CHAPTER IV. A Modern Use of Ancient Myths. (a) The Fire and the Rain (b) Bali: The Sacrifice

Transcription

1 CHAPTER IV A Modern Use of Ancient Myths (a) The Fire and the Rain (b) Bali: The Sacrifice

2 CHAPTER IV A MODERN USE OF ANCIENT MYTHS Myth has always had a very significant position in human psychology and society from its beginning as primitive religious narrative to its recent adaptation as an aid in the exploration of the unconscious mind. 1 History, Myths, Legends and folk forms function as prominent features of contemporary Indian playwrights who always engage in an act to cross cultural precinct across time by moving back to the past in a metamorphic sense, to redeem our ancient traditions by introducing them in their dramatic productions. Derived from Greek term mythos, myths preserve the historical records in their tender stage of progress depended upon mythical fables and allegorical legends. Mythology is a vast record of cultural and historical documentation of civilization. Mythical forms serve, in the words of Sarat Babu, as a kind of cultural anesthesia and they have been used for introducing and eliminating, in our racial unconscious, cultural pathogens such as caste and gender distinctions and religious fanaticism. 2 Myths contain a deeper meaning concealed beneath their apparent messages. Indian society is paternal. It is still ruled by traditional norms that ensure a continuity and survival of its cultural mores. Asserting the importance of myths Mircea Eliade observes that traditional cultures participate in mythical/ cyclical time by revivifying certain myths or sometimes by attributing archetypal meanings to worldly events. 3 There is nothing in life that one can not find in myths that are deeply ingrained in Indian awareness as a whole set of moral values, a vast vision of life, existential sufferings, theme of love, and all kinds of problems with their solutions that have plagued human kind at large from the beginning of the civilization to the present age. Carl Jung in his 167

3 The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious observes, Myths are expression of the primordial images in the collective unconscious of man. In the beginning, man had certain experiences and received them in their psyche in the form of images. Since they are the first images they are called archetypes of collective unconscious. Myths are the archetype of the shared past experiences of a race retold from generation to generation, recreating national identity through art and culture. The extensive use of the cultural themes and ideologies give a vivid image of the deep rooted national identity emerging and evolving out of a colonial consciousness into an independent and free environ. Myths may be summarised as the collective consciousness of the people that resonant with meaning for the modern world, because they never extinguish with the passage of time. Myths relate past to present. Readers instantly perceive how even with changed patterns human values, beliefs and behaviours seem to follow well set norms. The two grand epics The Ramayana; The Mahabharata and the Puranic mythologies are deeply ingrained in Indian socio-cultural awareness and have enjoyed a prominent literary screen. Karnad revives the ancient tradition with the powerful use of archetypal myths, history, legends to project a world of intensities, uncertainties and unpredictability. Karnad is a dramatist whose writing germinates in the soil of Indian cultural tradition. Richly garmented in the hues of Indian indigenous art and culture, most of his plays mirror the urge of redefining the national identity by returning back to the roots. Karnad takes his inspiration from the rich tradition of myths and past and weaves it through the web of his imagination into a tale of his own. To depict the psychic phenomena of myths in any literary piece in an artistic, yet convincing way the author needs to have a 168

4 penetrating insight and deep knowledge of that fancy world. Karnad recalls, You see the point is I ve grown up in myth. I ve seen Yakshagana, I ve grown up in a village where there was no electricity till the age of 14. So myths, to me, were a part of life. I just love myths and I know them, I grew up in them, and now I keep forgetting, but I knew my Mahabharata, Ramayana backwards. 4 In response to his selection of mythical subjects he retorts Looking for ideas and plays from our mythology is like miming for gold. And hey, I m not good at inventing plots. 5 His inadvertent reading of the Mahabharata during his journey to England turned out to be his first venture in writing the plays and the result was Yayati. The play deals with the theme of self-realisation, sacrifices and responsibilities. The Mahabharata is the favourite text of Karnad. It offers all the textures and contours of life. Apart from it, the rich Indian folk and mythical lore also fascinate Karnad and draws his materials from them, for his plays. Mythology has been his most favourite muse. Karnad has probably provided the most genuine platform for Indian mythology by transporting folk-tales and legends from epic like the Mahabharata into a modern context. 6 He declares, I wanted Indian myths to achieve the status that Greek myths have on world stage. 7 His Tughlaq mythicizes history; Hayavadana derives its idea from Vetala Panchavimasti; Nagamandala exploits the Naga tradition of Hindus; Flowers represents the mythical episodes of a Sanskrit epic; Tale-Danda is inspired from the life of Basavanna; Bali: The Sacrifice is a mythical tale taken from a Kannada epic; while in The Fire and the Rain he dramatizes the contemporary caste-based politics and deals with the theme of human imperfection and responsibility in India. 169

5 Thus Karnad very vividly and splendidly presents the mythical themes and it is one of the most prominent concerns of his plays. References 1. Nand Kumar, Indian English Drama: A Study in Myths, New Delhi: Sarup and Sons, 2007, p M. Sarat Babu: The Concept of Chastity and Naga-Mandal, The Plays of Girish Karnad: Critical Perspectives, (ed.) Jaydipsinh Dodiya, New Delhi: Prestige, 1999, p Mircea Eliade, The Myths of the Eternal Return, trans. Williard R. Trask, Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1974, p Girish Karnad interviewed by Arka Mukhopadhyay, Young playwrights are my rivals, The Hindu, October 21, Girish Karnad interviewed by Smitha Rao, I m not good at inventing plots, The Times of India, April18, Girish Karnad interviewed by Deepa Ranjan, Brunch, Hindustan Times Sunday Magazine, September17, 2006, p Ibid. pp

6 (a) THE FIRE AND THE RAIN The Fire and the Rain is a dense, colourful dramatization of an obscure story in the grand Indian epic, The Mahabharata. There have been several representations of myths drawn from the rich repository of ancient legends and epics but the selection of Mahabharata is an exclusive rendering in Karnad s works to know better our predecessors and their past-life style. While his Yayati is derived from the Adiparva, the first book of the epic, Hayavadana is indebted to the Shakuntala episode of the Mahabharata, his The Fire and the Rain is based on Vanaparva, the third of the same epic. Dr. Ramakrishnamachary throws light on the importance of this text, The intellectual majesty of Mahabharata, depicting the eternal drama of human existence, with all its ironies, intricacies, complexities, cadences, susceptibilities, psychological heights, and emotional depths, is equally unrivalled in the range of world literature. 1 We find ourselves set free into the primordial soil of the Mahabharata, amongst the dark lashes of mossy and deep forests in which the hermits, the demons live, the gods and the demons fight, where ordinary humans live in a complete trance permeated with joys and sorrows invoking the eerie and mysterious ambience. Karnad has a fine knack for re-interpreting this mythical tale turning into a fine play suited to the contemporary panorama of Indian social-morale. It aims to debunk the false structures of preset rooted beliefs and conventions. It upholds the reality of human life. The play shows how Karnad is deeply rooted in his soil who endevours to evoke the sensibility of the present day through his characters and their situations. In this play, Karnad has brought his formidable talent to bear on the story to create a compelling tale (based on social and human conflicts) which has enormous dramatic power rooted in a tumultuous family saga. Based on Hindu traditions and cultural beliefs 171

7 the play poses the questions about morality, faith, Brahminicide, lust, patricide, fratricide and adultery. Illuminating the universal theme of alienation, loneliness, love, hatred, curses, power-politics, class-divisions, bitter family rivalries, jealousy, selfishness, sacrifice, feminism, mortals wooing, celestial beings granting boons and mortals misusing them, the play retains the essence of ancient Greek tragedies through the daily life experiences and concerns for the whole community of individuals. It attempts to interpret the past in terms of the present and vice-versa by exploring the universality of some basic human emotions and sentiments. The division, which we generally make of time into present, past and future exists only on the conscious level. At the sub-conscious or the unconscious level, there is no such compartmentalization. That s why myths, being the representatives of our sub-conscious and unconscious mind, never get old. 2 The play is the culmination of Karnad s creative struggle of thirty-seven long years. In the preface to the play he writes, For the next 37 years, I struggled with it, trying to fit all the ramifications of the myth within some sort of a manageable shape. 3 The Fire and the Rain is drawn on a little known myth of Vanaparva-the forest canto of the Mahabharata. It deals with the myth of Yavakri and Paravasu and also includes the sub-theme in the form of a conflict among Indra, Vishwarupa and Vritra. Karnad comments on the origin of the plot The myth of Yavakri (or Yavakrita) occurs in Chapter of the Vana Parva (Forest Canto) of the Mahabharata. It is narrated by the ascetic Lomasha to the Pandavas as they wander across the land during their exile. 4 Karnad first came across the story of Yavakri and Paravasu, at the college, in C. Rajagopalachari s abridgment of the Mahabharata. Karnad initially composed it in Kannada, entitled as Agni Mattu Male which was first staged by Guthrie Theatre of 172

8 Minneapolis, Minnesota (USA) in According to Karnad, Agni is the Sanskrit word for fire. And being a Sanskrit word, it carries, even when used in Kannada, connotations of holiness, of ritual status, of ceremony, which the Kannada word for fire (benki) does not possess. Agni is what burns in sacrificed altars, acts as a witness at weddings and is lit at cremations. It is also the name of the god of fire. 5 The play has also been cast into a Hindi feature film known as, Agnivarsa, directed by Arjun Sajnani. The film opened in August 2002 at Loews State Theatre in Broadway, Manhattan and was a big success. A mythical drama, The Fire and the Rain, has innumerable thematic threads in the form of Shakespearean Play-within-the-play device that make it the most complex. Karnad s sharp discernment and fine skill encouraged him to incorporate the Indra-Vritra legend into the play. He states over it, I cannot remember when I decided to incorporate the Indra-Vritra legend in my plot A myth seems complete in itself and yet lead you on to another myth illuminating the one you started with. 6 While the play strikes the cultural mode of treatment in the form of its technical style, it as well as follows the similar pattern in the plot structure tracing the Aeschylus Oresteia, as acknowledged by the playwright, I was irresistibly drawn to delve deeper into the Oresteia and then the rest of Aeschylus. 7 The Agamemnon-Clytemnestra-Aegisthus situation reminds us the Yavakri-Vishakha-Paravasu-Raibhya plot in The Fire and the Rain. The play exhibits Karnad s maturity and depth of knowledge in the matter of its plot-structure. Karnad describes that the plot naturally fell to three parts, like a trilogy, each part with its own central action and lead character. The first two parts opened with the protagonist returning home after a prolonged absence while the third part culminated, not in some 173

9 dramatic event, but in a debate on human frailty and divine grace. Then there was the presence in both of a supernatural agency bent on avenging a crime. 8 The play is well knit with its prologue, epilogue and three acts that bring out dramatically the linkages between Religion and Art, between Past and Present to convey a message to the modern world. Use of Prologue and Epilogue puts Karnad very close to the modern playwright, Bernard Shaw. The prologue hits the main course of the action in the play, and we come to know that in the state of continuous drought of ten years a seven-year long fire sacrifice (yajna) is being held to propitiate Indra, the god of rains. It provides us the minute detail regarding the yajna ceremony and its elaborate decorations. The sage Raibhya has two sons Paravasu and Arvasu. Yavakri is the son of Bharadwaj- a friend to Raibhya. Paravasu is elected by the villagers as the royal priest to perform the yajna. But this choice is strongly opposed by his father and his arch-rival cousin Yavakri, who has returned triumphant from the jungle with the gift of knowledge from Lord Indra. This triggers a chain of events that explode into a frenzy of mayhems and sufferings. The rest of the story revolves around the resolution of this conflict. The play is built across time and space to portray the true nature of human beings and their pursuits of absolute power. The prologue presents the intricate details regarding the parallel links between yajna and theatre in Vedic culture and society. Yajna and theatre can be served as a metaphor for life because both involve precise gestures, human performances, speeches and actions leading to a pre-determined denouement. There are frequent illustrations and references mentioned in Vedic literature to song, dance and musical instruments connected to these activities. According to Nemichandra Jain (Indian Theatre: Tradition, Continuity and Change), In Valmiki s Ramayana, of Suta & Magadha, dance & drama in the 174

10 Mahabharata to dramatization of the Ramayana in the Harivamsha Purana, and about the actor and dance, drama and music in the Bhagavata Purana and Markandeya Purana are standing examples. This play-within-a-play incorporates one more myth about the divine origin of drama in Hindu mythology. Brahama, the Lord of All creation extracted the requisite elements from the four Vedas and combined them into a fifth Veda and thus gave birth to the art of Drama. It also introduces us with some leading characters like Paravasu, Arvasu, Nittiali, the King, the Actor-Manager and his brother in the beginning. The playwright introduces us with mythical devices of irony and supernatural agencies in the form of Brahma Rakshasa a Brahmin soul trapped in the limbo between death and rebirth. As a true mythical play the story moves along with the traditional superstitious beliefs about omen and ill-omen that still are practiced by us. The Actor-Manager finds the city unlucky for him - We came here to perform a play for the sacrifice, but this town hasn t been good for us. The old man died. My brother s foot got infected. 9 At various places he talks about cursed luck and evil stars. Like him the modern individuals are also the blind followers of destiny and fate, therefore, do not attempt to undertake risk for their progress. The Fire and the Rain like Naga-Mandala bears the grains of morality play. The character of Andhaka (which means the blind) is reminiscent of Kurudavva. Both the characters despite being blind possess a great insight to foresee the realities of life hidden from the ordinary eyes. It is Andhaka who suggests Nittilai to beware from Yavakri. His prediction proves to be true when Yavakri threatens her to face dire consequences - I don t know when I ll die. But I promise you this-you ll be dead within the month. 10 His 175

11 authoritative attitude towards her reflects the contempt and hatred for downtrodden by the upper class, especially for women, who are treated not better than a slave sheer to be beaten, raped, ill - treated, burnt alive declaring as Dayan (witch) and are only subjected to menial duties. It is pathetic that our rural society still admires this caste and class hierarchy. The playwright has exploited the myth for the purpose of social consciousness and amelioration of the weak sections of society by introducing a holistic view of life looking at the contentious issue of Caste and Gender in India. Casteism becomes a central theme of the play tracing the pattern laid down by Tale-Danda. Karnad reconstitutes and re-interprets this ancient myth with the fresh vision of life suited to the present status of caste-politics in India. The play focuses on the existing wedges in Indian society that divide it into high caste and low caste system. The higher caste preceded by Brahmins is regarded as the guardians of knowledge and wisdom; while the existent non-brahiminical classes including schedule tribes, backward classes and others are ignored and condemned. It is believed that nobody except a Brahmin or an upper-caste is allowed to enter the holy area. In the past the Brahmins wielded power and the Shudra obeyed them. The courtier, who comes as messenger of the Actor-Manager is told to make his submission from a distance. He is asked to face away from the sacrificial enclosure and not to pollute it since as an actor he is considered low-born. Ironically, it is hardly comprehensible that how those, who staged Drama - the fifth Veda, can be outcaste. At the end it rains as the god who could not be propitiated with the seven-year long yajna is pleased by the play, The Triumph of Indra, staged by Actor-Manager and his troupe who are considered as low-born by high-class Brahmins. 176

12 The play shares the grievances and plights experience by the artists at the loss of theatrical activities in the era of T.V. and internet. The starved Actor-Manager forwards his stand, a body needs to be fed before it can act. 11 Karnad s own life is an example of these miseries. He admits in an interview, I m basically a playwright. I m an actor only to make money I couldn t have written all the plays; I did if I didn t make money elsewhere. It made it possible. 12 Through Arvasu, Karnad makes an appeal to encourage our cultural arts and performances with the aids of governing bodies lest it should be lost into the ashes of ignorance and forgetfulness. After all, quoting from the text, We need a play to freshen our minds. 13 The play exposes the hypocrisy and shallowness of sophisticated and so-called refined class in the form of Brahmins and their exploitation of the lower class. By using their spiritual powers the former wants to receive undue and undeserving materialistic gains and mundane comforts like money, fame and sex. The father of Nittiali comments: These high-caste men are glad enough to bed our women but not to wed them. 14 Yavakri seduces Vishakha, Raibhya also uses her to take his vengeance upon his own son, and Paravasu murders his father in revenge and imposes the charge on his younger brother. The high-caste proves in this way more inferior to the low-castes whom they look down with contempt and partiality. They are shown completely burnt in the fire of jealously and hatred. India is known for great scholars as well as for their mutual struggles and conspiracies among them. Their pursuits of knowledge do not help them to transcend casteism, gender bias and the lure of lust, greed, power-politics and revenge. Arvasu wants his favour from Nittilai before their wedding but it is a low-caste Nittiali who prohibits him and talks about the sanctity of nuptial bond, Not until we re married. 177

13 Until then the girl is not supposed to touch her husband-to-be. That s our custom. 15 Nittiali argues that it is extremely selfish to seek knowledge from Indra when the whole city is parched with drought. She poses a question, My point is since Lord Indra appeared to Yavakri and Indra is their God of Rains, why didn t Yavakri ask for a couple of good showers? You should see the region around our village. Parched. 16 The play pre-dominantly displays man s sensual yearnings for completeness and perfection in terms of knowledge and power. Karnad in the play distinguishes between what makes a true Brahman and the other false illusions related to Brahamana that stem from arrogance and hypocrisy. Vajrasucika Upanisad describes Brahinism, Therefore birth does not make a Brahamana Therefore knowledge does not make a Brahamana.. Therefore the performer of religious rites is not the Brahamana... Misuse of knowledge is a contemporary phenomenon which is deriving the world to complete disaster. Nittilai as a rational individual rightly says - What is the point of any knowledge, if you can t save dying children and if you can t predict your moment of death. 17 The modern terrorist and criminal activities are driven by highly educated breed of young generation. They misuse their intellect in inhumane and unsocial causes to annihilate the mutual harmony as the Brahmins of the play. Yavakri confesses at one point, I want knowledge so I can be vicious, destructive! 18 The play warns us against the dangers of knowledge without wisdom. The playwright wants to suggest that the knowledge imbibed with the undigested information can not instill virtue and this idea should influence every act and every thought in everyone s life. The play describes the pitfalls of asceticism. The atmosphere in the play is charged with mutual suspicion, hatred and blood-shed. Karnad very intensely criticizes the shallowness 178

14 and hypocrisy of so-called taught spiritual Gurus who just befool the innocent people in the name of scientific process of solar eclipse and lunar eclipse to prop money as Daan for Moksha. India is a semi-developed and rural country. People here are still illiterate and superstitious. These innocent people are vulnerable and easily swept by emotions. The play demonstrates the ill-schemes and conspiracies of cunning people and emphasis the need of education which is the ray of true knowledge. The high class in the play is representative of our politicians and corporate bodies who neither think for nation nor for society but for money. The low class in the play may be taken for the ordinary people who are subject to all sorts of humiliations and tortures gifted by the former in the form of taxes (as toll tax, income tax, surcharge tax, gift tax), dearness, hike in rates on M.R.P., unemployment and all types of mental and physical pressures as a daily routine. The playwright even does not spare to criticize the divines who comfortably live in their heavenly abode neglecting the poor masses living in slum areas. Arvasu rightly says, The question is how do you capture the essence of the gods in your footsteps, since a god s feet never touch the earth? 19 Karnad ridicules the superstitious concept of Tapasya through self-torture. It is seen especially at the time of job interviews, exams or even during the sport matches people become so passionate that they do not hesitate to adopt irrational methods like sacrifices, fasting, torturing and mortifying themselves or others, practicing austerities, meditating and praying to pursue their goals and ambitions. Yavakri says in a tone of self-mockery You perform austerities in the name of some god. You stand in a circle of fire. The pressure of your austerities forces the god to grant you your wish. And you get Universal Knowledge. Victory! 20 Even after ten years of rigorous penance in the jungle Yavakri is 179

15 not freed from selfhood, lust and vengeance. The Bhagwad Gita (Chapter17, Verse19), states that the penance performed for the purpose of ruining others is called as Tamasika Mudha-grahanat manah yat / Pidaya kriyate tapah / Parasyot sada nartham va / Tat tamsam vadarhtam (That austerity which is practiced out of an irrational notion accompanied with self-torture, intended to harm others has been declared as Tamasika.) Karnad believes that knowledge or self-realization is not possible, unless there is a prior act of grinding of all our impulses, desires, sins; and of Gunas, viz Sattva, Rajas, Tamas and Ahankar, that are very subtle, therefore, difficult to get rid of. The purgation of these is the attainment of Satyam, Shivam, Sundram. Lord Indra s dialogues with Yavakri deserve mention here No, Yavakri, you can t master knowledge through austerities. It must come with experience. Knowledge is time. It is space. You must move through these dimensions. 21 He emphasis that the short cut formula for material gains always leads towards the degeneration of the soul and corrupts it forever. In this way, the play lays emphasis on Work is Worship principle, the theory revealed by Lord Krishna in the holy Gita. The characters of Raibhya, Paravasu and Yavakri are the embodiments of false knowledge, on the other hand, the characters of Nittiali and Arvasu, represent the true knowledge, innate goodness of heart, purity, true wisdom, hope and humanism; whereas Gods and Brahmins represent treachery and evils. Nittiali, though an outcaste is a symbol of true and selfless motherly affection. She helps and nurses everyone with food and laughter. Actor-Manager expresses his gratitude for her before Arvasu - I didn t save your life.it s she who s been nursing you. Mopping up your vomit, wiping your 180

16 bottom. Like a baby. I m grateful to her because my babies were starving when she came and now they get a bite to eat everyday.. we ve become dependent on her. 22 She is the only character possessing practical vision of life. Very logically she questions Andhaka - I want to ask Yavakri two questions. Can he make it rain? And then, can he tell when he is going to die? Just two. What is the point of any knowledge, if you can t save dying children and if you can t predict your moment of death. 23 She, as a modern individual, always upholds the rational views towards life and questions why the Brahmins as hypocrites are so secretive about everything? How does everyone know what happens in a remote corner of the jungle-miles away from the nearest prying eye? Her death helps to recognise the meaning of Dharma to Arvasu who is ready to be an outcaste for his love. Arvasu elevates to the status of divinity by granting Moksha to Brahma Rakshasa. The innocency and generosity of Nittilai and Arvasu redeem the curse of drought. Both are the true emblem of humanity and establish the fact that goodness of heart is never confined to look, colour, height, class, gender and territory. The play lays emphasis on the fact that true compassion for the oppressed is the quality which truly makes a person Beautiful and Prudent. The patriarchal codes of male-dominated society that reduce the essential women rights are also highlighted in the play. The play s triumph lies in juxtaposing female oppression with that of caste. As representatives of homogenized group Nittiali and Vishaka are both victims of male oppressions. Vishaka is a Brahmin girl. Her identity is subjugated by her husband and exploited by the wrath of Yavakri. Yavakri challenges her dignity and conspires to violate her chastity and honour. She shouts in agony - My husband and you! He left no pore in my body alone. And you-you think a woman is only a pair of half- 181

17 formed breasts. 24 Her situation is reminiscent of Padmini of Hayavadana, who also witnessed two men as lovers in her life but neither of them cared for her. Vishakha s agony finds an expression - Yavakri and you. How much you resemble each other. You both go way when you feel like it. Come back without an explanation..why did you go away like that? 25 Her husband never gives her emotional support she always pines for. As a true chauvinistic husband he experiments his masculine power to play upon her body. Vishakha confesses the hidden realities of so-called sacred nuptial bond where women are exploited every day by their husbands - He used my body, and his own body, like an experimenter, an explorer. As instruments in a search. Search for what? I never knew. But I knew he knew, Nothing was too shameful, too degrading, even too painful. Shame died in me. And I yielded. 26 She has been victimized by her father-in-law for whom she is a buffalo that has been rolling in mud. He even beats her, kicks her, grabs her by her hair and chides her in the words: You whore you roving whore! I could reduce you to ashes turn you into a fistful of dust-with a simple curse. 27 It is estimated that every 29 minutes a woman is raped in India. Around 60 to 70 per cent of rape cases go unreported in the fear of social backlashes and fears. The NCRB data (2008) regarding the same states that over 75% criminals were known to victims and nearly 10% were relatives. The play is an effort to throw light on the cruelty and injustice inflicted upon women in India every day. It is strange to perceive that on one hand, we want to ensure 33% reservation for women in all the sectors of the society, celebrate the glory of their contributions as a mother in the image of Mother Teresa, as a wife in the form of Sita and as a daughter in the concept of Rani Lakshmi Bai, on the other hand, a report by 182

18 United Nations presents the horrendous summary on violence against women in India, which clearly states that, 94 percent of the cases involved an offender who was a member of the family. 28 Domestic violence includes sexual harassments including rape by husband or relatives, slavery, superstitious oppressions such as witchery and sorcery; the moral suppressions like illiteracy, male-nutrition and all sorts of inhumane and barbarous acts that reduce the women s identity to nothingness. Hence, they ultimately seek relief in committing suicides driven by social and emotional traumas and pressures like Vishakha of the play. In 2006, females committed suicide, most the share fall between 15-29yrs. National Commission for Women states that everyday at least 50 cases of dowry related violence were reported in India in 2010, whereas, this number was sheer 22 in The domestic violence act is a revolutionary step to discourage such practices but this is not the sufficient initiative. Domestic Violence alone costs approximately US$1.16 billion in Canada and US$5.8 billion in the United States. The pathos of Vishaka is best exemplified in her own words: Why is life so contrary, Yavakri? One thinks one has stepped on to a bit of solid ground-a little haven-and the earth gives way. 29 Vishakha s narrative exposes the exploitation and victimization of Kshatriya and Brahmin women through the ages in India who were forced to cope up with the contradictions of being coveted, desired, worshipped as well as abused and exploited. Draupadi was dragged and attempted to undress before a large assembly in Mahabharata, Devaki was imprisoned by her brother Kans, Sita in Ramayana was abducted by Ravana, Bali forcefully seized Sugriva s wife, and even the divine beings are shown lechers in our mythologies, to illustrate Ahalya, the wife of sage Agasthya, was raped by Indra 183

19 disguising himself as her husband. Vishakha in the play mockingly points to the thousand eyes of him for the same reason. Johar Pratha, Parda Partha, Bal-Vivah, Sati- Pratha and countless various such illustrations are preserved in the historical record of our nation that manifest the dogmatic attitude of Indian society towards women. Marriage in our country is taken only as a means of raising family and women are looked upon only as child bearers. The choice, the freedom of women is usually crushed under the wheels of marriage. She sometimes has to give up her education or job barring all mental and physical developments. Vishakha is shown sullen and haggard after marriage before it she was an attractive person. Nittiali, a low-caste girl is married off against her own choice. Her brother declares, I m willing to marry her off to anyone who ll take her. 30 Vishakha s statement reveals that the social taboos do not allow women to elect their life partners before the selection of their male family members - Father was happy. I was married off to Paravasu. I didn t want to, but that didn t matter. 31 Our society is still clung to the dogmatic rituals and beliefs. At the time of ceremonial occasions these conventions are given the extra weightage even at the cost of one s life and choice. The play mocks at the empty religious customary and orthodoxy of Indian milieu, which is hinted at the village council, invited to select Nittilai s groom. Every Youngman has to appear before villagers to get their approval by answering some questions as Arvasu says, Yes I know. I know: Just stand there and says: I want to take her as my wife. I am potent I can satisfy all her needs 32 The play also exposes the heinous practice of Honour-Killing, which is an act of propitiation for the male family members. Nittilai was brutally murdered by her brother and her husband for social-moral causes. In this way, her killing not only injects the 184

20 element of poignancy and tragic loss in the play, but also the ritualistic blood-sacrifice. She becomes the sacrificial goat. She lays there, her eyes open, bleeding, dying like a sacrificial animal. This evil is widely practiced in India, Pakistan, Iraq, Afghanistan, Italy and some African and Arabian countries for the shallow moral demonstration. According to the sources of NDTV, in 2010, 13 women were burnt alive within 12 months in Bundelkhand district for the same cause. United Nations Population Fund approximates that as many as 5000 women are murdered in this manner each year around the world. 33 The murder cases of Monika-Kuldeep and a Delhi based journalist Nirupma Pathak are enough to prove that this evil exists not only in villages but also in metro cities, which is an issue of much consideration. The play beautifully represents the romantic and caring aspects of its two women characters, simultaneously. For Yavakri, Vishakha s sensuousness discharges the sweet sick smell of the jack-fruit, the maddening hum of a fly. She offers her body as a source of light-the knowledge which even Indra could not give him. Paravasu accepts her as his master. Nittiali is the nurturing and guiding mother. She is the true daughter of nature. She consoles the defeated and tired Arvasu as, Then kick that world aside, Arvasu. Your hands are clean. Even I have wounded-betrayed-my husband. You have remained good. Stay that way. We don t need this world. We can find our own. 34 Karnad does not present his female characters as submissive or merely as silent sufferers; rather he puts his women protagonists in Ibsenian Complex who appear to challenge the patriarchal traditions. As modern, independent and emancipated identities they boldly resent the wrong inflicted upon them by society. Besides projecting the modern images of women, Karnad attempts to share the holistic views of society in context of their liberty 185

21 and moral rights. They pass through the social inhibitions, moral turpitude, taboos and all sorts of ordeals set by the paternal and gender-biased society; at the same time they emerge as an unbroken, unshaken and unmoved enthused with feminism, fighting the unjust norms till they reach to the state of self-identification. They are full of practical wisdom, which their male counterparts often fail to attend to. Vishakha tries to convince Arvasu not to involve in Paravasu s treacherous schemes - Refuse. He killed his father. Let him atone for it. Don t get involved in it. 35 Nittiali similarly stops Arvasu from the act of vengeance, Leave that to the gods, Arvasu. Look at your family. Yavakri avenges his father s shame by attacking your sister-in-law. Your father avenges her by killing Yavakri. Your brother kills your father. And now you in your turn want vengeance-where will it all end? 36 She makes Arvasu a good human being and finally guides him to release the tormented soul of the Brahma Rakshasa. She also helps to arrange food, medicine and shelter for starved Actor-Manager s family. She at last sets an example for entire mankind when rain comes down ultimately due to her generosity. Arvasu expresses his ingratitude to her, Woman..You only think of others! 37 She prefers to live in the company of Arvasu quitting her husband, thus, forsaking the age-long concept of pativrata. Nittilai represents the modern outgoing women who tend to find their soul-mates outside their disturbed marriage. Retaining her selfhood she boldly says, Arvasu, when I say we should go together-i don t mean we have to live together-like lovers or like husband and wife. I have been vicious enough to my husband. I don t want to disgrace him further. Let s be together-like brother and sister. You marry any girl you like. Only please, Arvasu-spare a corner for me

22 Vishakha when feels cheated by Yavakri takes her vengeance by emptying his kamandalu of charged water in the welfare of her family. She, as a confident individual, dares to criticize him, I can t believe it! That whole world may be singing your praises. But you haven t grown up! These ten years have not made any difference to your teenage fantasies. That s all gone, Yavakri! 39 The disaster could have been averted if female wisdom was given any weightage by their male counterparts. The use of spectacular remains a special feature of Karnad s plays. The story climax echoing Hamlet, is a play within-a-play. In this way, Karnad follows the technique of traditional theatre. The sub-plot in the form of an epilogue is a mask play. It occurs in epilogue. It presents the judicious mixing of human and supernatural world offering Arvasu as Vritra -the snake, the manager as Indra who is envious of his brother, Vishwarupa. Here Indra is the representative of the sophisticated class, Vishwarupa stands for the middle group and Vritra represents the poor and low born caste. The myth deals with the battle of Indra with his step brother Vritra intertwined with the modern issues of treachery, greed, fratricide and final redemption through selfless love and compassion. The playwright states that the battle over property and money is spoiling the sweetness of relationships putting brother against brother to appease the thirst of huge bank-balances, cars, bungalows and other mundane materialistic comforts. Karnad remarks, The myth can be seen as expressing a deep anxiety which informs the whole of Indian mythology, the fear of brother destroying brother. This fear branches out fully and nakedly in the Mahabharata, where the bonding of brothers within the Pandava and the Kuru clans is as close as the enmity between the cousins is ruthless and unrelenting. In the Ramayana, the 187

23 fraternal bonding in the Raghu family-rama and his brothers-expresses another facet of the same anxiety, with the betrayals of Sugriva and Vibhishana (interestingly in the cause of the ethically correct side) marking the counterpoint. 40 Karnad exploits the mask technique in the play which makes the mythical story real and palpable. The play reaches its climax when Arvasu putting on Vritra mask, is carried away by his emotions and pursues Indra taking him as Paravasu; finally setting fire to the sacrificial enclosures and Paravasu entering into the burning enclosures to be perished. The steps that lead to fire symbolise men s steps towards self-denial of his avarice, lust, ambition and ego. Karnad s opinion about the mask differs from those of western playwrights. To quote him, the mask is only the real face writ large; since a character represents not a complex psychological entity but an ethical archetype, the mask merely presents in enlarged detail its essential moral nature. 41 The mask of Vritra-the demon, is symbolic of duplicity, superficiality, cunningness and hypocrisy a modern man is wearing. Actor-Manager s concern to keep tight hold on mask is well suited in the modern scenario that once a person drifts along with the treacherous flow of the materialistic world it is very hard to sustain and maintain our original self in the chase of superficial show. Myths and mask provide the fine fabrics to the play and at the same time upgrade the knowledge about our ancient scriptures and cultures. In the process of recasting the narrative Karnad delves deeper and discovers several psychological dimensions regarding Oedipus theme, patricide, fratricide, incest, the conflict between family expectations and personal aspirations. Jealousy and ego-the two dominating factors of human nature create the tension in the play. Grief-stricken Bharadwaja curses Raibhya that he would be killed 188

24 by his own son; and then he immolates himself. Paravasu mistakes Raibhya as a wild animal and shots him dead. The myth of Oedipus is redefined through Indian dramaturgy and nativist support. The play truly reflects the downfall of relations for the power and authority between a father and a son. Raibhya curses Paravasu, Tell the King I shall outlive my sons. I shall live long enough to feed their dead souls. Tell him the swarm of dogs sniffing around my daughter-in-law s bottom keeps me in good shape. 42 Paravasu betrays his younger brother, Arvasu, and humiliates him in public for the charge of patricide which he has not committed. Arvasu cries, Why brother, why... I worshipped my brother. And he betrayed me. 43 He shouts through out the play against the injustices and the betrayals he receive from him. At one point Vritra asks from Vishwarupa, Another treachery! Another filthy death! How long will this go on? 44 The play seems to invite the table round discussion on the issues like corruptions and menaces that are plaguing the entire cosmos over the centuries. The character of Paravasu represents a modern materialistic identity of the present age that is ready to progress even at the cost of his father and brother. He resembles Cain of Bible who murders his brother Abel for self-interest. It is ridiculous that Arvasu is betrayed by his brother but every time supported by a low caste, Nittilai. Karnad shifts his focus of conflict from Paravasu- Arvasu episode to Paravasu-Yavakri mutual hatred. The tussle of supremacy and authority between the two brothers carries forward the brother hatred theme. Yavakri confesses it before Vishakha, Grievances! You don t even flatter me with the word hatred. But it doesn t matter. What matters is that I hate your husband s family. 45 By showing how power and corruption work both at the human and the superhuman level, Karnad ridicules Gods and Goddess and criticises the blind faith associated with 189

25 them. The treachery of Indra towards his brother Vishwarupa is damned as gods should never be trusted. 46 The fratricide war is not new to us. It has been nurtured and nourished by money, glamour, lust and other materialistic comforts. The reduction of love, the decline of values, desolation and futility reverberate with the anxieties and desires that are not specified to a culture, class or gender, but to the entire humanity in all the era. The demons in the play are nothing but our internal desires. The Ambani-brothers mutual hatred is well known to the world. The play projects the relationship between gods and men on the earth from the period of the Mahabharata to the modern contemporary society. 47 Readers instantly feel how even with changed patterns human values and behaviours seem to follow well set norms. Karnad s recasting the myth of Yavakri-Paravasu-Arvasu is more relevant in the contemporary time. We exercise our knowledge to annihilate the peace and the harmony of this wonderful world which has witnessed the havoc of countless terrorist assaults. The operators of terrorist channels are among of us. They are highly qualified professionals like doctors, engineers, business tycoons, etc. The moral of the play is that, instead of using knowledge to conquer evils, we use knowledge to boost and nourish evil desires, passions and appetites which can produce nothing but discord and wretchedness. 48 The play follows the Yakshagana folk tradition in the manner of Hayavadana. There are two characters that act as chorus-one is Andhaka who relates the story of Yavakri and the other is Nittiali. The character of Bhagavata is taken up by the Actor-Manager. The yajna or the fire sacrifice inaugurates the play in Yakshagana manner. The play includes elaborates properties, modes and techniques of traditional Indian theatre. The play 190

26 contains the deep ritualistic conventions and motifs of Yakshagana folk theatre with the extensive use of song, dance and mask. The epilogue opens with the beating drums, the acrobatic and frenetic rhythms of the dance of Kathak and Kathakali performed by Arvasu donning the mask of Vritra. His maddening dance is the expression of his grief and volcanic outrage against Paravasu. The play brilliantly synthesizes the rich native tradition and vigorous experimentation of Brecht s modern alienation techniques including music; open air performance; dance; costumes; make-up; shifting marks and miming that impart a unique dramatic illusion effect in the play. Irony and humour are the favourite inherent devices in the basic structure of Karnad s plots. He freely uses verbal, situational and dramatic irony in the play. Both Andhaka and Nittiali are the sources of humour. Andhaka who can recognize anyone by the sound of his footsteps fails to identify Yavakri. Ironically fire in the play is used to bring rain. A sage with all the worldly wisdom rapes a woman; while another performing a sacrifice murders his father. Lord Indra appears before Arvasu, who never desires to see any god. In this sense the play provides a little bit relief from the treacherous and bloody world giving the true vision of practical life where a corrupt is regarded while worthy remains ignored. His frustration results in utter contempt and hatred for humanity at large. Yavakri tells about his father, He was one of the most learned men in the land. Probably the most brilliant mind. But he was scorned while this unscrupulous brother of his grabbed all the honours. 49 In our nation lots of players are struggling even to survive while huge promotional money is singularized on one game i.e. Cricket, similarly TV and Film stars are always encouraged but it should be asked from our citizens how many 191

27 people know about the organizations like National School of Drama and Sangeet Natak Akademi, the mines of acting performances? Existentialism is an essential feature of Karnad s plays. He is intensely influenced by European playwrights including Sartre and Camus. The atmosphere of alienation, despair, feeling of nothingness, absurdity of life haunt through out the play, hence, the riddle of a meaningful existence remain unresolved. The opening scene of The Fire and the Rain (1988) reveals a wasteland. Even mayhem and lost purposes are memories. A fire rages indiscriminately. Water is visible only as dried up tears shed in retribution or when it flows to wash the sins of the blood spilled of innocent people. 50 Nobody achieves perfection in life. Paravasu lives away from his wife; Vishakha leads a dull and passive life. The picture of an empty water-pot covered with cobwebs, lying in a corner, discarded, thirsting for life-giving water to refresh again is suggestive of the condition of Vishakha s life - dry, barren and empty. Nittilai is also married to other person, Arvasu left alone, and Yavakri loses his love. The all pervasive loneliness, jealousy and treachery in the play point to the aspects of a modern individual who is torn in spilt of desires v/s duty, who is not agree with the terms of life and does not possesses the inner strength to face the vicissitudes of human existence. The perception of Yavakri bears a grain of confession in it - One night in the jungle, Indra came to me and said: You are ready now to receive knowledge. But knowledge involves control of passions, serenity, objectivity. And I shouted back: No, that s not the knowledge I want That s suicide! This obsession. This hatred. This venom. All this is me. I ll not deny anything of myself

28 The loneliness of Arvasu is the result of the negligence of his family members. He weeps bitterly - All I want is to dance and sing and act. And be with Nittilai. It doesn t matter a flake of cow dung to my father whether I m alive or dead. My sister-in-law lives wrapped up in a world of her own. 52 His case puts forward the dilemma of several children whose innocent world is shrinking due to the negligence of their busy, working (in most of the cases) and reserved parents, therefore, they have to be dependent on others grace. As a result, such children never feel attached with their family and finally discard the social structure to achieve their ambitions. Yavakri leaves his old father to search God into the woods, who at last died of broken heart. The warmth among relations demands a proper attention and the caring from each and every member of the family. The reduction of it causes the break-up. Nature plays a vital role as a source of self-searching after disenchantment with life. Yavakri seeks knowledge living in the forest for a pretty long time, similarly Nittiali, a hunter girl is full of practical knowledge and innocence, is a daughter of woods. Indian mythology, arts and tradition impart us the true vision of life. The ultimate knowledge or the supreme truth is always unconditional. It demands the purity of heart and self-control. At present we are slaves to our evil appetites and passions. All our efforts end at physical and materialistic gains. Here lies the root of all our miseries and wretchedness. The play depicts the playwright s interest in almost every aspect of the drama-its philosophical and social relevance, the problem of the composition as well as its presentation. 53 The play lays emphasis on the need to save our precious natural sources. The play opens with discussing the problem of drought. People are shown died of food and water. Arvasu becomes restless in absence of water, It s nightmare I told you about. I am dying of 193