The new year’s first issue is special for us each year but this year is exceptionally so.

2016 marks 400 years since Shakespeare’s death and we at The News on Sunday decided to devote the very first issue of the year to the poet/dramatist who has influenced literature, art, culture and so much else, down to everyday conversation.

It could well be that this region received the Shakespearean bounties as a consequence of the colonial intervention and later as a postcolonial society. But the man is read and admired even at places that did not have a colonial experience. His work has been read and staged in its original form; it has been filmed, adapted and what not. It is somehow a part of humanity’s collective psyche and has remained so all these 400 years.

Shakespeare’s genius spread in many directions. As Zia Mohyeddin tells us it’s in the "constantly shifting narrative, shifting subject-matter, wit, word-play and irony". And then, he says, the "emotional inter-action and philosophical speculation" and the fact that "he can be obscure, witty, terrifying and dramatic at the same time". He culled out plays from history, politics, even imperialism, but what must have been his lasting gift is his ability to capture the quintessence of human nature and weave it into stories that everyone could relate to.

His craft has inspired writers, actors, dramatists, film-makers across continents but his own stature remains unmatched to this day. The measure of his excellence defies understanding. No wonder there have been controversies (or controversial scholarship) like whether there existed any such man, was it all the work of one man or more, was it a man or a woman, all read with relish by ordinary people.

We have tried to steer clear of all controversy; we only want to celebrate the man and his works. Of course we couldn’t do this with without celebrating Zia Mohyeddin, the man who had the opportunity to play some outstanding roles in Shakespearean plays and prove his talent. We want to celebrate the poet and dramatist who is read and brought alive in the language and literature classes all across this country and beyond.

The tribute is just a fraction of what the man deserves. But the year has just begun!

Read the main article: Living with Shakespeare