The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh has condoled the passing away of noted Hindi and Urdu playwright, theatre artiste and poet Habib Tanveer.

In his condolence message the Prime Minister said that Habib Tanvir was a stalwart of his generation.

The PM's message is as follows :

"I am deeply grieved to hear the passing away of Shri Habib Tanveer. He was a stalwart of his generation of artistes . He changed the idiom of theatre in India and a deep sense of humanism marked all his work. He creatively used the folk traditions of Chattisgarh to invent a distinctly unique form of theatre and used it to present the extraordinary struggles of the ordinary. His progressive vision and contemporary use of tradition will continue to inspire the world of theatre in India.

I convey my deepest condolences to his daughter Nageen and his comrade artists at Naya Theatre."