence on me has been the clarity of storytelling in spite of minimalist use of gadgets. Whichever part of the globe his troupe went to,they performed with the same gay abandon and autonomy despite the use of Chhattisgarhi dialect. He strongly believed in what he was doing which was reflected in his absolute commitment to his kind of theatre while leading a frugal life. He reaffirmed the greatness of folk art of India even though he talked about modern issues.

Arvind Gaur,director,Asmita
I first worked with Habib Tanvir more than 20 years ago as a wide-eyed young hopeful. I assisted him in plays like Charandas Chor and Agra Bazaar and was amazed by the fact that he gave a lot of liberty to his actors and assistants. Another memory is of the battered,old car he would drive. I’ve lost count of the number of times we pushed it to our destination. We’d always tell him to get a new car.

Sahmat,cultural organisation
For us at Sahmat,Habib Saheb was an inspiring presence as its founder trustee and its chairman after Bhisham Sahni’s passing away in 2003. His was one of the most militant voices in the spontaneous protest after Safdar Hashmi’s brutal murder in 1989. Habib Tanvir had earlier collaborated with Safdar Hashmi in dramatizing Premchand’s story Mote Ram Ka Satyagraha.