Skip to main content

"Tughlaq" by Girish Karnad



                                             





                              

                       Tughlaq, written by Girish Karnad, is a 13-scene play about the turbulent rule of Mohammad Bin Tughlaq. Though it is a historical play, it is also a commentary on contemporary politics.

                       The play starts with Tughlaq being portrayed as a strict yet respected ruler who has ascended the throne through dubious means. It dramatically highlights the importance of credibility and authenticity for a leader. Two characters, Aziz and Azam, represent a section of people who are clever enough to identify and misuse the loopholes in every law so that they can profit.

                            Tughlaq, A byword for stupidity and arrogance, a King who was daft enough to want to move his capital from Delhi to Daulatabad and to issue copper coins with a value equal to silver ones. But was it as simple as that? Was Tughlaq a simpleton who did silly things or an extremely shrewd operator and manipulator who got carried away with his own cleverness? In the opening part of this play, one hears of a Brahmin who brings a charge of misappropriation against the King and is awarded damages by the Kazi. The King wants to treat everyone, both Hindus and Muslims alike, we are told. Later it was turns out that the Brahmin claimant was actually a Muslim in disguise. Would the King have tolerated a claim against him by a fellow Muslim? Would the Kazi have awarded damages? Was Tughlaq’s desire to place Hindus on par with Muslims, in an era when political correctness was unheard of, the reason why the Brahmin managed to win his case?

                          There are many more stories about Tughlaq, each showing him to be clever man who anticipates his opponents’ moves and easily thwarts them. The learned Tughlaq is also ruthless in having his way, having no qualms in getting people killed. Issuing copper coins with a value equal to silver ones was a good idea in principle, one far ahead of its times. These days, we have paper currency which is not fully backed by a gold standard. Yet, Tughlaq’s scheme backfired as counterfeit coins flooded the country. Having the capital in the centre of the country rather than in Delhi might have worked if Tughlaq hadn’t insisted on every Delhi’ite moving to Daulatabad.

                          All together, a brilliant play, one which digs into a King’s psyche and throws up as many questions as answers, Karnad's Tughlaq will continue to taunt Indians for generations to come.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"The Purpose" by T.P.Kailasam

                Purpose, by T.P. Kailasam, is a short play dramatizing events that occurred in the Mahabharata involving Drona, Arjuna, and Eklavya. Drona is a skilled teacher, renown throughout the land for his wisdom and skill. Arjuna is a prince of a great kingdom. Eklavya is a tribal boy from a relatively far-away area. We study about Indian writing in English to Indian writer like  T.P.Kailasam . He was written at different and post colonial thinks in portrayed Ekalavya character. The Purpose by T. P. Kailasam is a drama in two acts. The story is based on Adiparva from ‘The Mahabharata”.  As we see that in the story how Kailasam given margin and criticize to Arjun and Dhrona Characters.  The story moves around Ekalavya and Arjun and their purpose behind learning archery. Both want to learn archery from the great Dronacharya.  But we see post colonial thinks in Ekalavya characters are center and periphery to Ajuna’s character. When the story goes that ancient time in
Post a Comment
Read more

"The Fakeer of Jungheera" by Henry Louis Vivian Derozio

                                                                      The Fakeer of Jungheera is a long poem by Henry Louis Vivian Derozio. He was poet, novelist and writer. Most of the work in found to Indian religious, culture, rule and regulation, rigidity, culture etc. His writing in see to voice of against to society. Something should be real and has society represented of cruel way. In this long poem,  “The Fakeer of Jungheera” in protagonist of the Fakeer poem is a robber Fakeer or a mendicant,  who belongs to some unidentified Muslim sect, while the heroine  the widow Nuleeni,  comes from an upper cast Bengali Hindu family. The Fakeer of Jungheera' Deroiz mixed the tantric, Hindu, Mythological, Islamic and Cristian tradition. He got the idea about writing the poem of spiritual love from Baital Pachisi. As the story goes, if King Vikram remains stead fast  in his love for his queen he can resurrect her and once more both can find happiness together. The dauntl
Post a Comment
Read more

A Baby Running Barefoot

                                          "A Baby Running Barefoot"                                                                                             D. H. Lawrence                                         In the poem "A baby running barefoot" by D.H. Lawrence uses imagery to describe how the baby is running around beautifully and barefooted.                                     The poem is spoken in the voice of a first person narrator who is watching a female baby run across the grass. The narrator uses similes and metaphors that describe the baby's feet by comparing them to aspects of the natural world such as butterflies, flowers, and water.                       In the first line the poet talks about the "Barefeet" of baby who runs across the grass. He then tells about her little white feet, nod like the flower, nod in the wind he beautifully had described. How a baby child runs across the grass out of innocence
1 comment
Read more