Chapter I: Introduction Mahesh Dattani - His Life and Works: Drama: Meaning and Definition
Chapter I: Introduction Mahesh Dattani - His Life and Works: Drama: Meaning and Definition
Chapter I: Introduction Mahesh Dattani - His Life and Works: Drama: Meaning and Definition
experience and sensibility faithfully, and also corresponding with the universal
socio- moral codes. By virtue of its live performance and potential to facilitate
direct communication between the artist and the audience, drama has
immersed as a potent literary mode of representation of human sensibility that
is universal and is beyond the limitations of time and space. It is the oldest,
authentic, and the most appealing form of literature. It has also been
acknowledged as an instrument to human entertainment and enlightenment
for ages. It has close affinity and affiliation with religion since time
immemorial. The Indian tradition maintains that roots of all art are laying in the
Pranav nada, om.The dance of Lord Shiva is often said to be divine or cosmic
play. Our great epics like the Ramayana and the Mahabharata also attempt to
define drama and dramaturgy. The Mahabharata defines drama as a mixture
of poetry, story, action etc. The great ancient Indian poet and the creator of
the Ramayana, Valmiki uses the word Nat or Narataka-meaning an actor or
a performer.
The word drama has its origin in Greek. It is originated from
word dra meaning do. In this way, doing or action is column beam of the
whole dramatic premise. Aristotle has also acknowledged action as the
predominating component of drama. Narrative holds much importance in
fiction, but action and dialogue hold paramount significance in drama.
Compton- Rickett defines drama as an articulate story presented in action.
quite compact than any other forms of literature. The success of drama
involves the participation of the three variables: the playwright, performers
and playgoers.
nourishment and flourishing of the drama. It is very pertinent to say here that
the drama appeared in England in the post-Norman conquest period. Before
10th century, there was no drama as such. It arrived in England with the
Normans. An elementary form which may be called Tableau existed outside
England. The origin and development of miracle and morality play also
connected with this tradition. In those days, dramas were enacted in the
church mainly based on religious and ethical subjects, written by the
clergymen. In the course of time, it shifted from clergyman to common manultimately reaching on to the streets.
The religious or sacred dramas were known as Miracle or
Mystery Plays. These plays were based on the lives of saints or the Christ.
The scenes were performed on the mobile stage which was known as
pageants. Ludus de Sancta Kathurian was the earliest English Miracle play.
English drama attained artistic maturity during the Renaissance.
The credit of writing first regular plays goes to Nicholas Udall, who wrote
Ralph Roister Doister in 1541. It is the first regular comic play or comedy,
whereas the credit of writing the first English tragedy goes to Thomas
Sackville and Thomas Norton, who jointly composed English tragedy
Gorbocduc which was written some time during 1562. Hence, the regular
English drama conceived under the classical influence even before the
Elizabethan age in which drama attained the highest position among all the
literary genres. It is to be noted here that the group of dramatist known as
University Wits namely Christopher Marlow, John Lyly, George Peele,
Thomas Nash, Thomas Kyd, and Thomas Lodge. Thomas Kyd contributed
significantly in the rapid development of English drama. His Spanish Tragedy
was the significant Senecan tragedy that influenced a lot to many dramatists
3
in the most of the countries of the world, whether in India or Egypt, China or
Britain, it is deeply rooted in religious instinct of the people. In ancient India,
dramas were enacted in the temples. It was a kind of religious activity or
offering to God on various occasions, events and celebrations. They were
based mainly on religious scriptures, myths, legends etc. The good forces
were praised and evil forces were punished in them. Since these plays were
staged in the temples, they were known as Temple plays.
As regards the birth of Indian drama, it dates back to pre
Christian era. The great sage and the architect of Indian drama Bharat Muni
appeared approximately in the seventh century A.D. He has very dexterously
and interestingly propounded the theory of drama in his great work entitled
Natayashastra, which is, perhaps, the first complete, concise, and a
systematic treatise on drama in India. He said that gods wanted to have a
thing of great entertainment with the combine qualities of audio-visual
elements, which can be accessed for enjoyment equally to all segments of
society. So, they prayed to Lord Brahma who has been regarded as the
creator of the universe. Lord Brahma made drama opting nectar of all the four
Vedas-the Rigveda, the Sam Veda, the Yajurveda, and the Atharva Veda. He
took plot, music, acting and rasas (sentiments) from these four vedas
respectively. In this way, he created drama, the fifth Veda, which is
characterized by the four different qualities of all the four Vedas.
Thus, the inception or the birth of Indian classical Sanskrit
drama traced back to the Vedic period. The journey of Indian drama
commences with Sanskrit plays. It is observed: Indian tradition, preserved in
4
the Natyashastra, the oldest of the texts of the theory of the drama, claims
for the drama divine origin, and a close connection with the sacred Vedas
themselves. 5
The drama had been one of the finest expressions of Indian
culture for the ages. The inscriptions at the Sitabenga and Jogimara caves in
south Bihar are good indicators of the subsistence of a well developed
dramatic tradition in India even in third century B.C.
However, it is to be noted here that the established notion of
divine origin of Sanskrit drama is objected by some scholars by propounding
unconventional hypotheses regarding the origin of drama- say for example
Prof. R. V. Jagirdar of Karnataka college, Dharwar has traced its birth to the
Suta tradition of the Puranas.
Sanskrit dramas. However, Indian drama can be classified into two groups (1)
Sanskrit drama (2) Prakrit- drama in vernacular language. After the decline of
classical Sanskrit drama, Indian dramas registered substantial development in
the regional languages of India. Despite the foreign invasions and political
changes, they persisted to exist as the potent tool of entertainment and
enlightenment. Even today, people love to watch the regional dramas in
almost all the states of India. Every folk theatre has its own identical name, for
example, performance of the drama is called Bhaona in Assam. In Bengal, it
is known as jatra which still persists and attracts the people of Bengal. The
most interesting thing about jatra theatre is that it doesnt require any fixed
platform or stage properties. The word jatra means a religious precession
accompanied by dance, song, music etc. It is one of the earliest forms of
drama in vernacular language. The vernacular form of drama is known as
Ramlila in northern India and Kathakali in Kerala. Kathakali is the most
representative of the life and mind of Keralite. Marathi stage, which centred on
various rasas, has no much resemblance with other vernacular dramas in
India.
Bhavai is the prakrit-vernacular form of folk tradition of Gujarati
drama. It is one of the manifestations of Gujarati regional theatrical
performance.It is the most popular folk theatrical tradition of Gujarat. The word
6
the
playwright
attains
7
complete
artistic
Thus, the journey of Indian English Drama embarked with the appearance of
this play more than a century before the independence era. The play depicts
clash and conflict of a sensitive Bengali youth that occurs due to traditionalism
and liberal views resulting from the acquisition of foreign education. However,
Indian English Drama has never achieved smart success.
It is very essential to mention here that the real journey of Indian
Drama in English started with the publication of Michael Madhusudan Dutts
translated play Is this called Civilization? The play came on the dramatic
firmament of India in 1871. The play originally was written in Bengali and
translated by the playwright himself into English. The play depicts the social
life and the issues pertaining to that period of it. Ramkinoo Dutt wrote
Manipura Tragedy in 1891. The dramas written during this era were not
numerous in quantity. Moreover, they lacked in refinement and dramatic
qualities.
However, under the influence of British Drama, Indian Drama in
English beyond certain odds and obstacles began to blossom in the hands of
literary wizards like Rabindranath Tagore, Sri Aurobindo, Harindranath
Chatopadhyay, T. P. Kailasam among others in pre-independence period.
Rabindranath Tagore and Sri Aurobindo are the connoisseurs of
art and literature. They have been considered as the first Indian Playwrights of
repute in Indian English Drama. They have contributed significantly in the field
of Indian Drama in English. As regards Tagores dramatic out put, The Post
office, Chitra, Sanyasi or The Ascetic, Sacrifice, The Cycle of Spring, The
King and The Queen, Kacha and Devyani, The mothers Prayer, Karna and
Kunti, Somaka and Ritvika, Ama and Vinayaka, Autumn Festival, The
Waterfall or Muktadhara, Red Oleanders, The King of the Dark Chamber
among others are celebrated dramatic works credited to Tagore. All these
works originally appeared in Bengali. Later on, they were translated into
English. They are deeply rooted in Indian soil in terms of themes and ethos as
well as Indian thoughts and philosophy. They bear the imprint of his literary
genius. His plays hold much importance from the point of view of sustenance
and enhancement of tradition of Indian Drama in English.
Sri Aurobindo, a man of versatile genius, has greatly enriched
and enlightened Indian Drama in English by way of writing plays of good
quality. He has, to his credit, five complete blank verse and six incomplete
plays. He has made proper use of blank verse in his plays. He wrote his
drama on the lines of Elizabethan drama. However, the influence of Sanskrit
classical dramatists also can be felt in them.
But all five plays are steeped in poetry and
romance, recalling the spirit and flavour of the
distinctive dramatic type exemplified in different
ways by Bhasa, Kalidas and Bhavbhuti,- though, of
course, all have Aurobindonian undertones.
Out of the five complete plays, only The Perseus the Deliverer
appeared during the span of his life. The remaining four Vasavadutta,
Rodogune, The viziers of Bassora and Eric were published posthumously.
The Witch of IIni, Achab and Esarhaddon, The maid and the Mill, The Birth of
Sin, The House of Brut, and The Prince of Edur are his incomplete works.
These plays are diverse in themes and traditions. The Play Rodogune depicts
the story of Cleopatra and disloyalty of her two sons Antiochus and Timocles.
The Perseus the Deliverer, steeped in Greek myth of Perseus, dramatizes the
conflict between old ethic and the new one emphasizing the prevalence of the
new values. Vasavadutta is closely related to Sanskrit classical drama
Swapna Vasavadattam, a comedy written by the great Indian dramatist
Bhasa, whereas The Viziers and Eric are the plays rooted in alien
background.
It is very necessary to mention here that despite rich themes
and verbal texture, the plays of these two literary wizards failed to impact on
the stage.
10
11
12
such
as
social,
political,
economical,
philosophical,
historical
16
14
Sircar involves new technique of live communication with play goers who also actually participate in performance of the play especially
17
19
20
stages
of
imitations and
21
22
their
complex
portrayal
characters.22
25
of
women
sustained and sincere efforts for making stage befitting to Indian milieu. He
uses Indian words very profusely in his English plays. His characters are fond
of using Gujarati dialogues. He has used good number of Gujarati, Kannada
and Hindi words in his plays.
Dattani is one of few dramatists who write their play originally in
English. He doesnt follow western dramatic canons. He has indianized his
English plays. With the globalization and arrival of digital technology, the
world has become the small global village and English has become the lingua
franca of this new global village. He wants to globalize the Indian stage and
theatre through his English plays. Of course, he has succeeded in making its
presence felt at global level. Moreover, English is a link language or contact
language. At national and international level, it unites larger sections of
society or civilization. About the use of English, he explains:
Youve got to be true to your expressions. English
is for me a sort of given. Its my language as it is to
a lot of Indians here and abroad. 24
Dattani intends to develop theatre which can be understood and
enjoyed by multi lingual community of India and abroad. Therefore, he resorts
English as a medium of communication of his theatre. English is a hybrid
language and spoken unobtrusively in India. Nevertheless, Dattani puts first
transmission of message through performance and secondly transmission of
message or ideas through language the second. Thus, performance holds
more significance than language in theatrical world of Dattani. He makes an
honest confession:
My milieu is theatre, you cant operate in isolation.
I do want a theatre movement to happen. The
major block for that is lack of sound training and
professionalism. We have the talent, but theater is
more than that, its a craft of communicating
through the language of action. 25
27
where
the
viewer
doesnt
have
to
Final
Solutions
Sometimes
the
30
31
31
has redefined the tradition of Indian English theatre with his innovative art and
craft. He avers:
32
India
towards
communal
36
34
Rubble is a very brief but touching radio play. It depicts the misery and
malady of earth quake affected people of Kutch region in Gujarat.
Morning Raga is his famous screen play. It is based on life of
Swarnlatha, a carnatic singer. The play is greatly appreciated for its music as
motif. The play presents dexterously emotional turmoil in the lives of the
various characters of the play. Dattani observes:
It is about a meeting of two worlds. A story that
brings together the modern and the traditional
unites the past with the present, Carnatic music
with Western music, fate and coincidence with
individual choices. 37
The play Ek Alag Mausam is dramatic achievement of Mahesh
Dattani. It deals with the serious issue of human life. The dramatist tries to
articulate the voice of the marginalized being HIV positives through this play.
Like post-colonial writers, Dattani attempts to seek the space for the HIV
positives in the society. He reflects the ethos of the subaltern section of our
society. The play depicts post modernistic theme-love story of two HIV
positives. The play lays bare their love for life. The play has two layers of
ideas; need for the creation of social awareness against HIV and love and
understanding for the HIV afflicted.
In this way, Mahesh Dattani makes daring efforts to depict quite
unconventional and radical themes in his plays. The complexities of human
relationship and predicament of the modern men find due expression in his
dramatic works. His dramatic techniques and stagecraft are superb. There are
rapid shifts in terms of time and space. He has made use of different images,
symbols, devices, techniques etc. to communicate his ideas in a very effective
and concrete manner. Dattanis theatrical genious is characterized by
diversity, dynamism, and innovative urge. He is an unconventional voice in
the theatrical firmament of India. He seeks to present volcanic dimensions of
rage and resentment as well as distrust and discontent shrouded inside the
psychological domain of human consciousness. Dattanis theatrical creed
35
asserts that human nature has its own autonomous space. Any act of
encroachment to this space, either through conventional ideology or by any
other means, will result into agitation and uprising causing chaos and
destruction.
There are sixteen plays extant in the two Penguin volumes
entitled Collected Play and Collected Plays-Volume II. All these plays are
taken up for the critical exploration and inquiry. They are as follows:
Tara - 1990
36
1.
References:
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
37
13.
14.
15.
Dhawan, R. K., 50 Years of Indian Writing, IAES, New Delhi, 1999 p.19
16.
17.
Ayyar, Raj, Mahesh Dattani Gay Cinema Comes of Age, Gay Today
8. 48, 2004 http://gaytoday.com
18.
19.
20.
21.
Ayyar, Raj, Mahesh Dattani Gay Cinema Comes of Age, Gay Today
8. 48, 2004 http://gaytoday.com
22.
23.
24.
, The
Hindu, Hyderabad, 2
25.
nd
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
Agrawal, Beena,
36.
39
37.
40