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Kamla
कमला इस पुरुष प्रधान समाज में शताब्दियों से जिन्दा है। कहीं उसे बाजार हाट से पशुओं की तरह खरीद लिया जाता है तो कहीं दान-दहेज में लिपटी चीज की तरह प्राप्त किया जाता है। नाम चाहे उसका सरिता हो या कुछ और, रहती वह कमला ही है। लेकिन इस मुर्दा समाज में शताब्दियों से जिन्दा यह नारी-देह आखिर कब तक रूह-विहीन रखी जाएगी, यह सवाल कमला में पूरी गम्भीरता से उठाया गया है।सुविख्यात मराठी नाटककार विजय तेन्दुलकर की यह नाट्यकृति हिन्दी रंगमंच और साहित्यिक हलकों में विशेष चर्चित रही है। विशेषकर इसलिए भी कि पत्रकारिता के कैरियरिस्ट दिमाग से अखबारी पन्नों पर उछाली गई कमला जिस समाज-व्यवस्था और मानसिक सड़ाँध का परिणाम है, उसकी ओर भी सार्थक संकेत किया गया है। हमारे समाज के तथाकथित आभिजात्य, उसके आयातिê
82 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1982
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701 people want to read
About the author
Vijay Tendulkar
100 books69 followersVijay Tendulkar (Marathi: विजय तेंडुलकर) (7 January 1928 – 19 May 2008) was a leading Indian playwright, movie and television writer, literary essayist, political journalist, and social commentator primarily in Marāthi. He is best known for his plays, Shantata! Court Chalu Aahe (1967), Ghāshirām Kotwāl (1972), and Sakhārām Binder (1972).Many of Tendulkar’s plays derived inspiration from real-life incidents or social upheavals, which provides clear light on harsh realities. He provided his guidance to students studying “Playwright writing” in US universities. For over five decades, Tendulkar had been a highly influential dramatist and theater personality in Mahārāshtra.
Early life
Vijay Dhondopant Tendulkar was born on 7 January 1928 in a Bhalavalikar Saraswat brahmin family in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, where his father held a clerical job and 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.
At age 14, he participated in the 1942 Indian freedom movement , leaving his studies. The latter alienated him from his family and friends. Writing then became his outlet, though most of his early writings were of a personal nature, and not intended for publication.
Early career
Tendulkar began his career writing for newspapers. He had already written a play, “Āmchyāvar Kon Prem Karnār” (Who will Love us?), 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 . Breaking the vow, in 1956 he wrote “‘Shrimant”, which established him as 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.
Tendulkar’s early struggle for survival and living for some time in tenements (“chāwls”) in Mumbai provided him first-hand experience about the life of urban lower middle class. He thus brought new authenticity to their depiction in Marathi theater. Tendulkar’s writings rapidly changed the storyline of modern Marathi theater in the 1950s and the 60s, with experimental presentations by theater groups like “Rangāyan”. Actors in these theater groups like Shreerām Lāgoo, Mohan Agāshe, and Sulabhā Deshpānde brought new authenticity and power to Tendulkar’s stories while introducing new sensibilities in Marathi theater.
Tendulkar wrote the play, “Gidhāde” (The Vultures) in 1961, but it was not produced until 1970. The play was set in a morally collapsed family structure and explored the theme of violence. In his following creations, Tendulkar explored violence in its various forms: domestic, sexual, communal, and political. Thus, “Gidhāde” proved to be a turning point in Tendulkar’s writings with regard to establishment of his own unique writing style.
Based on a 1956 short story, “Die Panne” (“Traps”) by Friedrich Dürrenmatt, Tendulkar wrote the play, “Shāntatā! Court Chālu Aahe” (“Silence! The Court Is In Session”). It was presented on the stage for the first time in 1967, and proved as one of his finest works. Satyadev Dubey presented it in movie form in 1971 with Tendulkar’s collaboration as the screenplay writer.
1970s and ’80s
In his 1972 play, Sakhārām Binder (Sakhārām, the Binder), Tendulkar dealt with the topic of domination of the male gender over the female gender. The main character, Sakhārām, is a man devoid of ethics and morality, and professes not to believe in “outdated” social codes and conventional marriage. He accordingly uses the society for his own pleasure. He regularly gives “shelter” to abandoned wives, and uses them f
Early life
Vijay Dhondopant Tendulkar was born on 7 January 1928 in a Bhalavalikar Saraswat brahmin family in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, where his father held a clerical job and 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.
At age 14, he participated in the 1942 Indian freedom movement , leaving his studies. The latter alienated him from his family and friends. Writing then became his outlet, though most of his early writings were of a personal nature, and not intended for publication.
Early career
Tendulkar began his career writing for newspapers. He had already written a play, “Āmchyāvar Kon Prem Karnār” (Who will Love us?), 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 . Breaking the vow, in 1956 he wrote “‘Shrimant”, which established him as 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.
Tendulkar’s early struggle for survival and living for some time in tenements (“chāwls”) in Mumbai provided him first-hand experience about the life of urban lower middle class. He thus brought new authenticity to their depiction in Marathi theater. Tendulkar’s writings rapidly changed the storyline of modern Marathi theater in the 1950s and the 60s, with experimental presentations by theater groups like “Rangāyan”. Actors in these theater groups like Shreerām Lāgoo, Mohan Agāshe, and Sulabhā Deshpānde brought new authenticity and power to Tendulkar’s stories while introducing new sensibilities in Marathi theater.
Tendulkar wrote the play, “Gidhāde” (The Vultures) in 1961, but it was not produced until 1970. The play was set in a morally collapsed family structure and explored the theme of violence. In his following creations, Tendulkar explored violence in its various forms: domestic, sexual, communal, and political. Thus, “Gidhāde” proved to be a turning point in Tendulkar’s writings with regard to establishment of his own unique writing style.
Based on a 1956 short story, “Die Panne” (“Traps”) by Friedrich Dürrenmatt, Tendulkar wrote the play, “Shāntatā! Court Chālu Aahe” (“Silence! The Court Is In Session”). It was presented on the stage for the first time in 1967, and proved as one of his finest works. Satyadev Dubey presented it in movie form in 1971 with Tendulkar’s collaboration as the screenplay writer.
1970s and ’80s
In his 1972 play, Sakhārām Binder (Sakhārām, the Binder), Tendulkar dealt with the topic of domination of the male gender over the female gender. The main character, Sakhārām, is a man devoid of ethics and morality, and professes not to believe in “outdated” social codes and conventional marriage. He accordingly uses the society for his own pleasure. He regularly gives “shelter” to abandoned wives, and uses them f
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
January 11, 2022
The day will come when she'll not be a slave, when they'll not be a slave. A play about how the modern people have become the biggest hypocrites. Their intentions and actions synchronise.
Horrible. Horror. Disgust.
I'm filled with these thoughts after finishing this play. Naming the play by the name 'Kamala' is also intended to give her importance, but was it given? I didn't get a closure with the end of the play. I felt cheated with the hope that the proud stride Sarita almost took. But yes, a wonderful representation of the media, journalism industry.
The narration was crisp, there were many unsaid messages being shouted to those who could hear it. There was political, feminist, casteism related undertones.
Horrible. Horror. Disgust.
I'm filled with these thoughts after finishing this play. Naming the play by the name 'Kamala' is also intended to give her importance, but was it given? I didn't get a closure with the end of the play. I felt cheated with the hope that the proud stride Sarita almost took. But yes, a wonderful representation of the media, journalism industry.
The narration was crisp, there were many unsaid messages being shouted to those who could hear it. There was political, feminist, casteism related undertones.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 14, 2022
Vijay Tendulkar made a great attempt to expose human trafficking, male chauvinistic behaviour, female oppression, selfishness and so on.
September 18, 2017
[English edition]
Reading translations always makes me feel inadequate. In a perfect world, I'd be able to read in all languages. Sigh.
This book/play is brilliant! I just loved how it brought out the issue of what slavery means, or should mean. Although I didn't really like the ending, but that's still not a deterrent to the issues the play highlights.
Reading translations always makes me feel inadequate. In a perfect world, I'd be able to read in all languages. Sigh.
This book/play is brilliant! I just loved how it brought out the issue of what slavery means, or should mean. Although I didn't really like the ending, but that's still not a deterrent to the issues the play highlights.
February 2, 2025
I got back to reading plays a couple of years ago with Girish Karnad’s “Crossing to Talikota”. I enjoyed it so much that I decided to read more of Karnad’s plays and explore other Indian playwrights, as well.
My first pick was “Kamala” by Vijay Tendulkar (the English translation). The play follows Sarita’s life, which is fairly uneventful and routine until her journalist husband Jaisingh Jadhav does something unexpected. Jaisingh buys a woman named Kamala at a flesh market and brings her home as part of his plan to expose the flesh trade. Although his intention is good, there are other aspects this action brings to light.
Tendulkar bases his play on the real-life journalist Ashwini Sarin of The Indian Express who actually pulled off this daring act in 1981. Although, Jaisingh, and Ashwini, are lauded for the ‘scoop’ they got, it raised other questions. Jaisingh uses this as a stepping stone to further his career. He brings Kamala to a press conference in a grand gesture to announce his achievement. But for Kamala herself there isn’t much to be gained.
Tendulkar infuses more layers of perspective and thought with the focus on Sarita and Jaisingh’s marriage. Jaisingh orders Sarita about, expects her to cater to his demands, and doesn’t give much thought to her individuality. Ironically, she too is like a slave and as the play progresses she realises that there’s no difference between her and Kamala. When Kamala comes home, she thinks that Sarita was also bought just like her.
Tendulkar is like Jaisingh who does an exposé. He peels back Jaisingh’s veneer of self-righteousness to show his deep chauvinism, and selfish interests behind his actions. Kamala is not even allowed to bathe or change her clothes because Jaisingh wants to present her as his untarnished trophy. “Just let this evening’s Press Conference get over. It’s very important,” he says.
His claim of revealing the truth remains an ideal and gets lost in his real goals of becoming an acclaimed reporter, earning a higher salary, etc. Jaisingh embodies the male-dominated society, which objectifies women. Sarita’s character arc reminded me of Nora in Ibsen’s ‘A Doll’s House’, which ends with Nora banging the door shut indicating the end of her old way of life as a submissive wife, and the beginning of a new one thanks to her self-realisation.
For a concise, two-act play, “Kamala” has a lot to say. Very highly recommended.
My first pick was “Kamala” by Vijay Tendulkar (the English translation). The play follows Sarita’s life, which is fairly uneventful and routine until her journalist husband Jaisingh Jadhav does something unexpected. Jaisingh buys a woman named Kamala at a flesh market and brings her home as part of his plan to expose the flesh trade. Although his intention is good, there are other aspects this action brings to light.
Tendulkar bases his play on the real-life journalist Ashwini Sarin of The Indian Express who actually pulled off this daring act in 1981. Although, Jaisingh, and Ashwini, are lauded for the ‘scoop’ they got, it raised other questions. Jaisingh uses this as a stepping stone to further his career. He brings Kamala to a press conference in a grand gesture to announce his achievement. But for Kamala herself there isn’t much to be gained.
Tendulkar infuses more layers of perspective and thought with the focus on Sarita and Jaisingh’s marriage. Jaisingh orders Sarita about, expects her to cater to his demands, and doesn’t give much thought to her individuality. Ironically, she too is like a slave and as the play progresses she realises that there’s no difference between her and Kamala. When Kamala comes home, she thinks that Sarita was also bought just like her.
Tendulkar is like Jaisingh who does an exposé. He peels back Jaisingh’s veneer of self-righteousness to show his deep chauvinism, and selfish interests behind his actions. Kamala is not even allowed to bathe or change her clothes because Jaisingh wants to present her as his untarnished trophy. “Just let this evening’s Press Conference get over. It’s very important,” he says.
His claim of revealing the truth remains an ideal and gets lost in his real goals of becoming an acclaimed reporter, earning a higher salary, etc. Jaisingh embodies the male-dominated society, which objectifies women. Sarita’s character arc reminded me of Nora in Ibsen’s ‘A Doll’s House’, which ends with Nora banging the door shut indicating the end of her old way of life as a submissive wife, and the beginning of a new one thanks to her self-realisation.
For a concise, two-act play, “Kamala” has a lot to say. Very highly recommended.
August 5, 2025
“Let the slave know that he is a slave, and he will break the chains of slavery.”
– Dr. B.R. Ambedkar
Kamala is the story of Sarita, a dutiful wife who remains unaware of her own bondage to her husband, Jaisingh. Her monotonous life is disrupted when Jaisingh returns from an expedition with a tribal woman named Kamala, whom he has "purchased" from a flesh market in Bihar. Ostensibly, Jaisingh claims to have done this to expose the inhumane practice of trafficking women. However, his true motivation lies in personal ambition — a desire for recognition, self-promotion, and career advancement.
Jaisingh never once considers Kamala’s dignity or emotions. He parades her in rags, treating her as a tool to serve his professional narrative. But in the process, a quiet revolution begins — not in Kamala, but in Sarita. The conversations between Kamala and Sarita become a mirror, revealing to Sarita that she too is no different — caged, voiceless, and objectified in the name of marital duty.
Jaisingh treats Sarita as his private property, indifferent to her desires and inner world. This realization jolts Sarita awake. She decides to reclaim her agency and take control of her own life. In doing so, she embodies Dr. Ambedkar’s powerful insight — that emancipation begins the moment one becomes aware of their chains.
– Dr. B.R. Ambedkar
Kamala is the story of Sarita, a dutiful wife who remains unaware of her own bondage to her husband, Jaisingh. Her monotonous life is disrupted when Jaisingh returns from an expedition with a tribal woman named Kamala, whom he has "purchased" from a flesh market in Bihar. Ostensibly, Jaisingh claims to have done this to expose the inhumane practice of trafficking women. However, his true motivation lies in personal ambition — a desire for recognition, self-promotion, and career advancement.
Jaisingh never once considers Kamala’s dignity or emotions. He parades her in rags, treating her as a tool to serve his professional narrative. But in the process, a quiet revolution begins — not in Kamala, but in Sarita. The conversations between Kamala and Sarita become a mirror, revealing to Sarita that she too is no different — caged, voiceless, and objectified in the name of marital duty.
Jaisingh treats Sarita as his private property, indifferent to her desires and inner world. This realization jolts Sarita awake. She decides to reclaim her agency and take control of her own life. In doing so, she embodies Dr. Ambedkar’s powerful insight — that emancipation begins the moment one becomes aware of their chains.
November 9, 2025
विजय तेंडुलकर यांचे कमला हे वास्तवघटनेवर आधारित नाटक आहे. पत्रकार जैसिंग जाधव समाजातील वेश्याव्यवसाय उघड करण्यासाठी ‘कमला’ नावाची स्त्री विकत घेतो. मात्र, त्याची पत्नी सरिता जाणवते की तीही आपल्या घरात एक ‘खरेदी केलेली वस्तू’ आहे.
हे नाटक स्त्री-वंचितता, पुरुषसत्ताक विचारसरणी, माध्यमांचे दांभिकपण आणि स्त्री-आत्मजागृती या विषयांवर भाष्य करते. सरिता कमलाकडून प्रेरणा घेऊन स्वतःच्या गुलामीची जाणीव करून घेते.
तेंडुलकर यांनी वास्तववादी संवाद आणि तीव्र सामाजिक संदेशातून दाखवले आहे की स्त्रीचे स्वातंत्र्य हे समाजमान्य भूमिकांपासून मुक्त होण्यातच आहे.
हे नाटक स्त्री-वंचितता, पुरुषसत्ताक विचारसरणी, माध्यमांचे दांभिकपण आणि स्त्री-आत्मजागृती या विषयांवर भाष्य करते. सरिता कमलाकडून प्रेरणा घेऊन स्वतःच्या गुलामीची जाणीव करून घेते.
तेंडुलकर यांनी वास्तववादी संवाद आणि तीव्र सामाजिक संदेशातून दाखवले आहे की स्त्रीचे स्वातंत्र्य हे समाजमान्य भूमिकांपासून मुक्त होण्यातच आहे.
March 16, 2021
Thoughtful indictment of sensationalist mass media in 1980s India, with a feminist twist. Though they're very different situations, the moral conflict in this play reminded me of the media blow-up around the "Mattress Girl" at Columbia some years back - and specifically, that she described even the positive media fervor as exploitative.
November 3, 2022
नाटक स्वरूपात पुस्तक वाचताना देखील तितकाच प्रभावी वाटत, पात्रांचे अभिनिवेश, संवाद आणि रंगभूमीचे वर्णन यातून डोळ्यापुढे नाटक उभे राहते, गतकालाचे पडसाद आणि काळाच्या पुढे होऊ घातलेली चढाओढ यांचं भेदक वास्तव तेंडुलकरांच्या दृष्टीतून नक्कीच वाचावी अशी.
May 17, 2025
Vijay Tendulkar’s Kamala explores the corrosive effects of financial dependence, revealing how it shapes power dynamics and exposes hidden vulnerabilities. Jaisingh, a confident journalist, dominates his wife Sarita and others who rely on him financially, issuing orders with unchecked authority. Sarita complies with his demands until she encounters Kamala, a woman from a downtrodden community who accepts her servile condition but challenges Sarita with her candid worldview. Shocked by Kamala’s perspective, Sarita recognizes her own subjugation mirrors Kamala’s, igniting resentment toward Jaisingh’s high-handed attitude. Kakasaheb, Sarita’s elderly uncle, explains that Jaisingh, though a boss at home, faces pressures in the outside world. This becomes evident when Jaisingh’s career, the source of his pride, is threatened by professional risks, shattering his self-control.
At the play’s end, Sarita begins to resolve to break free from her mental slavery, offering hope amid an ambiguous future. Jaisingh’s bossy confidence drives the drama, making his eventual vulnerability a satisfying reckoning. Readers, sympathizing with timid Sarita, feel relief as she takes steps toward liberation. Through Jaisingh’s exploitation of Kamala for a sensational story, Kamala also subtly critiques media ethics and societal hypocrisy, leaving audiences to ponder the cost of dependence and the path to true freedom.
At the play’s end, Sarita begins to resolve to break free from her mental slavery, offering hope amid an ambiguous future. Jaisingh’s bossy confidence drives the drama, making his eventual vulnerability a satisfying reckoning. Readers, sympathizing with timid Sarita, feel relief as she takes steps toward liberation. Through Jaisingh’s exploitation of Kamala for a sensational story, Kamala also subtly critiques media ethics and societal hypocrisy, leaving audiences to ponder the cost of dependence and the path to true freedom.
January 30, 2013
Such a gripping play on the timeless theme of human exploitation and subjugation, but I felt cheated by the ending. It was so anti-climactic. Perhaps the author wanted to portray slavery of the mind, which even in the wake of reason cannot come out of its shackles.Wished for a bolder ending akin to Ibsen's Doll's House.
January 9, 2019
I didn't like the end. Sarita doesn't do anything but rather decides to wait for an opportunity. One has to create an opportunity and her decision to stick by her husband, in the end, is also not good.
January 27, 2016
A radical critique of patriarchal domination.
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September 22, 2016l am not finding the way to read online books on goodread.Anybody help me pls!
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews