A mercurial man with a smoke-laced baritone, Habib Tanvir was a genius mediator between intellect and soul. It’s a rare feat for an artist. Until his death in June 2009, Tanvir worked for the illiterate man’s language and forms of expression. He embraced and disseminated them—some of Tanvir’s plays played to packed houses across the country—gave them dignity and economic sustenance. As Anjum Katyal says in her book, Habib Tanvir: Towards an Inclusive Theatre, Tanvir struggled to adapt to the caprices of the tribal folk of his state, Chhattisgarh. Read more