My Interactions with Habib Tanvir: Part XXVII Smoking in Bonn, irreverence

A few years before his death, there was a retrospective of his plays at Bonn in Germany. We were staying in a small hotel very close to the auditorium. Bonn had this special quality, it seemed like a very quiet city. Though the university was vibrant and there were a lot of young students who volunteered for this retrospective. The Naya Theater actors were supposed to get a small sum as their daily allowance for their lunch and dinner. The actors decided to save this money. So, the complimentary breakfast was something that was gorged upon and the poor ladies who ran the hotel had a tough time feeding the Naya Theater actors. So, that was a start.

But in the auditorium no one was allowed to smoke. Habib Saab had this element of irreverence and rebellion in his personality. He clearly stated that he needed to smoke his pipe as the rehearsals were on or else he could not think. Very reluctantly the organizers allowed him the privilege of smoking in the auditorium during the rehearsals but the other actors were told that they had to go out for their nicotine fix if they needed it. Habib saab felt great about it, he had managed to break a rule but Vijay Shukla did one better.

Vijay Shukla and some other actors went for a party at the University…well there was liquor and they had an opportunity to interact with the youth of the country especially the girls. The party lasted almost the whole night and when it came close to the time of the last train to leave, they panicked and rushed to the station. They had to get on to the train which was on the other side of the station, to catch it they would have to take the stairs and reach the platform across. Vijay Shukla in true Indian style jumped at the rails and crossed. By the time the officials could do anything the train had arrived and Vijay Shukla got on to it and he could not be caught. The actors successfully reached the hotel in the wee hours.

Next morning Vijay Shukla's feat was discussed and it reached Habib saab's ears. He chuckled and said , I thought I had gotten past the rules in Germany, Vijay Shukla has beaten me even at this!!!