Theatre plays and playwrights, since ages, have proved the boundless human potential of imagination by bringing written words beyond the limits of a page and making them alive on the stage.

Habib Tanvir’s contribution is no less than a divine blessing for the theatre industry, both in India and beyond. The eminent individual, after dedicating almost his entire life to theatre arts, brought pride to the nation by receiving prestigious awards such as the Padma Shri (1983), the Padma Bhushan (2002), the Sangeet Natak Akademi award (1969), the Jawaharlal Nehru Fellowship (1979) and other national and international awards during his lifetime.

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Marking the 100th birth anniversary of Habib Tanvir, Antiquity Natural Mineral Water, in partnership with the Kolkata Centre for Creativity (KCC), commemorated a three-day festival, titled ‘Dekh Rahe Hain Nayan’, from 30 August to 1 September this year, to reminisce about the artist’s life, work and immense contributions to Indian theatre, literature and art.

Curated by M.K. Raina and Tausif Rahman, after much research and consultation by Anjum Katyal, ‘Dekh Rahe Hain Nayan’ is the first major initiative to take serious note of Tanvir’s oeuvre.

Expressing enthusiasm for the event, Richa Agarwal, the chairperson of KCC, stated, “Along with the whole country, we, Bengalis, look up to him the most. Often referred to as the ‘Banglar jamai’, owing to his Bengali wife, he founded Naya Theatre in 1959 along with Moneeka Misra. Today’s event is an initial start to celebrate his works in Bengal, therefore by providing a platform for insightful discourse and a cross-pollination of knowledge.”

Events included folk music performances by Poonam Tiwari and her troupe, Raghubir Yadav with Subhadeep Guha; Habibnama, directed by Danish Husain; Dastaan-E-Ashok-O-Akbar by Ratna Pathak Shah; songs from Habib Tanvir’s theatre by Nageen Tanvir; a screening of “Gaon Ke Naon Theatre Mor Naon Habib”, directed by Sudhanva Deshpande and Sanjay Maharishi; book launches by Seagull Books and Orient Blackswan; and several other exclusive masterclasses on acting and direction, as well as five panel discussions on the topics of Habib Tanvir and his theatre, philosophy and legacy, made the show a hit.

The festival is also a part of Antiquity Natural Mineral Water’s platform, ‘Free to Discover More’, that aims to inspire young India to discover both legendary tales and fresh voices in our rich heritage of art and culture. This celebration is hence a spectacular journey into India’s theatrical roots and how it shapes cultural expression today.

SNS