Ghasiram Kotwal and Genocide Of Indiginous People: metaphor and false gods
Palash Biswas
Contact: Palash C Biswas, C/O Mrs Arati Roy, Gosto Kanan, Sodepur, Kolkata- 700110, India. Phone: 91-033-25659551
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Vijay Tendulkar’s controversial, albeit extensively staged play Ghansiram Kotwal showcasing the oppression and cruelty of rulers in pre-independence era. Staged both in its original and translated versions Ghasiram Kotwal till date is deemed as one of the most successful plays of all-times.The widely known play in English translation from original Marathi retains its racy vigor and musical charm- all that went to make the production a hit.
When Ghasiram, in Ghasiram Kotwal, uses his power to oppress the citizens of Pune, you see in him glimpses of each power-drunk official you have ever known. We all see the false Gods of Indian History and polity, man made legends to sustain the manusmriti based Graded Inequality and Inherent Injustice, the global ruling class, Ideological Hypocrites like Marxists, Gandhian, Lohiates,Socialists, Progressive, secular and Liberal Icons tumbling at a time. We may visualise the metaphor of the Pune tyrrant with so many dimentions of full circle anarchy and Annihilation of marginaliged, untouchables, Blacks, subalterns, aboriginals, underclasses, peasants and small traders and maufactures and the whole lot of Indigenous People Worldwide. The Post modern Neoliberalism and Globalistion may be explained well with typical Marathi Folk Theatrical Device of Human Curtain containing Pune Brahmins, who have been related genetically with the Jews! Nana may be Vajapayee! He may look like the Genocide Master Marxist capitalist Head from West Bengal! He may be the Sikh, refuggeComradore Prime Minister planted by World Bank and washington. It may well be the image of the Elite Brahmin From Keernahar Bengal who happens to be the defacto Prime Minister and breeds all kind of Anti People Acts to uprrot the Indiginous People fro life and Livelihhod. Well, ghasiram Kotwal explains well the War against Terrorism and US Imperialism at a time.It may expose the all powerful Zionist lobby with galaxy manusmriti allignment and having controllled everything in this world. Pune brahmins are the Best Metaphor for the Global Ruling Class and Indian Hindu Hegemony!
Ghasiram Kotwal happens to be most relevant in a scenerio of violations of Civil and Human Rights, Depopulation, Regress, Sensex India and shining India, LPG, MNC Corporate Promoter raj, The support base Triangle of the Ruling Hegemony: Money, Mafia and media! It exposes well the capitalist Development, SEZ, PCPIR, Chemical Hubs, Big dams, Projects, Urbanisation, Industrialisation, Disinvestment, VRS, ERS, Retrenchment, IT, Mobile, TV and auto BOOm, OIL economy and open loot of Natural Resources. Ghasiram Kotwal, though set in Pune of the Peshwas, was by no means outdated. Its central theme of the relationship between power and corruption is as relevant today as it was at that time. With spell-binding brilliance, the play depicted how absolute power breeds oppression and leads to a mockery of the law. The play dealt with how those in power use their underlings to achieve their own selfish ends and then discard them when they are no longer useful. Nana Phadnavis, the Peshwa’s representative in Pune, appoints Ghasiram, whose daughter he lusts after, the kotwal of the city. Ghasiram uses his position to terrorise the Brahmins of Pune who had humiliated him when he was a nobody. When Ghaisram becomes too big for his boots, Nana signs his death warrant. The immediacy of the theme aside, what raised the play to extraordinary heights were excellent performances and the use of music and songs of varied styles to carry forward the narrative.
Vijay Tendulkar, best known for his emotionally charged protest plays and filmscripts, chooses a different genre for Ghasiram Kotwal - that of the musical historical. Set in Maharashtra the late eighteenth century, it recounts a power game played out in terms of caste ascendancy in politics. The work draws on several Maharashtra folk styles, and has an obvious relevance in the context of individuals playing the game of politics, taking advantage of situations, rising to power, and crashing to impotence at the whims of more powerful players in the same game - a typical phenomenon in almost any political complex.
The play is widely known in its Theatre Academy production directed by Jabbar Patel, with more than three hundred performances to its credit, in India and abroad.
This edition also contains a production case book, a biographical note on the playwright, and critical studies of the play.
About the Author
Vijay Tendulkar wrote his first story when he was six yours old and wrote, directed and acted in has first play when he was eleven.
Born in 1928, Tendulkar has had a long and chequered career - in a printing press, in journalism, as a public relation officer in a company. Today this most prolific writer has to his credit twenty eight full-length plays, seven collections of one-act plays, six collections of children's plays, four collections of short stories, three of essays besides seventeen film scripts and a novel, all in a span of fifty years. Critics bring our notice to the prismatic quality of his writings and it is this that can be spotted in his writings, specially in the plays - Ghasiram Kotwal, Gidhade, Shantata! Court Chalu Ahe, Sakaram Binder, Kamala, Kanyadaan to name a few, and his movie - Nishant, Aakrosh, Manthan, Ardha Satya. He has been celebrated as the 'Playwriter of the Millennium". His plays which have been perceived by critics as being ahead of their times, are also timeless, because of his accurate and sensitive portrayal of the social issues of the time.
Tendulkar has been felicitated with many awards and honors including the Maharashtra State government reward (1956,1969 and 1972), Sangeet Natak academy award (1971), the Filmfare Award (1980 and 1983), Padmabhushan (1984), Saraswati Samman (1993), the Kalidas Samman (1999), the Maharashtra Gaurav Puraskar (1999), the Jansthan Award (1999). The latest recognition, for lifetime literary achievement, was the Katha Chudamani Award in 2001.
Saturday, November 26, 2005
I can’t see my play on stage
In His Own Script: A strain of violence runs through Vijay Tendulkar’s plays. But compiling published pieces is a lazy way to introduce his life and art, says Kavita Nagpal THE INDIAN EXPRESS FLAIR November 18, 2001
Vijay Tendulkar’s emergence as a playwright on the national scene in the late sixties coincided with that of Badal Sircar, Mohan Rakesh and Girish Karnad. This quartet, writing in Marathi, Bengali, Hindi and Kannada, respectively, formed the new and modern voice of Indian theatre. No sooner performed — occasionally the text barely written — their plays were quickly translated into other Indian languages and grabbed for performance. Though he had been known in Marathi theatre for some years, it was Tendulkar’s play Shantata! Court Chalu Ahe (Silence! The Court is in Session, 1968) that thrust him into the limelight. It hit the boards almost simultaneously in Marathi (director: Arvind Deshpande) and Hindi (director: Om Shivpuri). Director Satyadev Dubey made a film in Marathi, with Sulabha Deshpande in the lead.
The Sangeet Natak Akademi award came to Tendulkar in 1971, even before his controversial plays like Sakharam Binder, Ghasiram Kotwal (both 1972), Baby (1975) or Kamala (1982) had happened. Tendulkar had 13 plays to his credit till then, of which Gidhade and Ashi Pakhde Yeti — the former dealing with family violence and the latter a light comedy written for a successful actor — had been popularly translated in several Indian languages. It is difficult to pin any specific ideological preoccupation in his dramas, except perhaps a strain of violence, both social and singular. Accused of pessimism, Tendulkar retorts, ‘‘My experience of my times, my life, has shown me that the individual is largely disempowered, made abject, reduced to the role of spectator by the logic of certain events and social groupings.’’
Plays differ widely in style and structure, but except for Ghasiram Kotwal most are cast in the realistic mould. There is however one unifying factor; each script comes with precise instructions on the scenic design both for the director and technical crew. Tendulkar’s description of characters carries vivid pointers for actors. That a good production can be managed by just following Tendulkar’s stage instructions is a truism. He learnt his theatre ‘‘by mainly watching plays, more bad plays than good ones’’, says Tendulkar in one of the chapters in the Katha ALT series The Play is the Thing, part of the Sri Ram Memorial Lecture delivered by Tendulkar in 1997. ‘‘They provoked me into mentally rewriting them my way to turn them into good plays. I found it an excellent exercise.’’ With Shanta Gokhale’s Tendulkar on his own terms (the chapter on Tendulkar’s women in particular), this is the other incisive piece on the writer’s compendium in a book which is basically a compilation of published pieces assembled as part of the 2001 Katha Chudamani Award given to Tendulkar this year.
A sickly pampered child brought up amidst books and amateur dramatics (his father was a publisher and theatre buff), Tendulkar, born in 1928, learnt his lessons in caste and communalism early when he dumped school to join the Quit India Movement. To escape parental wrath he loafed in the cinema hall, often over two or even three shows of a film, preparing perhaps for his other profession, that of a script writer (Nishant, Manthan, Akrosh, etc). He wrote and directed his first play — a version of a mythological film Mya — at eleven, in which he played Krishna in vivid blue paint! ‘‘I write for myself,’’ Tendulkar told me in an interview in 1971. ‘‘When the play is produced, it has gone out of my hands and I have severed direct relationship with it. I can’t, for instance, see my play on stage. (He attended the silver jubilee of Ghasiram Kotwal in Delhi, 1973, but did not see the show.) I become sort of insensitive to the play.’’ Though Tendulkar believes that playwriting is an individual pursuit — ‘‘you can play your tune with someone else’s instrument, but not with someone else’s hand’’ — he worked closely with the cast and crew during the first staging of Shantata in Marathi.
Ghasiram Kotwal steals the show
30 Sep 2002, 2309 hrs IST,Vandana Shukla,TNN
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/23796750.cms
Vijay Tendulkar’s famous play Ghasiram Kotwal that was written in 1973 and was staged by Jabbar Patel for the first time in Pune, with Mohan Upreiti’s timeless music, still retains its original flavour and receives thunderous response wherever it is staged.
The proof was offered, once again on Sunday evening, when the play was staged under the ongoing Theatre Festival organised by National School of Drama Repertory Company, under Rajinder Nath’s direction at Tagore Theatre.
The highly controversial, albeit extensively staged play deals with the story of transformation of a simple Brahmin from Kannauj into a veritable monster.
Ghasiram humiliated by the snob Brahmins of Pune, on his very first visit to the city swears to take his revenge. He snares Nana Phadanvis, the Peshwa' s chieftain and magistrate of the city using his young daughter Lalita Gauri.
In return, Ghasiram demands to be appointed the kotwal and is put in charge of the law and order of Pune.
He now wastes no time in getting even with his former tormentors.
But little does he realise that Nana is merely using him to keep the Brahmins in check; Ghasiram will become a convenient tool for Nana, once he has accomplished his mentor's dirty job.
As Ghasiram becomes the scourge of the city Brahmins, Nana savours Gauri's innocent charms. One day Ghasiram learns that Gauri has died and Nana is marrying for the seventh time.
Insane with rage, the livid father confronts Nana, only to be reminded that his daughter's life was a small price to pay for power and privilege. By this time the city Brahmins demand for Ghasiram's death. Nana signs the death warrant.
The operatic play that incorporated folk traditions of Marathi stage like Lavni and Tamasha, was brilliantly presented with traditional costumes and music.
Veteran actor, director, Ram Gopal Bajaj, in the role of Nana Phadanvis was as Nana should have been, Parag Sharma as Ghasiram was natural. This musical play will stay long in the memory of the city folks.
GHASIRAM KOTWAL
by Debnita Chakravarti
On his first visit to Pune to try his luck, Ghasiram, a Brahmin from Kanauj, finds himself falsely accused of theft and slighted by the Pune Brahmins. He swears revenge on the city. He snares Nana Phadnavis, the Peshwa' s chieftain and magistrate of the city using his young daughter Lalita Gauri.
In return, Ghasiram demands to be appointed the kotwal and is put in charge of the law and order of Pune. He now wastes no time in getting even with his former tormentors. But little does he realise that Nana is merely using him to keep the Brahmins in check; Ghasiram will become a convenient fall-guy for Nana once he has accomplished his mentor's dirty job.
As Ghasiram becomes the scourge of the city Brahmins, Nana savours Gauri's innocent charms. Then Ghasiram learns one day that Gauri has died mysteriously, and Nana is marrying for the seventh time. Insane with rage, the livid father confronts Nana, only to be reminded that his daughter's life was a small price to pay for power and privilege. By this time the city Brahmins have united in a bloodthirsty demand for Ghasiram's death. Nana signs the death warrant as casually as he had granted Ghasiram the kotwali. The final scene has Ghasiram being mobbed by the irate crowd where, semi-crazed, he asks for death. As crowds gather round Ghasiram's lifeless body, Nana appears to herald the end of an age of terror and proposes festivities to mark the purging of the city.
The play's title captivates its essence, much in the way of Conrad's Lord Jim. It unites the public and the private beings of a man. It is the transformation of Ghasiram, a simple unassuming man, into a hubristic power-crazy monster. He is the unsuspecting victim of a Machiavellian system embodied in the machinations of Nana. The true villain emerges unscathed from the turmoil that marked the rise and fall of Ghasiram.
NSD's production of this contemporary classic tragedy uses traditional and folk devises of Marathi theatre like the Chorus (which doubles up as props on an otherwise sparse stage), twin sutradhars, the samgaan and verse. The grim and savage saga is tempered with black humour and sarcasm. The impact of narrative violence is sought to be minimised through rituals.
Ghasiram Kotwal also operates at an allegorical level, commenting acerbically on the political institutions of present-day India where scores of Ghasirams are made and marred each time the political die is cast anew.
Jabbar Patel
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Jabbar Patel
Born 1942
Pandharpur, Maharashtra India
Jabbar Patel is a renowned theatre and film director of India. His production of the play Vijay Tendulkar's play Ghashiram Kotwal, in 1973 is considered a classic in Modern Indian Theatre [1].
He is the maker of classics films in Marathi cinema, like, Jait Re Jait (Mohan Agashe, Smita Patil), Umbartha (Smita Patil, Girish Karnad), Simhasan (Nana Patekar, Shreeram Lagoo, Reema Lagoo) [2] Some of his other films are, Mukta, Ek Hota Vidushak, and Musafir(Hindi). His most acclaimed film is Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar released in 1999. He won the 1995 Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration for his Marathi film, Mukta.
[edit] Biography
Born in 1942 in Pandharpur in Maharashtra he was earlier a paediatrician. He founded the noted Marathi experimental theatre group, 'Theatre Academy', which stage Vijay Tendulkar's Ghashiram Kotwal in 1973, followed by, 'Teen Paishacha Tamasha', an adaptation of Brecht's Threepenny Opera in 1974.
For eminent Marathi theatre personality and film director Jabbar Patel, tackling a political subject is not something new. Whether it was Umbartha, Jait Re Jait, or Simhasan for the silver screen, or Ghasiram Kotwal for the stage, this paediatrician-turned-doctor has created a ripple with his handling of political subjects. Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, his celluloid biopic on the Dalit leader, which has been in the making for the past nine years, is now finally seeing the light of the day. The film which fetched Malayalam superstar Mammooty a National award in 1999, however took a while to reach the audience .
Talking to visibly relaxed Dr Patel at his Nehru Centre office in Worli, the first question that popped into one's head was regarding the delay in the release of the film. According to the director, after the English version received the award, "the decision was taken to go in for different dubbing versions. It was decided to dub the film in eight languages. So it needed time to write the script, go for script approval from prominent Sahitya Akademi winners," he said. That entailed going for different dubbing teams and a series of different voice trials. Mammooty is doing the Malayalam and Tamil dubbing but not the Hindi .
Besides these technical hitches, there was also the problem of distribution as the film needed the approval of both the governments of Maharashtra and India. (The National Film Development Corporation did not have the infrastructure to release the film). So the terms and conditions of both pairs of governments had to be worked out. Approval had to be sought from different government departments like finance and culture before the release happened. But Dr Patel is a relaxed man today and is grateful for the support and cooperation that he has received from the various governments which were in power at the state in centre .
Talking about how he got hooked on to the subject of Dr Ambedkar, Dr Patel said: "Dalit literature has created a lot of awareness in Maharashtra. It is extremely rich and powerful. So any sensitive Marathi knows what the Ambedkar movement is. In Maharashtra, you can't avoid the influence of Dalit literature," he explained .
In 1989, Dr Patel was approached by the Films Division to make a documentary on Ambedkar. His name had been suggested by many as the right man for the job. The director made it clear right from the beginning that it was not possible to make a film like that in 20 minutes. He told them that he would have to travel extensively, maybe even abroad, and get to know the man. He was given a carte blanche by the then Films Division head to shoot at Columbia University if he so wanted .
Describing his feelings on reaching the massive Columbia University campus, Dr Patel said that in those days no Black was allowed into the varsity and here was Dr Ambedkar, a man from a discriminated class studying at this prestigious university. To the right of the campus was the Black-infested locality of Harlem. "He must be walking through Harlem. So many dramatic things must have happened to him," he adds .
Deciding then to make a feature film on Babasaheb whenever he would be able to raise the money, Dr Patel found himself attending a meeting for the centenary celebrations of Dr Ambedkar. The director happened to be sitting next to Mrinal Gore and told her about his plans. When it was Ms Gore's turn to speak, she mooted the idea of a feature film on the Dalit messiah. The then Chief Minister Sharad Pawar sanctioned Rs 1 crore for the project and the Centre five crore. Incidentally, Richard Attenborough's Gandhi made in 1980 had a budget of 18 crores. Dr Patel was expected to give a similar touch to the life of Dr Ambedkar on a budget of six crore only !.
Commenting on the controversy raised over the manner in which Mahatma Gandhi was portrayed in the film, Dr Patel said: "See, the film is on Dr Ambedkar. Only those portions of Mahatma Gandhi will come which are related to Dr Ambedkar. This is what Mahatma Gandhi was in his life. Whatever Mahatma's views, they are there in the film. He wanted to remove untouchability but he had his own way of doing things which Dr Ambedkar didn't have. Let time decide. Ultimately, time will tell whether what Mahatmaji was saying was right or what Ambedkar was saying was right. People are watching today what happened in the 1930s, 40s. We should be healthy enough to debate on it. And after all, the same right of expression has been given by Dr Ambedkar in the Constitution," he argues .
Anyone who has seen the film will agree that Dr Ambedkar could not have been possible without Mammooty. How did the filmmaker settle on him? "I was making a film in English and I went all around the world, met and saw actors in Canada, United States and Britain. Physically, many actors in America came close but I was not sure about how they would portray the whole sensibility and inner turmoil. I was also not happy about the gestures. I had shortlisted 2-3 people and knew that it would be troublesome as I would have to get them here and train them. So I was not really happy. Then I decided to do something about Mammooty, who was hiding in my mind for a very long time." So started the entire exercise of doing computer graphics on Mammootry's face. The results showed that physically he came very close. When the director approached him initially through a third person, the southern superstar laughed off the idea.
But once Mammooty agreed to do the role he got into it wholeheartedly. He made several physical changes like shaving off his moustache and his hair to get the receding hairline. "He gave a terrific performance. He not only had to look like Ambedkar, but had to smile and get angry like Ambedkar. One can act emotional, show anger and all that. But how do you show that you are intelligent." And Mammooty achieved that so easily in the film
According to Dr Patel, the actor "listened to me very carefully, read the script very carefully. He also requested that we should not take too many rehearsals. So we were very particular to can the shot in one or two takes. Mammooty's journey was from inwards. He was trying to construct a role from within with a cerebral support. You will notice that he doesn't have many big speeches in the film. But he's still so expressive in silence," says Patel
One final question. Why was the film so long? Dr Patel is at pains to explain: "It's the life, not the film, the person which is so important. We have so many preconceived ideas of Ambedkar, as if he is responsible for many evils in this country. I'm not overexplaining. Just putting it in proper perspective. So it needs footage. I think each and every scene has a bearing on his life. I have tried to keep the relevant points. In seeing the film, you come to pay tributes to this great man. This is his life. You can't do injustice to this life," he says, defending the length of the film.
[edit] References
^ Performance Tradition and Modern Theatre
^ Classical Marathi Films
[edit] External links
Jabbar Patel at the Internet Movie Database
Marathi film Directory
Vijay Tendulkar
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Vijay Tendulkar
Birth name Vijay Dhondopant Tendulkar
Born January 6, 1928 (1928-01-06) (age 80)
Kolhapur, Maharashtra India
[show]Awards
Other Awards
Padma Bhushan: 1984
Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship: 1998
1977National Film Award for Best Screenplay: Manthan
Vijay Tendulkar (born January 6, 1928)[1] is a leading Indian playwright, movie and television writer, literary essayist, political journalist, and social commentator in Marathi. He is most known for his plays, Shantata! Court Chalu Aahe (1967), Ghashiram Kotwal (1972), and Sakharam Binder (1972).
He won Maharashtra State government awards in 1956, 1969 and 1972; and "Maharashtra Gaurav Puraskar" in 1999. He was honored with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1970, and again in 1998 with the Academy's highest award for 'lifetime-contribution', the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship (Ratna Sadasya)[2]. In 1984, he received Padma Bhushan award from the Government of India for his literary accomplishments.
In 1977, Tendulkar won the National Film Award for Best Screenplay for his screenplay in Shyam Benegal's movie, Manthan (1976). He has written screenplays for some of the important art movies of India, such as Nishant, Aakrosh and Ardh Satya.
For the past five decades, Tendulkar has been a highly influential dramatist and theater personality in Maharashtra.
Contents
[hide]
1 Biography
1.1 Early Life and Education
1.2 Early Career
1.3 70s & 80s
1.4 90s and beyond
1.5 Personal life
2 Awards
3 Bibliography
3.1 Novels
3.2 Short Stories
3.3 Plays
3.4 Musicals
3.5 Translations
3.5.1 Works available in English
3.6 Filmography
3.6.1 Screenplays
3.6.2 Dialogues
4 Further reading
5 References
6 External links
[edit] Biography
[edit] Early Life and Education
Vijay Dhondopant Tendulkar was born on January 6, 1928 in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, where his father held a clerical job, and also ran a small publishing business. The literary environment at home prompted young Vijay to take up writing. He wrote his first story at age six.
He grew up watching western plays, and felt inspired to write plays himself. At age eleven, he wrote, directed, and acted in his first play[3].
At age 14, he participated in the 1942 Indian freedom movement [4], leaving his studies. The latter alienated him from his family, and also his friends. Writing then became his outlet, though most of his early writings were only for himself and not for publication.
[edit] Early Career
Tendulkar started his career writing for newspapers. He had already written a play, "Amchyavar Kon Prem Karnar", and he wrote the play, "Gruhastha" (The Householder), in his early 20s. The latter did not receive much recognition from the audience, and he vowed never to write again [5]. Breaking the vow, in 1956 he wrote "'Shrimant", which established him a good writer. "Shrimant" jolted the conservative audience of the times with its radical storyline, wherein an unmarried young woman decides to keep her unborn child while her rich father tries to "buy" her a husband in an attempt to save his social prestige.
His early struggle for survival, living in Mumbai "chawls", provided him access to the full-bloodied stories from the urban lower middle class, which were till now not present in modern Indian theatre, or presented in romanticized or sketchy versions [6]. This rapidly changed the very storyline, of modern Marathi theatre, which flourished in the 50s and the 60s with experimental theatre groups like, 'Rangayan', where actors like, Shreeram Lagoo, Mohan Agashe and Sulbha Deshpande, brought new authenticity and power to his stories, while initiating new sensibilities into the modern Indian theatre [7].
In 1961 came 'Gidhade' (The Vultures), though it was first performed only in 1970. It was a play set in a morally collapsed family structure. It furthered his explorations within the theme of violence, and in the coming years took to all its forms, be it domestic, communal, sexual or political; a theme he first depicted in his earlier work, 'Shrimant', that way 'Gidhade' turned out to be a turning point, as here for the first time he came into his own and projected his explicit writing style through his character for the first time [8].
In 1967, 'Shantata! Court Chalu Aahe' (Silence! The Court Is in Session) was performed for the first time, and became his finest work. Based on a 1956 short story, 'Die Panne' (Traps) by Friedrich Dürrenmatt, it was later made in a film by Satyadev Dubey in 1971, for which Vijay Tendulkar wrote the screenplay, his first [9].
[edit] 70s & 80s
Yet this was only the beginning of his explorations, soon he switched geared to attacking gender hegemony with his next, 'Sakharam Binder' (Sakharam, the Binder) in 1972, about a man who doesn't believe either in conventional marriage, morality, or social codes, yet want to use the society for his personal motives, without any personal ethics to guide him, he regularly gives 'shelter' to cast-off wives, only to later use them himself for his personal gratification; all through this, he remains unconscious of the emotional and moral implications, as he can justify his every act, through his arguments and claims of modernity; what he seems to be questioning is the garb of modernity and unconventional thinking which is used to enslave the women in our times into another kind sexual stereotype which even they buy into, as they want freedom so badly [10].
Gender violence of 'Sakharam', gave way to political violence, a more subversive form of violence, seen prevalently his most noted play, Ghashiram Kotwal (Ghashiram, the Constable), which came in the same year. A political satire, created as a musical drama set in 18th century Pune, it combined traditional Marathi folk forms with contemporary theatre techniques, to create a new paradigm for Indian theatre. Today with over six thousand performances, both in the original and in translation, it remains one of the longest-running plays of modern theatre and his most comprehensive study in group psychology [11]. Thereafter, he was awarded the "Jawaharlal Nehru Fellowship" (1974-75), for his project, "an enquiry into the pattern of growing violence in society and its relevance to contemporary theatre".
His explorations of anger and violence, showed up in his screenplays of films like Nishant (1974), Aakrosh (1980) and Ardh Satya (1984), which established him as an important 'Chronicler of Violence' of the times [12]. In all, he has written eleven films in Hindi and eight in Marathi, including 'Samana' (Confrontation, 1975), 'Simhasan' (Throne, 1979), and Umbartha (The Threshold) (1981), a groundbreaking feature film on women's activism in India, starring Smita Patil and Girish Karnad, and directed by Jabbar Patel.
During his career spanning over five decades, he wrote over 27 full-length plays and 25 one-act plays, several of which have proven to be modern Indian theatre classics [13], his plays have been translated and performed in many Indian Languages, across India [14].
In time, he became one of the virulent and radical political voices in India, providing his scathing insight and viewpoint on every social event and political upheaval. In theatre, while his contemporaries were still safely exploring the limits of social realism, he broke them convincingly, by jumping straight into the cauldron of political radicalism, and ruthlessly exposed political hegemony of the powerful, and the prevalent hypocrisies in Indian social mindsets. His eye for human angst and providing it true and resplendent expression has got him worldwide acclaim and brickbats on home front as well, where the orthodox and the powerful, political bigwigs, have tried to thwart his emboldened voice, sometimes by pressure and at others through censor, but nothing succeeded in hampering his expression or his pen. [15].
Most of his plays derive inspiration from real-life incidents or societal upheavals, be it the rise of Shiv Sena which got reflected in Ghashiram Kotwal [16], or the buying of a woman from the rural flesh market, by a journalist, who uses the act to sensationalize and further his career, only to later forget, all about the 'bought' woman, in 'Kamala' [17] [18], or the 'Mitrachi Ghosta', inspired by a real life actress, whose acting career was ruined after the revelation of her same-sex affair [19].
[edit] 90s and beyond
In 1991, he wrote, 'Safar',(Cyclewallah or The Cyclist), a metaphorical play; though it was supposed to be his last play [20], a decade later, in 2001, he wrote another play, 'The Masseur', followed by two novels, 'Kadambari: Ek', and 'Kadambari: Don', about sexual fantasies of an aging man. He wrote his first play in English, a one-act titled 'His Fifth Woman' in 2004, it is a sequel to his earlier explorations with the women of 'Sakharam Binder' (1972); the play was first performed at 'Vijay Tendulkar Festival', New York [21].
In the 90s, he briefly wrote for the television, and result was a powerful TV series, 'Swayam Siddha', starring his daughter, Priya Tendulkar, in the lead role. In 2007, a documentary, 'Tendulkar Ani Himsa: Aaj Ani Kaal' (Tendulkar and Violence: Then and Now), in Marathi with English subtitles, was released [22], also a short film, 'Ankahin', was made on him [23].
His oeuvre includes 16 plays for children, including 'Bale Miltat' (1960) and 'Patlachya Poriche Lagin' (1965); five anthologies of short stories, two novels, and five volumes of literary essays and social criticism, including 'Raatrani' and 'Kovali Unbe' (both in 1971) and 'Phuge Sobanche' in 1974; and a biography, all of which have contributed to a remarkable transformation of the modern literary landscape of Maharashtra and of India as a whole.
He is an important translator in Marathi, having rendered nine novels and two biographies into the language, as well as five plays.
In 2007, a documentary, 'Tendulkar and Violence: Then and Now', in Marathi with English subtitles, was released [24], also a short film, 'Ankahin', was made on him [25].
[edit] Personal life
Tendulkar's daughter, noted actress Priya Tendulkar, passed away in 2002. His son, Raja, and wife, Nirmala, passed away in the preceding years.
[edit] Awards
1970 Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
1970 Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay Award
1977 National Film Award for Best Screenplay: Manthan
1981 Filmfare Best Screenplay Award: Aakrosh
1981 Filmfare Best Story Award: Aakrosh
1983 Filmfare Best Screenplay Award: Ardh Satya
1984 Padma Bhushan
1993 Saraswati Samman
1998 Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship
1999 Kalidas Samman
2001 Katha Chudamani Award
[edit] Bibliography
[edit] Novels
Kadambari: Ek (Novel: One) (1996)
Kadambari: Don (Novel: Two) (2005)
[edit] Short Stories
Dwandwa (1961)
Phalapakharn (1970)
[edit] Plays
Grihast (Householder) (1947)
Shrimant (1956)
Manoos Navhache Bait (An Island Called Man) (1958)
Thief! Police!
Bale Miltat (1960)
Gidhade - (Giddh) - (The Vultures) (1961)
Patlachya Poriche Lagin (1965)
Shantata! Court Chalu Aahe (Khamosh! Adaalat Jaari Hai) (Silence! The Court is in Session) (1967)
Ajgar Ani Gandharva
Sakharam Binder (Sakharam, the Book-Binder) (1972)
Kamala (1981) (Kamala)
Maadi (Hindi)
Kanyadan (The Gift of a Daughter) (1983)
Anji
Dambadwipcha Mukabala (Encounter in Umbugland)
Ashi Pakhare Yeti (Panchi Aise Aate Hain)
Kutte
Safar/Cyclewallah (The Cyclist) (1991)
The Masseur (2001)
Pahije Jatiche
Jaat Hi Poocho Sadhu Ki
Maazi Bahin
Jhala Ananta Hanumanta
Footpayricha Samrat
Mitrachi Goshta (A Friend's Story) (2001)
Anand Owari (edited for the stage from the novel by Di. Ba. Mokashi)
Bhau Muraarrao
Bhalyakaka
Mee Jinkalo Mee Haralo
His Fifth Woman (English) (2004)
Bebi
[edit] Musicals
Ghashiram Kotwal (Ghashiram the Constable) (1972)
[edit] Translations
Mohan Rakesh's Adhe Adhure (from Hindi)
Girish Karnad's Tughlaq (from Kannada)
Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire (from English).
[edit] Works available in English
Silence! The Court Is in Session (Three Crowns). Priya Adarkar (Translator), Oxford University Press, 1979.ISBN 0195603133.
Ghashiram Kotwal, Sangam Books, 1984. ISBN 817046210X.
The Churning, Seagull Books, India, 1985.ISBN 0856471208.
The Threshold: Umbartha - Screenplay. Shampa Banerjee (Translator), Sangam Books Ltd.,1985.ISBN 0861320964.
Five Plays. (Various Translators), Bombay, Oxford University Press, 1992 ISBN 0195637364.
The Last Days of Sardar Patel and The Mime Players: Two Screen Plays. New Delhi, Permanent Black, 2001.ISBN 8178240181.
Modern Indian Drama: An Anthology, Sahitya Akademi,India, 2001.ISBN 8126009241.
Mitrachi Goshta : A Friend’s Story: A Play in Three Acts. Gowri Ramnarayan (Translator). New Delhi, Oxford University Press, 2001.ISBN 0195653173.
Kanyadaan, Oxford University Press, India, New Ed edition, 2002.ISBN 0195663802.
Collected Plays in Translation, New Delhi, 2003, Oxford University Press. ISBN 0195662091.
The Cyclist and His Fifth Woman: Two Plays by Vijay Tendulkar. Balwant Bhaneja (Translator), 2006 Oxford India Paperbacks.ISBN 0195676408.
[edit] Filmography
[edit] Screenplays
Shantata! Court Chalu Aahe (Silence! The Court Is in Session) (1972)
Nishant (End of Night) (1975)
Samana (Confrontation) (1975)
Manthan (Churning) (1976)
Simhasan (Throne) (1979)
Gehrayee (The Depth) (1980)
Aakrosh (Cry of the Wounded) (1980)
Akriet (Unimaginable) (1981)
Umbartha (The Threshold) (1981)
Ardh Satya (Half Truth) (1983)
Kamala (Kamala) (1984)
Sardar (1993)
Yeh Hai Chakkad Bakkad Bumbe Bo (2003)
Eashwar Mime Co. (The Mime Players) (2005)
[edit] Dialogues
Arvind Desai Ki Ajeeb Dastaan (1978)
[edit] Further reading
Vijay Tendulkar. New Delhi, Katha, 2001. ISBN 8187649178.
Vijay Tendulkar's Ghashiram Kotwal: a Reader's Companion. M. Sarat Babu, Asia Book Club, 2003. ISBN 8178510081
Vijay Tendulkar's Ghashiram Kotwal : Critical Perspectives, Vinod Bala Sharma and M. Sarat Babu. 2005, Prestige Books, New Delhi . ISBN 8178510022.
Vijay Tendulkar`s Plays: An Anthology of Recent Criticism. V M Madge, 2007, Pencraft International. ISBN 8185753792.
An Interview with Vijay Tedulkar, The Indian Express, October 20, 1999
Vijay Tendulkar chats on death penalty, 2004
Vijay Tendulkar talks on his plays
Jabbar Patel talks on Vijay Tendulkar plays
[edit] References
^ Tendulkat at languageindia
^ Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
^ Vijay Tendulkar profile at indiaclub
^ The Frontline, Dec., 2005
^ The Hindi, Feb 02, 2003
^ The Tribune, October 3, 2004
^ Shanta Gokhale, Theatre critic and writer
^ Violence 'Gibade' and beyond
^ Shantata! Court Chalu Aahe at the Internet Movie Database
^ THEATER REVIEW, 'SAKHARAM BINDER' NY Times
^ Lokvani, 07/30/2003
^ Ashis Nandy on Violence in Vijay Tendulkar's works
^ Profile at Oxford University Press
^ The Indian Express, October 20, 1999
^ Vijay Tendulkar speaks to NDTV
^ The Indian Express, October 20, 1999
^ Kamala story 1981
^ Kamala at salaamtheatre
^ A study of the play and book, Mitrachi Goshta: A Friend's Story
^ An Introduction to 'The Cyclist', 2001
^ Indo-American Arts Council (IAAC), Vijay Tendulkar Festival, New York City, October 2004
^ The Times of India, Jan 2007
^ The Hindu, Jan 20, 2007
^ The Times of India, Jan 2007
^ The Hindu, Jan 20, 2007
[edit] External links
Vijay Tendulkar at the Internet Movie Database
A performance of Vijay Tendulkar's 'Kanyadaan'
Amol Palekar speaks on Vijay Tendulkar
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vijay_Tendulkar"
Pseudo-secularism: Vijay Tendulkar’s death wish for Narendra Modi
Author: Vishal Sharma
Publication:
Date:
The recent statement by acclaimed writer Vijay Tendulkar, that he would shoot the Chief Minister of Gujarat Mr. Narendra Modi, if he had a gun, indicates just how much the pseudo-secularist elements in India are convinced that Modi is to be blamed for Gujarat riots, conveniently forgetting the carnage in Godhra that preceded the riots. As per the reports of a leading English daily, when asked by a student what would he do, if he were given a pistol, Tendulkar is reportedly to have said, "Even society praises a man who kills someone, who has destroyed the lives of hundreds of people. This is a crime and death by hanging should be final punishment. The list of those I want to kill is very long, but I will shoot Modi, if I'm given a pistol."
What did Narendra Modi do, to deserve the punishment of death by such people? Did the Narendra Modi government not call the Indian Army within sixteen hours of the first sign of riots breaking out? The Indian Army at that time was in a state of red alert on the International border with Pakistan, in lieu of the December 13th Islamic terrorist attacks on the Indian Parliament. The Army cannot just be removed from the border with Pakistan and be stationed in a situation to deal with internal unrest, and yet within just sixteen hours army units were air-lifted and brought to Gujarat. This was the fastest reaction by any government in Indian history, while dealing with riot situations.
Did the Narendra Modi government not initiate preventive arrests of over thirty-three thousand people across the state of Gujarat? Which government on this planet has initiated such a mammoth task of arresting its own people in such huge numbers even before a crime was committed? Did the Narendra Modi government not fire over twelve thousand rounds of bullets for riot control, and over fifteen thousands rounds of tear gas shells? About two hundred people were shot dead by the police to control the frenzied crowds. It was the largest killing of people in a non-war situation by a police force in the world for riots' control. Over four thousand indictments have been registered. Do the likes of Vijay Tendulkar expect Narendra Modi to be a superman and prevent assault on each and every Muslim citizen, when there was a huge out flow of public anger?
Sadly, Vijay Tendulkar is not the only intellect that feels so strongly about Narendra Modi. The disease of pseudo-secularism has crept in the very self of Indian society. In the state of Jammu and Kashmir, there has been a systematic ethnic cleansing of Hindus from the valley in the name of religious terrorism. Hindus have become refugees in their own land. People are being killed by Islamic militants from Pakistan just because they belong to the Hindu way of life. Does this not pain people like Vijay Tendulkar, and his likes? Do the perpetrators of this type of genocide not deserve the death penalty, much before an innocent man like Narendra Modi is unilaterally judged and proclaimed guilty by Vijay Tendulkar and his lies, and condemned to death by shooting?
Day in and day out, innocent Israeli civilians are systematically being targeted by the suicide bomber producing factories of Palestine, all in the name of Jehad. Do the founders of such terrorist producing factories not deserve capital punishment before Vijay Tendulkar opens his mouth and vents fire at Modi? Maybe Vijay Tendulkar has forgotten the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the Bali, Mumbai or Istanbul mass bombings and killings of innocent civilians all in the name of Islamic Jihad, by the likes of Osama Bin Laden, the ISI, and other jihadi forces. May be Osama Bin Laden is judged less guilty, and Modi is hated.
If Vijay Tendulkar wants to shoot so many people, he should consider volunteering for the Indian Army and be stationed on the borders with Pakistan, and let him satisfy his desire to shoot, albeit in the service of India, and at the terrorists. Shooting unwanted verbal expletives and creating headlines should be condemned. We are sick of such people, and of such writers who raise irresponsible statements, and get away with it. The law must take such statements into account and pass exemplary reprimand to dissuade any future such verbal indulgences aimed at creating hype, and communal tensions. As S.K. Modi author of the book "Godhra: The missing rage" has to aptly put it and called such a group as the "Booker Brotherhood".
Pseudo-secularists would deride any person who openly stands for Hindu rights. The bane of Indian democracy has sadly been the rise of coming into prominence of such elements, which have in the name of a perverted interpretation of secularism given rise to a self-defeating view point - anything pro-Hindu is bad. Therefore, the only mistake that Modi made was to denounce the killings of the Hindus at Godhra and reason the subsequent riots to be Godhra's aftermath. An analysis that saw the initial perpetrators being local Muslim miscreants is not acceptable to the pseudo-secularists and they have since then initiated an anti-Modi campaign. Maybe they don't like Modi, maybe they don't like the way he talks, maybe they don't like that stoic, emotionless way he projects himself, maybe they don't like his beard, but then who cares? The people of Gujarat, who matter, like him, and vote for him. This is democracy and the voice of the many reigns supreme over the voice of the miniscule few armchair critics.
One never knew that an acclaimed writer of Vijay Tendulkar's repute had such an intense desire to take another human being's life. One never knew that he cherished a desire to kill many a people, and kindled such hatred for the Chief Minister of Gujarat. The inner person of Vijay Tendulkar frightens me, and the logic being used to pronounce a death sentence on Narendra Modi saddens me, not so much for a liking for Modi, but for the simple reason that if the intelligentsia of a nation chooses to blind itself with myopic and polarized views, there is little hope for others. The Indian intelligentsia needs to move with times, and come out of its pseudo-secularist viewpoint, and take stands in sync with the changing times. The sufferings of the Muslims should be condemned but so should the sufferings of the Hindus! If the Gujarat riots are despicable then more so is the Godhra tragedy that sparked off everything. If the demolition of the Babri mosque-structure was a blot on Indianness, then the first act of destroying a Hindu temple in Ayodhya by the Mughal authorities was an insult to each and every Indian, and the continuance of that national shame was a blot on the person of all of India, both Hindu and Muslim. Publicly expressing a desire to shoot Narendra Modi is a cheap way to get publicity, surely writers and intellects, have the capabilities of getting publicity in some other benign way.
A conversation with Sir Vijay Tendulkar
By: PROJEKT iVIEW | 2735 Views
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On 17th dec 06, i was at NCPA for my first performance in mumbai,thanx to Thespo8 and Quasar Padamsay. My theatre gang from IT BHU,varanasi had arrived to watch it,12 of them.one of my juniors,abhijeet before coming to mumbai, had a talk with Sir Vijay Tendulkar on phone and had asked for a meeting during his visit to which he had agreed. On 18th march,while all of them were getting ready to leave, abhijeet called him up at 9 AM and tendulkar sir asked to come on 19th as he wasnt well. But when abhijeet said he had a train tonight he asked him to call back at 4.At 4 he asked to come by 6, and abhijeet,vaibhav (one of my lead actors in my last play at campus) and I went to his house to meet him. A modest house in a very modest building. A care taker and a dog welcomed us in and after waiting for 2 mins in a drawing room fitted with almirahs having just books, we were called to where he was sitiing. He asked for introduction and after realising that abhijeet and Vaibhav had come to watch my performance, he said to me “Aise dost hone chahiye”. We told him that we have been doing theatre for quite sometime and we have questions in our mind regarding writing. This is how the whole conversation went….
WE: After reading your plays I got the strength to portary my perception more honestly. But people ask me and they must have asked you also..”Why baby“, “why sakharam“…”is life really so dark and cruel?”
HE: what is your answere to such questions?
US: I tell them,that your plays are an extrapolation of reality. Baby accepted suffering dutifully the way dark people accepted slavery and slaughter…. Acceptance of torture is a way of living…Baby is an extrapolation of reality.
HE: I personally dont bother about people who havn’t seen life. They close their eyes at the sight of suffering as if it doesnt exist. The fact is that life is dark and cruel, its just that you dont care for the truth. You dont want to see it because it might make you uncomfortable. If escapism is your way of living then you will fail to see the truth. I have not written about hypothetical pain or created an imaginary world of sorrow. I am from a middle class family and I have seen the brutal ways of life by keeping my eyes open. My work has come from within me,as an outcome of my observation of the world in which I live. If they want to entertain and make merry, fine go ahead, but I cant do it, I have to speak the truth.
WE: Khamosh!adalat Zari hai,made me realise that to classify people, emotions, relationships into right-wrong, good-evil, fair-unfair is not appropriate. The better classification wud be “comfortable-uncomfortable”. But it is extremely difficult to convince others through writing. what conscious effort do you make to ensure that your point goes accross?
HE: good-bad, right-wrong, once you tag things like that, you lose the abilty to see the complete truth. Criminal is not only a criminal.A murderer can also be a loving father.firstly, Dont tag things. The words which you and I have just used, they are insufficient to describe the picture in totality.Try not getting trapped in the dictionary meaning of words. As for me, I simply care to see and keep my eyes open, what comes out in my writing is natural without the concious effort of convincing or justifying.
WE: At times the charecters we design have the same weaknessess that we have and sketching that charecter honestly would be like accepting your weaknesses. Its difficult to accept your own weaknessess and sufferings and write about them honestly. What should one do?From where does one get courage to write about his own weaknesses honestly?
HE: Maintaining distance between your experiences and writings helps a lot. Its not necessary to write exactly at the time when you have just experienced something. give time, it will give you clarity to see things better. Once you are at a distance fom your experiences, when you see things from outside, you write more honestly. Besides, the pain of writing the truth will always be there, “yeh tapasya ki tarah hai”.,learn to bear it.
WE: At times we feel very strongly about something,but the moment we pen it down it appears very stupid. It all suddenly starts appearing so small after it is written. what should one do?
HE: Dont worry, it happens even with a lot of experienced writers. come back to what you have penned after 10days, 20 days again and again,it will make more sense to you then.
WE: How does one research before writing?
HE: Research is not the right word. I dont deliberately try to find out things before I write. One does not live to write. You live, and writing beomes an offshoot from it. I live my life keeping my eyes open, observing things, and then something comes to me from what I had seen before and I write it down. I feel something and then I expresss my feelings, it comes from within, based on how I have lived.
US: Is it right to do the reverse of this? At times I just want to write, and for that I deliberately search within myself to find something worthy of writing.
HE: I dont do this but then there are various processess of creativity. It might work for you, but it doesnt for me. In this case of Afzal, I am reading all the articles in newspapers and magazines, just gathering information about him gradually. May be some day I might reflect on him.
WE: Our perception of reality is influenced by our own experiences, at times I feel that what I am writing is what I think to be true, but may be the truth is entirely different?
HE: What is reality? The coexistence of the observer and the happening makes the reality. Reality becomes reality only when it is seen. There is nothing like absolute reality.Your perception of what is happening combined with the happening makes the picture of reality complete. Dont get frustrated, write what you see.
WE: How much is it important for a writer to be well read? At times it interferes with your own writing,so doesnt it contaminate it?There is always a fear of borrowed writing?
HE: A man who just sits in his room and reads books without looking at the outside world is only half a man. But if you observe and read too, then it helps you in sharpening the tool of language. It gives you ways of expression. You learn how to express and your language improves which makes it easy to write. Dont worry about the borrowing part as long as you are honest.Your writing will always be influenced by your experiences with other people. will you call it borrowing from them. Reading is just another experience.
WE: When did you start writing?
HE: so many people have asked this question.
WE: We are from middle calss north indian families, where children eigther become doctors or engineers. Theatre and literature is never encouraged, its useless according to parents. We were exposed to theatre at IT BHU at an age of 19-20. So at times we doubt that may be we are too late to begin writing.
HE: ok. I started writing at an early age. But dont worry, about age. Its never too late. I have friends who have started writing at the age of 50 and they write excellently. Just keep going and it will come.
And before we could say any thing else he started coughing badly. He reached for the glass of water on the table and after taking few sips, his hand started shivering badly. He was trying to put the glass back on the table but couldn’t do it. I moved ahead to take the glass from him and he gestured with the other hand-”No”. We left with the words,”we would wish to meet you again later” and he nodded a big yes while still coughing.
{oz note: to know more on one of the greatest playwrights you could start with Wiki}
Posted on December 20, 2006 at 7:12 am | Filed Under Editorial, People, Screenwriting, Theater, Movies
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