K J SOMAIYA COLLEGE OF ARTS AND COMMERCE

ENGLISH, PAPER IV: INDIAN LITERATURE IN ENGLISH

NAME: RUKAIYA ALIASGAR SUTERWALA

ROLL NO: 61

CLASS AND DIVISION: SYBA-A

DATE OF SUBMISSION:

TOPIC:

1) Write a detailed note on contribution of any one modern Indian English

Playwright (other than Vijay Tendulkar) to the Modern Indian English
Theatre. Elaborate on any two noteworthy works (plays) by the same
playwright.

2) You have been entrusted with a responsibility of interviewing one of the

celebrated modern Indian English women poets. Draft the script of
interview in such a way that the interview gives insights into her notable
collection of poems, the significant themes and characterization and other
important aspect of her poetry.
 1) Write a detailed note on contribution of any one modern Indian English
Playwright (other than Vijay Tendulkar) to the Modern Indian English
Theatre. Elaborate on any two noteworthy works (plays) by the same
playwright.

 WHO IS MAHESH DATTANI?

Mahesh Dattani is considered as one of the best Indian playwrights and he

writes his pieces in English. He is an actor, playwright and director. He was
born on the 7th August in 1958 in Bangalore, Karnataka. He was educated at
Baldwin’s Boys High School and then went on to graduate from St.Joseph’s
College, Bangalore. After graduation, he worked for a brief period as a
copywriter for an advertising firm. In 1986, he wrote his first play, ‘Where there
is a Will’.

 CONTRIBUTIONS OF MAHESH DATTANI TO THE THEATRE

WORLD:

Mahesh Dattani is one of the prominent names in the Indian Theatre world. He
is well renowned as a playwright for Indian Theatre in the English language.
But, he is not only a playwright but also a very eminent writer, actor and
director. What inspired the legendary writer to start writing was reading Edward
Albee’s play who’s afraid of Virginia Woolf and also the works of Gujarati
playwright Madhu Rye.

He has written some of the most iconic plays in Indian Theatre. Some great
examples:

FINAL SOLUTIONS

DANCE LIKE A MAN

TARA

THIRTY DAYS IN SEPTEMBER

BRAVELY FOUGHT THE QUEEN

ON A MUGGY NIGHT IN MUMBAI

THE BIG FAT CITY

He also wrote a play starring Dheiraj Kapoor called THE MURDER THAT
NEVER WAS. He also made some great accomplishments like winning the
Sahitya Akademi Award. In fact, he was the first-ever playwright in the English
language to have won this award. His plays are so sensational, that they are
adapted and directed by prominent directors like Lillete Dubey and Alyque
Padamsee.

All his plays address social issues, not the very obvious one, but the deep-seated
prejudices and problems that the society is usually conditioned to turn away
from. His plays deal with gender identity, gender discrimination, and communal
tensions. The play, ‘TARA’ deals with gender discrimination, ‘THIRTY DAYS
IN SUMMER’ deals with the issue of child abuse head on, and ‘FINAL
SOLUTIONS’ is about lingering echoes of the partition.

It was Alyque Padamsee who first spotted and encouraged Mahesh Dattani’s
talent and gave him the confidence to venture into career in theatre. Dattani
formed his own theatre group, Playpen, in 1984. He is the ony English
playwright to be awarded the Sahitya Academy Award. He got this award in
1998. He also writes play for BBC Radio and he was also one of the 21
playwrights chosen by BBC to write olays to commemorate Chauser’s 600th
anniversary in 2000.
THE TWO SIGNIFICANT PLAYS WRITTEN BY MAHESH DATTANI
ARE: ‘TARA’ and ‘DANCE LIKE A MAN’

 SHORT SUMMARY OF THE PLAY TARA:

In Tara Mahesh Dattani plays with the idea of female infanticide that is
prevalent among the Gujaratis. His deep preoccupation with gender issues leads
to the emergence of the idea of the twin side to one’s self- quite literally
embodied in one body and the separation that follows.

Chandan and Tara are conjoined twins. They must me separated for survival.
The problem begins when it is recognized that it has been unequal, unfair
operation. Even though the doctors were aware that the third leg would suit to
Tara better than her brother, they took part in the conspiracy plotted by her
family. As a result Chandan gets the second leg and Tara becomes crippled.

Bharati, the mother of Tara is anxious about the future of her daughter. She was
afraid that the world not accept Tara when she is grown up. Her concerns and
maternal love towards Tara becomes as part of the burden of guilt she possess.

Chandan enjoyed great preference, while Tara was left to enjoy the position of a
subaltern. Tara was more enthusiastic and had high dreams and aspirations,
which she couldn’t achieve since she was handicapped. Bharati’s farther further
strengthened his indulgence for male grandchild by leaving his property after
his demise to Chandan. When it comes to giving the education Tara’s farther
prefers only Chandan. If Tara had been given moral support by her parents, her
life would not be the same.

It is noteworthy that discrimination against Tara continues even after her death.
Chandan has changed their story into his own tragedy. He apologizes to Tara for
doing so. He feels so guilty that he leaves his own hometown and goes to
England and changes his name to Dan to change his identity.

Tara is always discouraged, even though she is more intelligent, sharp and
witty. Economic and cultural factors gave been responsible for the pathetic
status of the girl child. All these factors combine to create the social system in
which the girl has to live. Tara is killed by the social system, which controls the
minds and actions of the people.

 THEME OF THE PLAY TARA:

The main theme of Mahesh Dattani’s play, Tara, is ‘GENDER

DISCRIMINATION’ where it shows how boy child are preffered over girl
child. It is also to show out the tacit derogation and inequalities faced by
womenfolk across the country. The Oxford Dictionary defines derogation as the
perception or treatment of someone or something as being of little worth
atrocities. It gives an eye-opening message to the vast majority of audience who
believed in gender bias blindly. This contemporary play brings out the social
evils faced by millions of womenfolk.

It also highlights the atrocities committed against girls across the country. The
playwright has clearly brought out the theme ‘GENDER BIAS’ with its
oscillating moods to add affect to the scene that takes the audience on a journey.
The following play highlights the various derogations and the theme of the play
‘GENDER BIAS’.

 MESSAGE THAT THE PLAY GIVES US:

Mahesh Dattani has very skillfully revealed the theme of gender discrimination
in this play. The purpose of this play is to illuminate the minds of female gender
for not to give preference to a male child over a female child. He stresses
women to look back at their journey of life .

ANOTHER PLAY WRITTEN BY MAHESH DATTANI IS ‘DANCE LIKE A

MAN’

SUMMARY AND CRITICAL PERSPECTIVE OF ‘DANCE LIKE A MAN’:

A man trapped by circumstances, a woman caught between ambition and family

life. When the choice is between dreams and reality, the latter always wins. This
play center’s on an individual’s plight, where a dying form of art serves as the
backdrop. Lillete Dubey’s direction makes a powerful story more realistic. A
man stifled by his ageing father’s principles must find a way to escape, in order
to create an alternative world that will enable him to practice the one thing he
loves the most-dancing. The son makes mockery of his father’s revolutionary
acts. Calling himself a reformer, a freedom fighter, he ridicules the reforms that
freedom fighters fought for. However, his father has different plans for his son.
Taking advantage of his son’s financial dependency on him, the father
altogether stops his son’s dancing classes. He wants his son to become an adult.
In anger, the son leaves home, only to return, as he cannot support himself or
his wife. This work marvelously for the father. He thinks of a new scheme. He
smooth talks his daughter-in-law to discourage her husband from his passion
and to criticize, albeit subtly, his mediocrity. Ratna his wife is overly ambitious,
and she will sacrifice her husband’s career for her career to take off.

What is extremely disturbing is that the man turns into a drunkard, and the
parent’s lack of commitment towards their infant Shankar, results in his death.
The flashback techniques used by the director done very cleverly and in one
instant we are transported back and forth in time. Through the flashback
techniques, Lata’s father plays the role of his own father and Lata’s fiancé
becomes the young man, haunted by his art, and Lata herself portrays her
mother when she was much younger. We go into flashback at a much later stage
of the play. The play opens with Ratna’s daughter Lata who brings her fiancée
to her parent’s home. Through their conversations we get a slight idea of a
family history, the nature of Lata’s parents and a little about their ancestry. Just
then Lata’s fiancée is in the process of imitating her grandfather, do Lata’s
parents enter. Some confusion seems to envelope the entire household. Lata’s
mother makes big fuss about her debut dance performance before the nation.
Somewhere the characters of Lata and her fiancée fade in the background.

And in the end we seek solace in the fact that husband and wife will reunite in
heaven and dance to please the gods. And there will be no one left to say
“DANCE LIKE A MAN”.

 THEMES OF THE PLAY:

GENDER DISCRIMINATION

AMBITION- FOR WOMAN OR MAN?

MEN DANCING- INACCEPTABLE

SUFFERINGS

SOCIAL CONSTRUCT

STEREOTYPICAL ATTITUDE

MISLEADING FOR ONE’S OWN BENEFITS

MESSAGE THAT THE PLAY GIVES US:

Dattani comes here and shows how the society and the idiosyncrasy of
individuals work. “DANCE LIKE A MAN” the title itself suggests that a man is
supposed to do the work which suits the man and not pursue their career in
anything else which makes them less a man.

CONCLUSION:

Therefore MAHESH DATTANI is considered as pioneer of contemporary

Indian drama through his various works.

2) You have been entrusted with a responsibility of interviewing one of the

celebrated modern Indian English women poets. Draft the script of
interview in such a way that the interview gives insights into her notable
collection of poems, the significant themes and characterization and other
important aspect of her poetry.

So today we are interviewing one of the celebrated modern Indian English

women poet: TORU DUTT.

 When did you first realize you wanted to be a poetess?

ANS: I was born as Torulata Dutt on March 4, 1856 in a wealthy Dutt

family of Rambagan. My father was a noted linguist and a published poet
writing in English. My uncles and cousins were also prolific writers in English.
When my elder brother Abju passed away we shifted to Europe in 1869. I and
my sister Aru translated French poetry into English. Again in 1873 we returned
to Calcutta failing health of myself and my sister. We two sisters tried to write
our way out of the loneliness and stifling atmosphere we experienced in
Calcutta. After my sister’s death, all alone I sough refuge in reading and writing
with new intensity.

 How long does it take you to write a poem?

ANS: I have the natural ability to write poetry and words seem to flow
naturally in my writings. It may take two hours or it may take two days or
months to write a poem.

 When did you start writing and how old were you?

ANS: My first publication was when I was only 18, in the Bengali
magazine. I had written an essay on French poet Leconte de Lisle followed by a
second on another French poet Josephin Soulary.

 Can you tell us something about your literary work?

ANS: In 1876 “A SHEAF GLEANED IN FRENCH FIELDS” was

published, this was the only publication ever to happen in my lifetime. I was 17
and already started showing my true colours in the world of literature. This
book was a collection of French poetry which were translated in depth into
English with the finest words possible. I also wrote “An Eurasian Poet” and two
essays on French Romantic poets Leconte de Lisle and Josephin Soulary for the
Bengal magazine in 1874. In a scene from contemporary History, published in
the The Bengal Magazine (June-July 1875). I also translated two political
speeches by Victor Hugo and M Adolphe Thiers.

 Can you put light on your notable collections of poems?

ANS: “SITA”, “BUTTOO” and “LAKSMAN” traditional legends or

stories are from my native India. Ancient Ballads and Legends of Hindustan
(1882) rework these Indian stories to mostly fit within a constraints of an
English verse form (that is the Ballad) but I am also able to take these
economical stories and inject them with new personal flourishes. “BUTTOO”
for example is not just a poem which retells the Ekalavya story from the
Sanskrit epic Mahabharata, but it complicates the Ekalavya story by adding in
an element of class tension and the theme of rejection. I was not contented to
simply make my own Eastern cultural heritage intelligible to western audience.
Also present in Ancient Ballads are poems like “OUR CASUARINA TREE”
and ‘THE TREE OF LIFE”. In “our Casuarina Tree”, I seek to find my own
place as a poet in the shadow of wordsworth and mentioned my favorite
childhood tree. “A Sheaf Cleaned in French Fields” (1876) is a multilingual and
multicultural comprehension and preoccupation and foregrounding of my
themes.

 What are the significant themes and characterization of your poetry?

ANS: You will find nature in the vast majority of my poems, whether they
are translation of others works or lyrics, I myself has written that. Religion is
also theme of my writings. Both in the personal sense of individual
encounters with the divine and more canonical sense of established religion.
The idea of in-betweeness, transition or liminality is also present in many of
my works. Loss was also a theme of my writings as I had experienced the
 loss of both of my siblings at a young age. My most poetry focuses the
experience of being surrounded by death. And another consistent theme of
my work is the relationship between members of a family.

 What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

ANS: When I am having a leisure time I like to play piano other than
writing.

 Would you please like to share your favourite poem with us?

ANS: Well my favourite poem is “THE LOTUS”.

 What makes you a unique poetess?

ANS: I am often critically received and perceived as a writer of “exile”.

One who takes the experience of the transition and geographical in-betweeness
and I in fuse that in my poetry. This makes me a unique poetess.

 What advice or message do you have for other young writers?

ANS: The writers have to “READ MORE THAN THEY WRITE” and have
a deeper understanding of things more than they read. I suggest the writers to
take a break from writing and engage themselves in some other creative ore
recreational activity to overcome writer’s block. As thoughts keep flooding your
brain, it doesn’t mean you have to pen down everything.

Thank you
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