Agra Bazaar

Habib Tanvir

Translated by Javed Malick

Out of Print

 

5.5 x 8.5 inches, xii + 92pp. 2006

ISBN : 9788170462767

Rs  150.00 (PB)
$9.95 (PB)
£6.95 (PB)

Set in the opening decade of the nineteenth century, amidst the hustle and bustle of a street bazaar in Agra, with a host of colourful characters—vendors, fakirs, customers, courtesans, constables—and, running like a thread through it all, the wonderful poetry of Nazir, Agra Bazaar, first produced in 1954, remains one of Habib Tanvir’s most popular plays, full of colour and movement and the dynamism of the common man's culture. Nazir’s voice, according to Tanvir, is ‘different from any other poet’ and also ‘the voice of humanity.’ He feels that Nazir was ‘Urdu’s most Hindustani poet,’ a master at using the colloquial language of the people. Tanvir showcases this poetry, and also explores some of the important cultural and socio-economic issues of the period, such as the declining influence of Urdu as a language of influence and the growing reach of English, as the British establish their hold over India. 

Habib Tanvir, a veteran playwright, director and actor, whose pathbreaking work with his company Naya Theatre has shown how folk elements can inform contemporary performance. He has won many major awards, including the prestigious Padma Bhushan, Padma Shree and Sangeet Natak Akademi awards. He has served as Member of Parliament and been granted a D. Lit by several universities. He has written, adapted and directed more than 20 plays.

 

Javed Malick is an academic and freelance theatre critic. He teaches English at Delhi University and has lectured and published widely in India and internationally on subjects related to drama and theatre.

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