In another time and age, Angarey, a collection of nine stories and a play, would have required no introduction. Written in Urdu, and published in 1932, the collection of stories germinated the idea of Leftist writing in India and along with it, the possibility of a ban on books for it being one of the earliest ones to have received widespread condemnation.

Nadira Babbar, daughter of Sajjad Zahir, in the foreword, says “If I now look at the plays that I have written with an outsider’s gaze, I am amazed to find how they become connected to some of the themes that raise their heads in Angarey. My plays such as Saku-Bai and Daya Shankar ki Diary discusses social issues...” File pic