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Authorship, History, and Race in Three Contemporary Retellings of the Mahabharata

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Authorship, History, and Race in Three Contemporary Retellings of the Mahabharata Authorship, History, and Race in Three Contemporary Retellings of the Mahabharata: The Palace of Illusions, The Great Indian Novel, and The Mahabharata (Television Mini Series) A dissertation presented to the faculty of the College of Fine Arts of Ohio University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy Nandaka M. Kalugampitiya August 2016 © 2016 Nandaka M. Kalugampitiya. All Rights Reserved. 2 This dissertation titled Authorship, History, and Race in Three Contemporary Retellings of the Mahabharata: The Palace of Illusions, The Great Indian Novel, and The Mahabharata (Television Mini Series) by NANDAKA M. KALUGAMPITIYA has been approved for Interdisciplinary Arts and the College of Fine Arts by Vladimir Marchenkov Professor of Interdisciplinary Arts Elizabeth Sayrs Interim Dean, College of Fine Arts 3 Abstract KALUGAMPITIYA, NANDAKA M., Ph.D., August 2016, Interdisciplinary Arts Authorship, History, and Race in Three Contemporary Retellings of the Mahabharata: The Palace of Illusions, The Great Indian Novel, and The Mahabharata (Television Mini Series) Director of Dissertation: Vladimir Marchenkov In this study, I explore the manner in which contemporary artistic reimaginings of the Sanskrit epic the Mahabharata with a characteristically Western bent intervene in the dominant discourse on the epic. Through an analysis of Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s The Palace of Illusions (2008), Shashi Tharoor’s The Great Indian Novel (1989), and Peter Brook’s theatrical production The Mahabharata (1989 television mini-series), I argue that these reimaginings represent a tendency to challenge the cultural authority of the Sanskrit epic in certain important ways. The study is premised on the recognition that the three works of art in question respond, some more consciously than others, to three established assumptions regarding the Mahabharata respectively: (1) the Sanskrit epic as a product of divine authorship; (2) the Sanskrit epic as history; and (3) the Sanskrit epic as the story of a particular race. In their engagement with the epic, these works foreground the concepts of the author, history, and race respectively in such a manner that the apparent stability and unity of those concepts disappear and that those concepts become sites of theoretical reflection. In this sense, the three works could ultimately be seen as theoretical statements or discourses on those concepts. Given that the concepts in question are inextricably linked to the Sanskrit epic and the dominant discourse on the 4 epic, the success and importance of each of the contemporary works as an approach that challenges the cultural authority of the Mahabharata depends upon the extent to which it complicates the concept that it engages with and foregrounds that concept as a site of theoretical reflection. 5 Dedication To the three women in my life, Methuli Lavanya and Ramya, who make every moment of my existence meaningful! 6 Acknowledgments I convey my sincere gratitude to Dr. Vladimir Marchenkov (Advisor and Chairperson of Dissertation Committee) for his guidance and unwavering support throughout the dissertation process. The constructive criticism that he offered in every step of my study enabled me to gain a more holistic understanding of the texts and theories that I was engaging with. I am grateful to him for the understanding and encouragement that he showed even when I was treading paths that were not entirely acceptable to him. I also convey my heartfelt gratirude for Dr. William Condee, Dr. Brian Collins, and Dr. Ghirmai Negash for their invaluable input to my study. They always found time for me out of their busy schedules whenever I needed their assistance. A special thank you is due to Dr. Condee and Dr. Collins for all the moral support and guidance that they gave me at moments of uncertainty. Last but not least, I thank Ramya Vithanage, my life partner, for always being there for me, offering me encouragement and moral support, particularly at the most needed moments in my journey. I also thank Methuli and Lavanya, my two loving daughters, for being the inspiration that they have been throughout my journey. I also convey my gratitude to my loving parents, Geetha Kalugampitiya and Hubert Kalugampitiya, and my late loving grandmother Hema Senadheera for laying the foundation for what I have achieved today. 7 Table of Contents Page Abstract ............................................................................................................................... 3 Dedication ........................................................................................................................... 5 Acknowledgments............................................................................................................... 6 Chapter 1: Introduction ....................................................................................................... 9 Scope and Methodology ............................................................................................... 10 Justification of Key Basic Assumptions of the Study................................................... 13 The Mahabharata as an Authoritative Text .............................................................. 13 The Mahabharata as Advancing a Monologic Worldview ...................................... 22 The Mahabharata as an Apocalyptic Text Celebrating a Way of Life .................... 23 Art as Capable of Making Serious Political Statements ........................................... 24 Parallel Studies ............................................................................................................. 25 Chapter Overview ......................................................................................................... 27 Chapter 2: From Singularity to Multiplicity: The Theoretical Framework ...................... 29 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 29 Bakhtin’s Distinction between the Epic and the Novel ................................................ 29 Bakhtinian Dialogism ................................................................................................... 41 Dialogism on the Level of the Word ............................................................................ 50 Chapter 3: The Palace of Illusions and the Idea of the Author ......................................... 57 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 57 The Analysis in Context ............................................................................................... 58 Divakaruni’s Subject Position/Intervention .................................................................. 60 The “Death” of the Author ............................................................................................ 63 The Authorship of the Mahabharata ............................................................................ 64 The Shift of Authorship from Vyasa to Draupadi ........................................................ 66 Draupadi the Radical .................................................................................................... 68 Draupadi’s Acquisition of a Voice............................................................................ 68 Draupadi’s Relationship with Karna ......................................................................... 73 The Problematization of Dharma .............................................................................. 83 8 Draupadi the Conventional ........................................................................................... 86 Conclusion .................................................................................................................... 96 Chapter 4: The Great Indian Novel and the Idea of History ........................................... 100 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 100 The Analysis in Context ............................................................................................. 101 The Mahabharata as History ...................................................................................... 106 History as a Literary Artifact ...................................................................................... 108 The Great Indian Novel as a “Treatise” on History .................................................... 114 The Place of the Mahabharata in The Great Indian Novel ........................................ 125 Character Depictions ................................................................................................... 127 Conclusion .................................................................................................................. 141 Chapter 5: The Mahabharata and the Idea of Race ........................................................ 145 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 145 The Analysis in Context ............................................................................................. 146 The Sanskrit Mahabharata and the Idea of Race ....................................................... 159 Brook’s Conception of Race ....................................................................................... 160 Race as a Floating
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