Mythic Dimension and Modern Consciousness in Girish Karnad's
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International Journal of Research (IJR) e-ISSN: 2348-6848, p- ISSN: 2348-795X Volume 2, Issue 06, June 2015 Available at http://internationaljournalofresearch.org Mythic Dimension and Modern Consciousness in Girish Karnad’s Yayati H. N. Vishwakarma Research Scholar UPRTOU, Allahabad Abstract Karnad was born on 19 May, 1943 at Of all forms of literature, drama is the most Matheran in Bambay. He spent his childhood popular and effective medium of entertainment, in Sirsi, a small village in Karnataka where he education and instruction. It appeals directly to had first hand live experience of indigenous the audience and make them think of the folk theatre. In his childhood Karnad would go reality. It is best medium for raising to see Natak Company performances which left contemporary social issues. Girish Karnad is lasting impressions on his mind. Karnad went one of shining stars in the galaxy of Indian through diverse influences during his formative English drama. He has borrowed the plots of years. He was exposed to a literary phenomena his plays from myths, folktales and historical where there was a direct clash between events. He has reinterpreted the themes of this Western and native traditions. During the his plays in modern perspectives. Karnad’s decades of fifties and sixties in India there plays are the reflection of his vision on the surfaced two streams of thought in all walks of contemporary social issues. Karnad does not life - adoption of new modernistic techniques, take the whole myth for his plays. He takes only legacy of the colonial rule and adherence to the small and complicated segments of myths and rich cultural past of the country. Karnad completes it with the help of his imagination. adopted a unique way to reach the heights his Yayati is Karnad’s first plays based on the literary career. Karnad had three distinct theme of responsibility. The plot of the play has dramatic traditions- classical Sanskrit, regional been taken from the “Adiparva” of the or folk theatre and Western theatre to learn and Mahabharata. The present paper endeavors to experiment various theatrical techniques. present a comprehensive study on the mythic Karnad is a great contributor to the dimension and modern consciousness. development of Indian English drama. He has taken Indian English drama to a new height by Keywords: employing new trends of modern theatre. Myth; consciousness; dimension; folktales; vision; vogue; complicated; segment Mythic dimension and modern consciousness are the two qualities of the play Girish Karnad (b. 1938), a pioneering which make it unique in the tradition of Indian and distinguished contemporary playwright, English drama. The term ―consciousness‖ has has given new dimensions to Indian English been defined in many ways by different drama both thematically and technically. He theorists. Consciousness is the quality or state wrote his plays in Kannada and later on himself of awareness, or, of being aware of an external translated them into English. In his plays, object or something within oneself. It has been Karnad has created modern consciousness defined as: sentience, awareness, subjectivity, while interpreting ancient myths and legends. the ability to experience or to feel, He has enriched Indian English drama with his wakefulness, having a sense of selfhood, and unique literary creative genius. the executive control system of the mind. Despite the difficulty in definition, many Available online:http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/ P a g e | 561 International Journal of Research (IJR) e-ISSN: 2348-6848, p- ISSN: 2348-795X Volume 2, Issue 06, June 2015 Available at http://internationaljournalofresearch.org philosophers believe that there is a broadly experience, whereas scientific truth is based on shared underlying intuition about what facts and results. consciousness is. As Max Velmans and Susan Schneider wrote in The Blackwell Companion Karnad has faithfully adhered to the to Consciousness: concept of modern consciousness in his plays. This concept has enabled him to interpret the Anything that we are aware of at a plots of his plays from contemporary angle. In given moment forms part of our Indian English drama, playwrights have consciousness, making conscious profusely exploited myths to give a new experience at once the most familiar meaning. As Vanshree Tripathi has said: and most mysterious aspects of our lives. (Velmans and Schneider: 2007). Literature and myth merely dramatize, heighten and highlight what is In literature the term ―modern theoretically possible in nature and consciousness‖ implies breaking away from the science. (Tripathi: 2004) established rules, traditions, and conventions both in theme and techniques, in form and The term ―Myth‖ originated from style. Literature itself is the most celebrated Greek word ―Mythos‖, meaning story or plot. form of expressions of our consciousness. In Literary historians and critics have defined the twentieth century the development of myths according to their own interpretations. In science and technology has changed the classical Greek, it signified a story or plot, mindset of people to view literature. Modern whether true or invented. Defining the myths, writers go deeper into the well of M. H. Abrams says: consciousness to deconstruct it as scientists do In its central modern significance, in various fields of their study. Modern however, a myth is one story in a literature is an attempt to fathom and to mythology—a system of hereditary recreate the state of an individual‘s awareness. stories of ancient origin which were In classical Indian writings such as the once believed to be true by a particular Upanishads, consciousness is thought to be the cultural group, and which served to essence of Atman, a primal, immanent self that explain (in terms of the intentions and is ultimately identified with Brahman, a pure, actions of deities and other supernatural transcendental, subject-object-less beings) why the world is as it is and consciousness that underlines and provides the things happen as they do, to provide a ground of being of both man and nature. Due to rationale for social customs and changes in knowledge about the world and the observances, and to establish the use of new technologies which emerged from sanctions for the rules by which people this knowledge, our reflection of these changes conduct their lives. Most myths are in art, literature, and architecture have became related to social rituals—set forms and radically new. Art emerges from creative procedures in sacred ceremonies—but genius of human beings, from some mysterious anthropologists disagree as to whether stratum intermingled with consciousness in rituals generated myths or myths ways which sometimes elude direct awareness. generated rituals. If the protagonist is a Art that is purely intellectual and calculated human being rather than a supernatural rarely finds as large audience as did modernism being, the traditional story is usually in all of its manifestations. Both literature and not called a myth but a legend. If the science express a kind of truth. As regards hereditary story concerns supernatural literary truth, it is based on perception and Available online:http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/ P a g e | 562 International Journal of Research (IJR) e-ISSN: 2348-6848, p- ISSN: 2348-795X Volume 2, Issue 06, June 2015 Available at http://internationaljournalofresearch.org beings who are not gods, and the story myths on the basis of subject, such as is not part of a systematic mythology, it Psychological Myths, Political Myths and is usually classified as a folktale. Social Myths. Myths have provided a rich (Abrams: 1997). source for literary creation. Writers of Greek and Roman drama have extensively used myths Lillian Fedger defines myth as under: in their plays to deal with the themes of universal human values. Indian English Myth is a story involving human playwrights have tried to deal with limitation and superhuman strivings and philosophical view, religious convictions, accomplishments which suggests political issued, social problems, psychological through action ̶ usually of a ritual , matters, etc. through myths, legends, historical ceremonial, or compulsive nature ̶ events, and day-to-day happenings. man‘s attempt to express and thus Rabindranath Tagore, Sri Aurobindo, T.P. control his own anxiety about those Kailasam, H.N. Chattopadhya and Bharati features of his physiological and Sarabhai are some noted playwrights of pre- psychological make-up and his external Independence phase of Indian English drama, environment which he cannot who have used myths in their plays. comprehend, accept or master. The Rabindranath Tagore‘s Sannyasi or the Asetic, character of myth may be gods, men or The King and the Queen, Sacrifice, Chitra, The monstrous creatures with the qualities King of the Dark Chamber, Gandhari’s Prayer, both, but narrative material, the and Karna and Kunti all are based on mythical portrayal of conflict and sorrow, and themes and characters. Sir Aurobindo‘s play the resolution or revelation are all Perseus the Deliverer is based on Perseus reflections of human concerns. (Feder: myth. Girish Karnad, Badal Sircar, Uma 1977). Parameswaran are the contemporary Myth is not a story told as history, but a playwrights who have used Indian as well as history told as story. Myth is a short narrative foreign myths in their plays. which has no specific writer. It orally passes Yayati (1961) is Girish Karnad‘s first from one generation to the other. Literary attempt in the field of playwriting. The play critics and historian have divided myths mainly was originally written in Kannada and later on into four groups: Cultural Myths, Ritual Myths, translated into English by the writer himself. Nature Myths and Creation Myths. ―Cultural The play has received wide popularity and Myths‖ deals with the culture of hero‘s acclaim due to its contemporary appeal and bringing to man the arts, foods, devices, relevance. In the play Karnad retells an ancient inventions, and usages beneficial to him.