Three Plays: Naga-Mandala; Hayavadana; Tughlaq

by Girish Karnad

These plays represent three phases in the career of the dramatist Girish Karnad, all three are classics of the Indian stage. The first play, Tughlaq , is a historical play in the manner of nineteenth-century Parsee theater. The second, Hayavadana was one of the first modern Indian plays to
employ traditional theatrical techniques. In Naga-Mandala , the third play, Karnad turns to oral tales, usually narrated by women. This selected work of one of India's best known playwrights should attract the attention of students and scholars of comparative literature, or any reader interested in
South Asian literature.

Genres: Plays, Drama, Fiction, India

226 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Girish Raghunath Karnad (Konkani : गिरीश रघुनाथ कार्नाड, Kannada : ಗಿರೀಶ್ ರಘುನಾಥ್ ಕಾರ್ನಾಡ್) (born 19 May 1938) is a contemporary writer, playwright, screenwriter, actor and movie director in Kannada language. His rise as a prominent playwright in 1960s, marked the coming of age of Modern Indian playwriting in Kannada, just as Badal Sarkar did it in Bengali, Vijay Tendulkar in Marathi, and Mohan Rakesh in Hindi. He is a recipient of the 1998 Jnanpith Award for Kannada, the highest literary honour conferred in India.
For four decades Karnad has been composing plays, often using history and mythology to tackle contemporary issues. He has translated his major plays into English, and has received critical acclaim across India. His plays have been translated into several Indian languages and directed by eminent directors like Ebrahim Alkazi, B. V. Karanth, Alyque Padamsee, Prasanna, Arvind Gaur, Satyadev Dubey, Vijaya Mehta, Shyamanand Jalan and Amal Allana. He is also active in the world of Indian cinema working as an actor, director, and screenwriter, both in Hindi and Kannada cinema, earning numerous awards along the way. He was conferred Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan by the Government of India.

Reviews

[Rekha Her Spirit · Rating 4 out of 5]

ಎಲ್ಲ ಮರೆಸಿ ಓದಿಸಿಕೊಂಡು ಹೋಗುವ, ಓದಲು ಸಲಹೆ ನೀಡಬಹುದಾದ ನೆಚ್ಚಿನ ಪುಸ್ತಕದ ಸಾಲಿಗೆ ಇನ್ನೊಂದು ಸೇರ್ಪಡೆ ಗಿರೀಶ ಕಾರ್ನಾಡರ ಸಮಗ್ರ ನಾಟಕ ಕೃತಿ!
ಅದಷ್ಟೇ? ಅಲ್ಲವೇ ಅಲ್ಲ!

ಹಲವಾರು ವಿದ್ವಾಂಸರ ಗ್ರಂಥಗಳನ್ನು ಓದಿ ಬರೆದ ತಲೆದಂಡದಲ್ಲಿರುವ ಆಧ್ಯಾತ್ಮಿಕ ಹೊಳಹುಗಳು...
ತತ್ವ, ವಿಚಾರಗಳು
ಯೋಚನೆ, ಚರ್ಚೆಯ ಮಟ್ಟದಲ್ಲಿರುವವರೆಗೆ ಕಾಣುವ ಸ್ವಾತಂತ್ರ್ಯ, ಅನುಷ್ಠಾನಗೊಳಿಸುವಾಗ ಕಾಣುವ ವಿರೋಧಾಭಾಸ, ಘರ್ಷಣೆಗಳು...

ಹೂವು ನಾಟಕದಲ್ಲಿನ ಹೂವಿನ, ಹೆಣ್ಣಿನ ಅಲಂಕಾರ, ಅರ್ಚಕನ ಪರಿಸರ ಕುರಿತ ರೂಪಕಗಳು ಆಸಕ್ತಿಕರವಾಗಿವೆ ...
ಪ್ರತಿಭೆ, ಹೆಣ್ಣು, ದೇವರು, ಹೆಂಡತಿಯ ಸುತ್ತಿರುವ ನಾಟಕ ಈ ಭಾಣ ರೂಪಕ..

ನಾಗಮಂಡಲ ಚಲನಚಿತ್ರಕ್ಕಿಂತಲೂ ವಿವರವಾಗಿದ್ದು ಜಾನಪದ, ಭಾಷೆ, ಕಾವ್ಯಾಸಕ್ತರಿಗೆ ಮತ್ತು ಈ ನೆಲೆಗಳನ್ನು ಕಾಣಬಯಸುವವರಿಗೆ ಹೆಚ್ಚು ಇಷ್ಟವಾಗುತ್ತೆ, ಸಾರ ಘನವಾಗಿದೆ.

ಹಯವದನ, ಯಾಯತಿ,
ಇತಿಹಾಸದಲ್ಲಿ ಕಾಣಲ್ಪಡುವ
ತುಘಲಕ್ ನ ಬೇರೆಯದೇ ಮನೋರಂಗ, ಬಲಿ
ಅಗ್ನಿ ಮತ್ತು ಮಳೆ,
ಟಿಪ್ಪೂ ಸುಲ್ತಾನ ಕಂಡ ಕನಸು,
ಒಡಕಲು ಬಿಂಬದ ಕ್ಲೈಮ್ಯಾಕ್ಸ್..
ಹನ್ನೆರಡು ನಾಟಕಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಒಂದೆರಡು ಬಿಟ್ಟು
ಒಂದೊಂದು ನಾಟಕವೂ ರೋಚಕ, ಅದ್ಭುತ!

ಅಬ್ಬಾ ಇನ್ನೊಮ್ಮೆ ಓದಲೇಬೇಕು. ಇದರ ಅಂತರಂಗ ಇನ್ನಷ್ಟು ಸ್ಪಷ್ಟವಾಗಿ ತಿಳಿಯಬೇಕು.
ಈ ನಾಟಕಗಳ ಕುರಿತ ವಿಮರ್ಶೆ, ಸಂಬಂಧಿತ ಗ್ರಂಥಗಳನೋದಿ, ಅರಿತವರಲ್ಲಿ ಚರ್ಚಿಸಿ
ಎಷ್ಟರ ಮಟ್ಟಿಗೆ ಇವು ವಾಸ್ತವ, ಕಾಲ್ಪನಿಕ ತಿಳಿಯಬೇಕಿದೀಗ!

[Karandeep · Rating 4 out of 5]

Naga Mandala
A man listening to a story from a Story which manifested into a human form and Flames as entities that meet after they are blown off just to sit and gossip. What imagination!

This story could be about women also being humans and possessing desires and if a man is incapable - it's only natural to look the other side. This book is also about happy endings and this one has 3 alternate endings - so you can chose which one you'd prefer.
I think, I chose the most tragic one. Coz it only felt too real. Apart from that there are many lose ends that didn't get a closure to and I don't really know why it was left the way it did!

Hayavadana - this story is a bit twisted and the central theme is desire. There is a lot one can lose due to conflicted emotions and indecision. Also, my take away from the story was how you cannot sail two boats at once(Padmini), it's you who ends up losing and it's you who ends up tormented and its you who do down the depths of inner turmoil. Therefore, make up your mind then take a plunge; come what may and face the consequences rather than just being indecisive and manipulative.

Tuqlaq
It was supposed to mock the Nehruvian era but then it came true in Indira Gandhi's era and now in the current era. History repeats itself they say and so it did. Demonitization was the beginning of it and then the many riots. Think of it, it started with high ideals and just went downhill and I think Baba of Yoga was the biggest benefactor of it all (our Aziz). Nonetheless the author throws in some words of wisdom and those paras make you think.
When does idealism turn to madness? When you have an autocratic structure and when your word is the last in the room and dissent is greeted with jail time or death coz you cant look weak in front of your subjects.

[Jack · Rating 5 out of 5]

I only read Hayavadana. The parts of me that think I understood it really enjoyed it, I don't know if I understood what was happening, but I do know I was able to write some incoherent responses to it.

[ColleenIsBooked · Rating 3 out of 5]

Naga-Mandala (3 stars)

Hayavadana (3 stars)

Tughlaq (4 stars)

Tughlaq was my favorite of the plays. I love some political intrigue.

[Ajeemsha S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thuglaq seems to be quite complex, Regarding Hayavadana and Nagamandala, both are twined with myth, folk, fable and reality. A must read

[Aakarshita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Karnad has this mysterious way of making abstract concepts into characters that drive a story.

[Ranjana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first time that I have read Girish Karnad's play and I realise that everyone should enlighten themselves with the greatness of his thoughts. Reading Karnad's play in this century will open up a vision of India through the roots of history, culture and diversity. A must read!

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this a long time ago, but I remember liking it.

[Anurag · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three important plays of the modern Indian theatre. Great treat for all theatre enthusiasts.

[Luther Obrock · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actually quite nice, enjoyable. I am always a fan of re-writings of folktales about swapping heads.

[Sara-Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

only read hayavadana

[Shrinidhi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hayavadana was probably my favourite of the three plays, would love to watch them at some point.