Three days of panel discussions, masterclasses, screenings and performances celebrated the birth centenary of legendary playwright Habib Tanvir at the Kolkata Centre for Creativity off EM Bypass.
A musical performance titled Habib Unplugged, featuring Raghubir Yadav and Subhadeep Guha, brought alive the lyrical world of Tanvir’s theatre.
The musical performance, conceptualised in partnership with Antiquity Natural Mineral Water, acted as an apt finale to Dekh Rahe Hain Nayan, the theatre festival held from August 30 to September 1. The evening was doubly special, as it coincided with the late maestro’s 101st birthday.
Raghubir Yadav and (right) Subhadeep Guha presented some popular folk songs from Habib Tanvir’s plays at Kolkata Centre for Creativity on September 1
Yadav opened the evening by remembering Tanvir: “Hum sab yahan Habib sahab ki wajah se hain. (We are all here because of Habib sir),” the actor-turned-singer said, adding that the concert marked exactly 50 years since he had first met Tanvir. “When I was at the National School of Drama, I got to watch his play Gaon ke Naon Sasural, Mor Naon Damad. It was such a sharp contrast from the Parsi theatre I had done before, and I didn’t even know how to appreciate it. It took me back to my childhood, where we would travel on bullock carts to see the Sankranti Mela near my village. The music seemed to be coming from my soul.”
Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury, Jaya Seal Ghosh and Bickram Ghosh enjoyed the performance. ‘Raghubirji is a brilliant artiste, and it was very interesting to see him blend singing and theatre together. Jaya knew him from her NSD days, so it was an incredibly warm reunion,’ said Ghosh
As the band strummed the notes of Hamka Joganiya Bana Gaye, Yadav recounted how he cajoled Tanvir’s manager into arranging a meeting with him on the sets of Agra Bazar. But when Yadav reached the set, Tanvir wasn’t in a pleasant mood and he couldn’t muster the courage to speak to him all day. Just as the day’s shoot was wrapping up, the director asked him to return the next day and have a chat.
Speaking of the magic of folk music, Yadav said: ‘Folk ki khaseeyat yahi hai ki lafz na yaad hone se bhi aap gaana gaa sakte ho (The beauty of folk music is that you can sing even if you forget the lyrics)’
“Habib sahab asked me what I wanted to do. While I was training to be an actor, I said I would even work backstage if I could learn from him. That’s how our association began,” Yadav said. Over the next few weeks, he would help Tanvir in making the set, and sit with him for rehearsals, gathering invaluable insights.
When he heard Yadav singing songs from his Parsi theatre days, Tanvir requested him to sing in folk. “I didn’t even know the meaning of folk, neither could I understand English. Mujhe folk ka matlab angrezi mein samjhate samjhate Habib sahab ke paseene chhut gaye!” Yadav said.
Subhadeep reminisced about seeing Tanvir perform twice, with absolute perfection. ‘My father took me backstage to meet him once, and I still have a picture of that meeting to this day,’ he beamed
Guha then addressed the wave of dissent that has gripped the city over the past month, dedicating the next two songs to it. “Kolkata michhiler shohor. There is energy when people walk these streets,” he said, before singing Jaga Re Jaga Sara Sansar and Jot Bandhi Re Ae. Speaking about Tanvir’s legacy of standing up to authority, Guha said: “Theatre has always campaigned for dissent, change, and a better world. Habib sahab embodied this by bringing the common person into theatre.”
Dekh Rahe Hain Nayan’s co-curator MK Raina dedicated the festival to Tanvir’s legacy. ‘If there is one thing Habib sahab’s legacy teaches us, it is to not be silent spectators to our society. As artistes, we will do our duty, and we hope you will too’
The audience burst into applause when Guha sang the opening notes of Chola Mati Ke He Ram, as Tanvir’s daughter, Nageen, who has immortalised the song with her rendition in Peepli Live, smiled approvingly from the front row. “I really had to summon all my strength to sing this song,” he said. When the duo wrapped up their performance to a standing ovation, Nageen was the first to come on stage and give them a warm hug. “This evening has been one of love and reverence for my father, and all the performers have done justice to his work!” she beamed.
‘We got barely three hours over three days to put this entire evening together,’ Yadav confessed to thunderous applause
KCC chairperson Richa Agarwal signed off with a promise of bigger things to come later this year. “With this festival, we didn’t just want to focus on the end product but all the work that goes into creating it. Dekh Rahe Hain Nayan was an effort to change the lives of those who are involved in creation.”