MODERNIST STRAINS IN THE MAJOR PLAYS OF GIRISH KARNAD A Synopsis Submitted to the C.C.S. University, Meerut For the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in English By Garima Gupta Under the supervision of Dr. Archana Varshney Reader and Head Dept. of English V.M.L.G. College, Ghaziabad
MODERNIST STRAINS IN THE MAJOR PLAYS OF GIRISH KARNAD THE PURPOSE OF STUDY: The objective of this study is to bring into limelight the Modernist Strains in the major plays of the great Indian Playwright and the former chairman of Sangeet Natak Akademi. A long list of awards won by this great personality including prestigious Jnanpith Award, Padma Bhushan Award, Sahitya Akademi Award reflect the brilliance of this great Kannada writer. It is quite surprising to see that no major research work has been carried out on such a prolific writer in this university. This has motivated me to undertake the present study on one of the most prominent aspects of his plays Modernity. The modern era has witnessed a lot of socio political upheavals in all spheres. It is an age full of complexities, complications, baffling and revolutionary ideas. The age in which we dwell is loaded with tensions and dark issues of life. It provides just materialistic satisfaction at the cost of spiritual relief. Hunger for money, lust and fame have made man insane and he finds himself all alone on the dark shore of incompleteness with no glimpse of life giving water, suffocated and trapped in his own desires struggling with the question To be or not to be. The scientific researches and globalization have damaged our moral and cultural values to a great extent and we are on the verge of Gone. Lusts, women s emancipation, liberation, craving for money and existentialism have been the topics of preference of modern writers, but Karnad excels here by having the 1
framework of history and mythology he brushes up the dilemma of an individual in the modern context. In this way he sustains our history and culture in literature and makes his readers aware of India s grand history and culture. Very artistically he conveys the feeling of contemporary tensions by going back and digging into the past. Karnad has realistic approach to life in all his plays. His characters are not mere flesh and blood individuals but broad representatives of their class and ideology. With a plot he also adds some sub plots that provide dramatic relief in his plays without digressing from the main issue of the story. The techniques and styles of his plays are apt; the language is highly political and imaginative, communicating the idealism of his characters. The use of symbols, idioms and phrases add to the atmosphere of mystery and suspense. His plays also successfully follow the three unities making his plays a complete one. His plays basically deal with the problems of isolation, frustration, despair, skepticism, jealousy, craving for money and fame, search for identity and other modern issues like condition of women in a male dominated world and caste differences. Thus it can be said that his plays rest on the heaps of dead past but talk of modernity. About the choice of mythology based issues Karnad says Basically I don t know how to write a story and I drew from the repository of mythology, folklore and history. It is such a rich source material that some of the origin for the stories in the western world could be traced to India. Besides they have contemporary relevance. They infuse life into drama. The purpose of the proposed study is to highlight this very use of history and ancient mythology as parables of modern experiences. 2
Chapter First will deal with the state of dramas with special focus on Girish Karnad in general and his plays in particular. In Chapter Second an attempt will be made to study the features and concepts of Pre Modern History of Karnad s historical plays. Tughlaq This play deals with the life and time of fourteenth century ruling King Sultan Muhammad Bin Tughlaq. The play successfully finds the solution of the question left by historians, What made such a kind hearted and merciful king to turn against his own ideas? The second play The Dreams of Tipu Sultan again witnesses the shattering of dreams of the most powerful King in South India by presenting him as one of the most politically perceptive and tragic figure in modern Indian history. The third play Tale Danda is set in twelfth century India. The play brings out the intricate complexities of a social order prevailing during at that time. Thus Karnad concentrates on the theme of Pre Modern history in second chapter. Chapter Third will discuss the plays based on folklore in context of Modernity. Karnad s Hayavadana is based on a tale from Somadevas s Vetalapanchvimshik and also draws on Thomas Mann s reworking of the tale on The Transposed Head. The play explores the modern theme of identity and nature of reality in reference of relationships. Naga Mandala (Play with a Cobra) is a folk tale and myth retold to Karnad by A. K. Ramanujan. The play explores the predicament of a modern individual where illusions 3
and false love with a snake lover serves as panacea to fulfill one s loneliness, who is locked in psychological and philosophical conflicts like Rani of this play. In Chapter Fourth an attempt will be made to search the modern use of ancient myths. The Fire and the Rain is based on the myth of Yavakri, taken from Forest Canto of Mahabharata. The play is a dramatic representation of the quintessential conflict between good and evil. The play also looks at the contentious issues of women in India. The theme of Bali: The Sacrifice is also derived from ancient Jain epic Yashodhara Charite. This One - Act play is very modern in its texture. It talks about love, jealousy, betrayal, desire, violence and several other contemporary issues based on our daily lives. The contemporary dilemma between the urging of the two halves of human soul is what the play dramatizes. In Chapter Fifth an attempt will be made to explore the quest for modernity in two monologues. Broken Images : The monologue breaks away from the total fixation with mythology. This psychological monologue deals with the modern theme of technology, existence, gender issues, delusion and reality in one s private life. Flowers : The same situation is followed in this monologue too. It shows the journey towards asceticism, prayers and surrender after realizing the self. The return of the priest after wandering away from the path of devotion marks the return of awakening from ignorance. Chapter Sixth will be used for concluding the ideas dealt within all the chapters. 4
THE TENTATIVE SCHEME OF THE PROPOSED STUDY Chapter I Chapter II Introduction Pre Modern History 1. Tughlaq 2. The Dreams of Tipu Sultan 3. Tale - Danda Chapter III Folk Lore and Modernity 1. Hayavadana 2. Naga Mandala (Play with a Cobra) Chapter IV A Modern Use of Ancient Myths 1. The Fire And The Rain 2. Bali: The Sacrifice Chapter V Quest for Modernity in Monologues 1. Broken Images 2. Flowers Chapter VI Conclusion Bibliography 5
BIBLIOGRAPHY PRIMARY SOURCES: 1. Tughlaq 1972 2. Hayavadana 1975 3. Naga Mandala (Play with a Cobra) 1990 4. Tale Danda 1993 5. The Fire And The Rain 1998 6. The Dreams of Tipu Sultan 2004 7. Bali: The Sacrifice 2004 8. Flowers 2005 9. Broken Images 2005 *All the above works have been published by Oxford University Press and dates refer to the year of publication. 6
SECONDARY SOURCES Mukherjee, Tutun, Girish Karnad s Plays: Performance and Critical Perspectives, Pencraft International, B-1/41, Ashok Vihar II, Delhi- 110052. Dodiya, Jayadipsinh, The Plays of Girish Karnad: Critical Perspectives, Prestige Books, 3/28, East Patel Nagar, New Delhi 110008. Tripathi, Vanashree, Three Plays of Girish Karnad: A Study in Poetics and Culture, Prestige Books, 3/28, East Patel Nagar, New Delhi 110008. Prasad, A.N.and Yadav S., Studies in Indian Drama in English, Prakash Book Depot, Bara Bazar, Bareilly 243003. Khatri, C.L., Girish Karnad, Naga Mandala: A Critique, Prakash Book Depot, Bara Bazar, Bareilly 243003. Dhanavel, P., The Indian Imagination of Girish Karnad: Essays on Hayavadana, Prestige Books, 3/28, East Patel Nagar, New Delhi 110008. Gill, L.S., Girish Karnad s Hayavadana: A Critical Study, Asia Book Club, Post Box 9615, New Delhi 110058. 7
Dodiya Jayadipsinh K., Surendran K.V., Indian English Drama: Critical Perspectives, Sarup and Sons, 4740/23, Ansari Raoad, Darya Ganj, New Delhi 110002. Kumar, Nand, Indian English Drama: A Study in Myths, Sarup and Sons, 4740/23, Ansari Raoad, Darya Ganj, New Delhi 110002. Pandey, Manoj K., The Plays of Girish Karnad and Tradition, Adhyayan Publishers and Distributors, 4378/4 B, 105, J.M.D. House, Murari Lal Street, Ansari Road, Darya Ganj, New Delhi 110002. Tripathi, Shubhra and Kiumari, Mithila, Girish Karnad Tale Danda: a critical study, Prakash Book Depot, Bara Bazar, Bareilly 243003. Khatri, C.L., Arora Sudhir K. Arora, Thunder on Stage: A Study of Girish Karnad s Plays, Book Enclave, Jain Bhawan, Opp. N.E.I., Shanti Nagar, Jaipur 302006. Mukhopadhyay, Durga Das, Folk Arts And Social Communication, Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Govt. of India, Soochna Bhawan, CGO Complex, Lodhi Road, New Delhi 110003. Sahitya Akademi, Indian Literature. Kumar Satish, A Survey of Indian English Drama, Bareilly: Prakesh Book Depot, 1997. 8