Theatricality in “Andha Yug”

Theatricality, though, it seems clear that the concept is closely related to performance or

performativity; it inspires far more ambivalence and is employed in less consistent ways. “Andha

Yug” (1953) by Dharamvir Bharati is one of the most significant plays of modern India; Set in

the last day of the Great Mahabharata war, the five-act tragedy was written in the years following

the 1947 partition of India atrocities, as allegory to its destruction not just of human lives, but

also ethical values – the play is a profound meditation on the politics of violence and aggressive

selfhood. It is the ambivalence of theatrical jurisprudence that makes “Andha Yug” an

appropriate example to study the theories of theatricality.

I wish to prove that within the 5 Act structure of the play, Dharamveer Bharati has explored the

congruence and intricacies of theatricality. Being a radio play, following the traditions of the

greats like Sambhu Mitra, the play is strewn with music. The paper will continue to explore on

the fact that the play encompasses a huge vista of events: the last days of the Mahabharata leaves

a permanent mark on the Indian psyche, especially with the death of Lord Krishna. I will also

explore the vastness of its subject matter linked to the partition of the country encourages intense

theatricality of expressive performance, music, stage direction, stage design to such an extent

that director M.K. Raina directed it at the Purana Quila, Delhi, using a spectacular theatrical

piece using vast performance area with ramparts and tiered steps.

I want to prove that Andha-Yug proved for the first time in the history of Hindi literature that

poetry can be successfully and meaningfully presented in a theatrical form, enhancing the

theatricality of the play. It tells the story of modern human tragedy symbolically and

metaphorically using the characters from Mahabharata. Through these characters, Bharati has
commented upon tragedy of our times. My effort will be to conclude that as a composition

Andha Yug is a perfect balance between drama and poetry, where the theatricality is further

expounded by Bharati adapting the classical structure of Indian drama with Greek Chorus.

Work Cited

Bharati Dharamvir. Andha Yug (English), Tr. Alok Bhalla. Oxford University Press, USA, 2010.

Rubin Don The World Encyclopedia of Contemporary Theatre: Asia. Taylor & Francis. 1998

Encyclopedia Britannica. WEB. 2010