“LIGHTS on…..Action…..and there was Habeeb Khan, larger than life on screen in his starring role in the movie, ‘If wishes were horses.’

But the Theatre Guild was practically empty, except for a few hardy relatives of Habeeb Khan and the videographer. The reason for the theatre to be abandoned was because the venue had been allowed the usage by the theatrical community without fans, air-conditioner, sound or other amenities to which there would have been a cost factor; therefore the erstwhile audience remained on the grounds or peered through the open doors,
Unfortunately the organisers did not seek the help of the Ministry of Culture, but even at the last minute, very late in the evening when officials from the Ministry heard of the event and the lack of air-conditioning in the theatre they offered to underwrite all expenses so that the patrons could enjoy the evening in comfort, but this offer was ignored by the management of the theatre. The manager declined to speak to the Ministry staffer because she did not think it appropriate as, in her own words: “The Theatre Guild does not belong to the Government.” Indeed, while the Government helped to fund the Theatre Guild’s rehabilitation the entity is run by a management board comprising Dr. Paloma Mohamed, Ron Robinson, AlCrieghton, none of whom were present on Thursday.

But that was the story of Habeeb’s life.
Exponents of the arts are not normally good business persons, so they tend to get robbed by producers and entrepreneurs who get rich off their talent; and Habeeb is a prime example of such victims. Habeeb died in dire poverty because, except for the occasional gigs he got, he received no reliable source of income. When Maria Benschop began her first production of “Nothing to laugh about”, a comedic production that has evolved into a calendar event seven years running, followed as a natural progression by the adult production, “uncensored,” she swore that she would change that equation – and she did. She started paying her artistes well from the first production of “Nothing to laugh about,” treating them as befitting public personalities from the entertainment industry, and even sharing proceeds from the sale of DVDs of productions; and her artistes remained steadfastly committed to the point of becoming like members of her family.
At that time Habeeb had reached a stage of subsistence where he was being largely ignored by producers; but he became a part of the “Nothing to laugh about/Uncensored” family so he earned a reasonable amount of money from those productions and from the ads they produced. However, Habeeb Khan deserved more than that, because he was indisputably Guyana’s ambassador of comedy in a world where acrimony and strife predominates.

In this universe where war and the exploits of the warmongers are glorified, Habeeb provided laughter and good feelings. He literally brought people together and every Guyanese loved him as their own – in and out of

Guyana.
Undoubtedly Habeeb’s jokes generally tended to be risqué, and he was a master of pun. However, the double entendre in his witty routines could not offend as he never used bad language and his language was always impeccable.
Guyana’s King of Comedy died (suspected of asthmatic bronchitis) on July 22 at his home in Friendship, East Bank Demerara at the age of 78.

Habeeb’s Facebook profile
Habeeb was ethnic cook-up
Habeeb, who said that he was the product of a slave and an immigrant, was born in upscale Queenstown to Dr. Khan and Pauline Geraldine Nurse and grew up in affluent circumstances. His mother was of African European mixture but Habeeb always refused to be identified by ethnicity because he always maintained that he was one hundred percent Guyanese.

According to Habeeb his name means “gift from God” – and so he was; because the talent he was imbued with was inherent and gave many people all across the world much pleasure with his extraordinary comedic routines, quick wit and ready comebacks that were second to none in the world.

Born middle of seven children,Habeeb produced more than double that score with his 16 children. Declaring himself to be a true Muslim Habeeb acquired in his lifetime nine wives, the last of them being Doris Sukhwa, whom he said rescued him when he was down and out and with whom he shared a relationship for 20 years. She it was who discovered his lifeless body at about midday on July 22. Habeeb died peacefully in his sleep.

Habeeb said the genesis of his career in comedy lies in the disposition of his late father, whom he claimed was a dictatorial perfectionist; and when his diatribes left any family member forlorn Habeeb would take it upon himself to crack jokes that soon restored good humour in the family.

Rejected after two days at St. Stanislaus College because he was discovered to be a Muslim, Habeeb subsequently attended Central High School, where he honed and nurtured his talent in school productions.

On being defenceless
Habeeb’s explanation for the unfenced yard with the padlocked gate was that he did not want to be de-fence-less, which was a pun-nish take on his fenceless yard; but Habeeb, like most highly creative people (not the pretenders) was very defenceless against the sharks of the world who exploit talent to enrich themselves.
Piracy is the bane of producers and artistes, and Habeeb lost much income because of people profiting from stealing and capitalizing from his works. He decried the way he has been treated in his own country while chatting with the Guyana Chronicle, declaring that he is better acclaimed at international fora than in his own homeland; although his repertoire is original and extensive – especially as he can ad lib and his extemporaneous comebacks were often the highlight of a concert. He boasted of being able to imitate people in seven languages and often convinced people that he was a national of their country, especially India.
Despite performing to sold-out audiences both at home and abroad Habeeb lived at subsistence levels all his adult life, while others got rich off his prolific and mesmerising, belly-aching humour.
He lived off his earnings as a young man washing bottles at Banks brewery, as a labourer in the hinterland and a stevedore on a trawler; all the while honing his talent at the occasional concert to which he was invited to perform, mostly free. However, he persisted until Vivian Lee gave him a starring role in his movie “If Wishes Were Horses.”
He subsequently teamed up with Norman Beaton to form the “4Bs” band, which performed at popular places of entertainment in Guyana and Suriname.
Although, like Habeeb, Beaton was born in Guyana he later became popular as the famous British actor of the television series, “Desmond.”
In his later days Habeeb was employed on a regular basis to perform on Tuesday nights at the Sheriff Restaurant.
Habeeb moved to Friendship after losing his home in Georgetown and there he discovered a communal love and neighbourliness that he never experienced in the city, the way of life he advocated for ending ethnic animosities and bringing Guyanese together to live with love and in unity.
Theatrical community decries lack of official recognition of Habeeb Khan as a national icon
The theatrical community considers Habeeb a mentor who inspired most of them and laments the fact that he had never received a national award, despite the great accolades heaped on him by the general public.

For his superlative talent Habeeb received several awards from overseas for his work, including a special one from a New York group for the 2006 Guyana Folk Festival Award and another for “International Comedy” by Gama Awards of Canada.
However, at home in Guyana he lived and performed, with no official acknowledgment of his brilliance and world-acclaim as a comedian and theatrical performer and personality extraordinaire.
He was even overlooked when Guyana hosted Carifesta X with Dr. Paloma Mohamed in charge of cultural events; as were most top Guyanese artists and artistes, with the few who participated claiming shabby treatment and either non-payment or late payment for their services.
But acting Minister of and Tourism, Industry and Commerce,Irfaan Ali, revealed that Habeeb was slated to perform at GuyFesta later this month, where he would have been honoured for his prolific contributions to Guyana’s world of the arts; which he lamented would now have to be presented posthumously.
Habeeb performed his superlatively hilarious routines on stages worldwide that he shared with, among others, Bob Marley, Ben E. King, Percy Sledge, The Mighty Sparrow and Count Basie; and of each he had a spicy anecdote to relate to highly receptive audiences.

Habeeb takes a last bow
Habeeb had his last appearance at the Theatre Guild recently but, as aforementioned, to an empty house. The highly-entertaining production, painstakingly crafted by veteran comedian Lyndon Jones’ advertising company, was regrettably abandoned because of the intense heat inside the theatre.
Even theatrical stalwarts like Godfrey Naughton made their appearances on stage then exited to remain on the lawn, with Masters of Ceremony Lyndon (Jumbie) Jones and Kirk (Chow Pow) Jardine literally sweating it out in the rank humidity of the theatre as they continued with the programme until the end. Thankfully the production was videotaped for the benefit of posterity – the theatre world’s last tribute to an indubitable icon of Guyana’s arts.

Unfortunately the organisers did not seek the help of the Ministry of Culture, but even at the last minute, very late in the evening when officials from the Ministry heard of the event and the lack of air-conditioning in the theatre they offered to underwrite all expenses so that the patrons could enjoy the evening in comfort, but this offer was ignored by the management of the theatre.
The Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana (CIOG) came into being in 1979 after the Jamaats, Masjids and Organisations supported in writing its formation. Since then the CIOG has been working in cooperation with Islamic Bodies to provide necessary services to the Muslim community. Thus it was that the funeral arrangements and expenses of Habeeb were all undertaken by the CIOG and, after prayers at the headquarters of the organisation in Woolford Avenue last Thursday, Habeeb was taken to his final resting place at the Cummings Lodge cemetery.

(BY ParvatiPersaud-Edwards)