Andha Yug
Andha Yug | |
---|---|
Mahabharat war |
Andha Yug (
The
As part of the "theatre of the roots" movement which started in
Overview
"When will this bloodbath end?
Oh what a war which no one wins
and loses both foe and friend.."
—Andha Yug[8]
Andha Yug is based on the ancient
Krishna who mediated between the cousins before war, remains the moral centre of the play. Even in his failure he presents options that are ethical and just and reminds us that a higher or sacred way is always accessible to human beings even in the worst of times. The play ends with the death of Krishna.[2][9]
Play structure
Bharati constructed the play using western drama tradition and early Indian drama, found in Sanskrit drama.[2]
- Prologue
- Act One: The Kaurava Kingdom
- Act Two: The Making of a Beast
- Act Three: The Half-truth of Ashwatthama
- Interlude: Feathers, Wheels and Bandages
- Act Four: Gandhari's Curse
- Act Five: Victory and a Series of Suicides
- Epilogue: Death of the Lord
Themes
Andha Yug highlights the perils of self-enchantment in an anti-war allegory. It explores human capacity for moral action, reconciliation, and goodness in times of atrocity and reveals what happens when individuals succumb to the cruelty and cynicism of a blind, dispirited age.
When a ruler, epitomized by a blind Dhritarashtra (physically and also by his ambition for his son Duryodhana), in an equally blind society fail its own side and that of their loved ones. It elaborates on the consequences, when a society fails to stop a cycle of revenge and instead choose a redemptive path, which is always available even in worst of scenarios. This is shown by Krishna's presence amid the mindlessness of fellow human beings. It was only when they collectively reject the voice of wisdom that denigration of war step upon them, leading to wide-scale bloodshed.
The story hints at the perils that await a society that turns away from its wisdom culture and instead succumb to the logic of the moment that can be easily swayed by emotions. Bharati uses the war of Mahabharat to make an anti-war statement and raises questions regarding moral uprightness in the wake of Partition-related atrocities, loss of faith and national identity.[2][3]
Some directors have used it to bring out contemporary issues like the role of diplomacy of the world.[10]
History
I suddenly understood
as if in a flash of revelation
that when a man
surrenders his selfhood
and challenges history
he can change the course
of the stars.
The lines of fate
are not carved in stone.
They can be drawn and redrawn
at every moment of time
by the will of man.
—excerpt from Andha Yug
Dharamvir Bharati (1926–1997), was a renowned Hindi novelist, poet, and playwright. His novels,
Originally written as a
Playwright and theatre director Satyadev Dubey heard of the play and met Bharati when the latter had dropped in to see Dubey's Hindi adaptation of Albert Camus's Cross Purposes, as Sapne. Recognizing its potential, Dubey walked around with the script for nearly 10 years trying to get it done.[11] Dubey had been running 'Theatre Unit' (a theatre group started by Ebrahim Alkazi who moved to Delhi in 1962 as director of National School of Drama, Delhi), After staging it himself in 1962, Dubey sent the script to Alkazi. Though many found the play lacking action, Alkazi believed, "action is not rushing around. It’s inward growth."[12]
Alkazi's production made history in modern
In the coming years, the play attracted many directors and was staged across the country,
Translations
- Andha Yug (English), by Dharamvir Bharati, Tr. Alok Bhalla. Oxford University Press, USA, 2010. ISBN 0-19-806522-1.
- Andha Yug (Odia), by Dharamvir Bharati, Tr. Saudamini Nanda . Sahitya Akademi, 2001. ISBN 81-260-1233-1.
- Andha Yug (English), by Dharamvir Bharati, Tr. Tripurari Sharma. National School of Drama. 2001
- Andha Yug (English, by Dharamvir Bharati, Tr. Paul Jacob and Meena Williams, Enact, 1972.
Further reading
See also
Notes
- ^ Publications Archived 2011-04-29 at the Wayback Machine Dharamvir Bharati Official website.
- ^ a b c d e f Rubin, p. 195
- ^ a b c d Rubin, p. 182
- ^ "Remarkable resurgence". The Hindu. August 28, 2010.
- The Tribune.
- ^ a b Drama with a distinct vision by Girish Karnad, The Hindu, 25 November 2007.
- ^ "SNA: List of Akademi Awardees". Sangeet Natak Akademi Official website. Archived from the original on 2011-07-27.
- ^ "A gust of fresh air". The Hindu. August 14, 2009. Archived from the original on November 9, 2012.
- ^ George, p. 220
- ^ "Small talk". Indian Express. December 15, 2008.
- ^ "The Fury And The Ecstacy". Vol. 5, no. 45. Tehelka. November 15, 2008.
- ^ "Theatre is revelation (Interview)". The Hindu. February 24, 2008. Archived from the original on March 2, 2008.
- ^ "A little peek into history". The Hindu. May 2, 2008. Archived from the original on November 9, 2012.
- ^ "Reaction matters to me". The Hindu. November 16, 2008. Archived from the original on April 16, 2010.
- ^ Vanraj Bhatia profile internationalopus.
- ^ Modern Classics[permanent dead link]
- DNA. March 1, 2010.
- ^ "Delhi Celebrates! : Andha Yug - Play". Archived from the original on 2012-07-23. Retrieved 2011-03-26.
References
- K. M. George; Sahitya Akademi (1995). "Andha Yug: Dharamvir Bharati". Modern Indian Literature, an Anthology: Plays and prose. Sahitya Akademi. ISBN 81-7201-783-9.
- Jyotsna G. Singh (1996). Colonial narratives/cultural dialogues: "Discoveries" of India in the language of colonialism. Routledge. ISBN 0-415-08519-5.
- Don Rubin (1998). The World Encyclopedia of Contemporary Theatre: Asia. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 0-415-05933-X.
- Aparna Bhargava Dharwadker (2005). "Cosmo-Modernist History of Mankind: Dharamvir Bharati's Andha Yug". Theatres of independence: drama, theory, and urban performance in India since 1947. University of Iowa Press. ISBN 0-87745-961-4.
- Amaresh Datta (2006). "Andha Yug (Hindi)". The Encyclopaedia Of Indian Literature (Volume Two) (Devraj To Jyoti), Volume 2. Sahitya Akademi. p. 170. ISBN 81-260-1194-7.
- Rajinder Paul (2006). "An Interview with Dharamvir Bharati by Vasant Dev". Contemporary Indian Theatre. Sangeet Natak Akademi and Hope Publishers. pp. 90–95. ISBN 81-7871-097-8.
External links
- Andha Yug (Excerpt I), 2 and 3