Gyandev Agnihotri stood out for his symbolism, wit and satire as visible in classic Shuturmurg written in the 1960s before moving into screenwriting for Hindi films in the 1970s. The first important play of the 20th century was Andha Yug (The Blind Epoch), by Dharamvir Bharati, which came in 1953, found in Mahabharat, both an ideal source and expression of modern discontent and predicament of a society riddled with corruption. Starting with Ebrahim Alkazi it was staged by numerous directors. With his verse play Uttar Priyadarshini, Agyeya found the story Ashoka's redemption, reflecting the modern call for peace. Ashadh Ka Ek Din (One Day in Ashadh), the debut play of modernist Mohan Rakesh was published in 1958, based on the life of Sanskrit dramatist Kalidas, and is considered the first Modern Hindi play. Mohan Rakesh went on to write two more plays, Aadhe Adhure (Halfway House) and Leheron Ke Raj Hans (Great Swans of the Waves) and left one, Paon Taley Ki Zameen (Ground beneath the Feet) unfinished by the time of his death in 1972, but he had shifted the landscape of Hindi theatre. Today, his rise as a prominent playwright in the 1960s is seen as the coming of age of Modern Indian playwriting in Hindi, just as Vijay Tendulkar did it in Marathi, Badal Sircar in Bengali, and Girish Karnad in Kannada. His plays have now become classics of Indian theatre, have been performed by almost every major Indian theatre director and have been part of the university curriculum in Hindi-speaking areas. Initially inspired by western dramaturgy, in structure and movement, many initial playwrights adapted Ibsen and Brecht, but soon returned to roots and found both content and form, giving birth to the movement called "theatre of the roots", a concerted attempt to 'decolonise' Indian theatre and distance itself from western theatre. Be it Habib Tanvir's Agra Bazar (1954) and Charandas Chor (1975), which brought in new indigenous forms of expression, On the other hand, there were younger playwrights like Surendra Verma, with his Surya Ki Antim Kiran Se Surya Ki Pahli Kiran Tak (From Sunset to Sunrise, 1972), Draupadi and Athwan sarga (Eighth Chapter, 1976), rapidly experimented with forms and formats, and writers who ventured into playwrighting to produce important works, like Bhisham Sahni who has been associated with both IPTA and Progressive Writers Association, most noted for his partition-novel Tamas wrote, Hanush (1977), Madhavi (1982)