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 Hariprasanna A. 1971 The World of Malgudi: A Study of R. K. Narayan Novels. New Delhi: Prestige Books, 199. 5. Narayan RK. My Days (autobiography) Mysore Indian Thoughts Publications.  Naik MK. 2010A History of Indian English Literature. New Delhi: Sahitya Academy.  Alam, Fakrul. 2002 ‘Reading R.K Narayan Post-colonially.’ Panini. Dhaka: North South University.  Biswall, Jayant K. 1987 A CriticalStudy of the Novels of R.K. Narayan: The Malgudi Comedy. New Delhi: Nirmal Publishers & Distributors.  Dil, Afia, trans. Syed Waliullah’s2006 Night of No Moon. Dhaka: Writers. Ink.  Kaur, Dr. Manjit. 2014 ‘Breaking the Stereotype: Women in Indian Fiction in English’. IOSR Journal of Humanities and Social Science. Volume 19, Issue 6, Ver. VII, p.50. Text Books  Mondon, Md. Shamim. 2018 ‘Portrayal of a Mental Journey through Defense.  Mechanisms to Maturity: A Psychoanalytical Study of Chader Amabasya by Syed Waliullah.’ Research Journal of English (RJOE), vol3, issue 4.  Narayan, R.K. 2007 The Dark Room. Mysore: Indian Thought Publications.  Ramteke, S.R. 1988 Society and the Individual in the Novels of R. K. Narayan: A Study in Interaction. Nagpur: Nagpur University, p.12.  Sattar, Sanyat and Abu Saleh Md. Rafi. 2014 ‘In Quest of ‘Answers’ in the Colonial Sands: A Comparative Study of Waliullah and Camus’ ‘Absurd’ Protagonists.’ Journal of Literature and Art Studies.  Sen, Krishna. 2014 Critical Essay on R.K. Narayan’s The Guide: with an Introduction to Narayan. Orient Longman.  Sen, Karabi. 1985 ‘Editor’s Note: East West Perspective on Women’s Problems.’ Her Story: An Anthology of Studies in Women’s Problems. Calcutta: Prajan Publication.  Sundaram, P.S. R. K. Narayan. New Delhi: 1973 Arnold Heinnmann, India, , p.48.  Waliullah, Syed. Chander Amaboshay. Dhaka: Shova Prokashon, 2015.  William, Walsh. R. K. Narayan: 1983 A Critical Appreciation. New Delhi: Allied Publishers, p.6. Websites  https://www.englishliterature.info/2021/04/the-dark-room-novel-by-r-k-narayan.html 51 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

 http://www.columbia.edu/itc/hs/dental/sophs/material/darkroom.pdf  https://www.allresearchjournal.com/archives/2020/vol6issue3/PartC/6-3-26-272.pdf 52 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

UNIT 2: TUGHLAQ BY GIRISH KARNAD STRUCTURE 2.0 Learning Objective 2.1 Introduction 2.2 About the Author 2.3 Analysis of ‘Tughlaq’ 2.4 Symbolism in ‘Tughlaq’ 2.4.1 Irony 2.4.2 Humour 2.5 Themes 2.6 Summary 2.7 Keywords 2.8 Learning Activity 2.9 Unit End Questions 2.10 References 2.0LEARNING OBJECTIVE After studying this unit, you will be able to:  Identify the elements of drama in the source and the translated texts.  Examine the development of characters and plot in a drama.  Analyze language use in different aspects of drama--dialogues, stage directions, and descriptions.  Explain the parallels between the historical depiction and the Indian political scenario in the sixties. 2.1INTRODUCTION The two decades after independence represent a time of the proliferation of theatrical forms in various regions of India. This period is also distinguished by the coming-of-age of Indian theatre. The generation of playwrights who emerged and came in to prominence in the two decades following the Indian independence revolutionized theatrical practices in India. The work of these playwrights is characterized by some commonly shared features. Most of them 53 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

had a firm faith in the idea that earlier forms of theatre made possible by colonial modernity and conditioned by a pre-dominantly urban culture have become obsolete. Their departures from the earlier forms of theatre like the Parsi stage or the Indian Peoples‘ Theatre Association (IPTA), which flourished in the early decades of the century, became increasingly apparent. These departures manifested themselves as radical shifts in terms of themes, forms, structures, and presentation. Apart from these, new conceptions of theatre and theatrical techniques emerged as novel directions in Indian theatre. These playwrights forged radically new ways of creative self-expression distinguished by experimentation and revival of tradition. The self-consciousness of these playwrights as shapers of a ―post-colonial‖ Indian theatre provided a different dimension to the cultural phenomenon. Almost all of the playwrights who started writing their plays in this period experienced a sense of disconnection with the previous forms of theatre. Girish Karnad, Dharamvir Bharati, Mohan Rakesh, Vijay Tendulkar, Badal Sircar, Utpal Dutt, Habib Tanvir, G.P.Deshpande, and others are the most representative of this generation of playwrights. They strongly believed in the pursuit of playwriting as a serious literary practice with an independent existence of its own. For them, theatrical performance was not a precondition to write a play. The play-text was treated as an autonomous entity with a life of its own. They were beneficiaries of both the print form and the performance of their plays. Their plays-as-texts were widely read, analyzed, and commented on both nationally and internationally. They belong to the first generation of playwrights to have established play writing as a literary endeavor. Interestingly, most of these playwrights opted to write their plays in their own languages rather than in English, even as they were actively involved in the translation of their own plays into English. This period is distinguished by the emergence of several bilingual playwrights who had literary competence in more than one language, and both wrote and translated their works in either of them. Complementary to the role of the playwrights as translators was their role as critics, theorists, and commentators. Their visibility in the literary world might be attributed to their active involvement in the formulation as well as articulation of experimental ideas and techniques in theatre. They had concrete and individually distinct notions of language, dramatic techniques, art of representation and performance, which transformed theatre into a systematized art and a national cultural institution. 2.2ABOUT THE AUTHOR Early Life and Career Girish Karnad, a well-known playwright, author, actor, and film director, was born on May 19, 1938, in Matheran, Bombay Presidency whose films and plays, written largely in Kannada, explore the present by way of the past. His initial schooling was in Marathi. In Sirsi, Karnataka, he was exposed to travelling theatre groups or Natak Mandalis as his parents were deeply interested in their plays. As a youngster, Karnad was an ardent admirer of Yakshagana and the theater in his village. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in 54 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

Mathematics and Statistics, from Karnatak Arts College, Dharwad (Karnataka University), in 1958. Upon graduation Karnad promptly went to England and studied Philosophy, Politicsand Economics at Lincoln and Magdalen colleges in Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar earning his Master of Arts degree in philosophy, political science and economics. After working with the Oxford University Press, Chennai for seven years, he resigned to take to writing full-time. While in Chennai he got involved with local amateur theatre group, The Madras Players. During 1987–88, he was at the University of Chicago as Visiting Professor and Fulbright Playwright-in-Residence. During his tenure at Chicago Nagamandala had its world premiere at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis based on Karnad's English translation of the Kannada original. Most recently, he served as director of the Nehru Centre and as Minister of Culture, in the Indian High Commission, London (2000–2003). He served as director of the Film and Television Institute of India (1974–1975) and chairman of the Sangeet Natak Akademi, the National Academy of the Performing Arts (1988–93). Most of his plays, written in Kannada, have been translated into English and some Indianlanguages. Karnad's plays are written neither in English, in which he vainly dreamt of earninginternational literary fame as a playwright, nor in his mother tongue Konkani. Instead, they are composed in his adopted language Kannada. Initially, his command on Kannada was so poor that he often failed to distinguish between short and long vowels (laghu and deergha). When Karnad started writing plays, Kannada literature was highly influenced by the renaissance in Western literature. Writers would choose a subject which looked entirely alien to their milieu. There was a strong need to indigenize theatre and thus relate it to an Indian reality. It was in such circumstances that Karnad took to writing plays. C. Rajagopalachari's version of the Mahabharat published in 1951 left a deep impact on him and soon, sometime in the mid-1950s, one day he experienced a rush of dialogues spoken by characters from the Mahabharata in his adopted language Kannada. ‘I could actually hear the dialogues being spoken into my ears... I was just the scribe,’ said Karnad in a later interview. Eventually Yayati was published in 1961, when he was 23 years old. Centred on the story of a mythological king, the play established Karnad‘s use of the themes of history and mythology that would inform his work over the following decades. These sources were often used to portray contemporary themes, and existentialist crisis of modern man. Most of his characters are locked in psychological and philosophical conflicts. Karnad‘s next play, Tughlaq (1964), tells the story of the 14th-century sultan Muḥammad bin Tughluq and remains amog the best known of his works. Samskara (1970) marked Karnad‘s entry into filmmaking. He wrote the screenplay andplayed the lead role in the film, an adaptation of an anti-caste novel of the same name by U.R. Ananthamurthy. Karnad followed with Vamsha Vriksha (1971), codirected by B.V. Karanth. 55 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

During this period Karnad continued to produce work as a playwright, including Hayavadana (1971), widely recognized as among the most important plays of post-independence India. For his contributions to theatre, he was awarded the Padma Shri, one of India‘s top civilian honours, in 1974. Karnad‘s other well-known films in Kannada include Tabbaliyu Neenade Magane(1977)and Ondanondu Kaaladalli (1978). He also worked in Hindi, directing the critically acclaimed Utsav (1984), an adaptation of Shūdraka‘s 4th-century Sanskrit play Mrichchakatika. With the play Nagamandala (1988), Karnad framed an unhappy contemporary marriage in imagery drawn from Kannada folk tales. In 1992 the Indian government awarded Karnad another of its highest honours, the Padma Bhushan, in recognition of his contributions to the arts. He was the recipient of the Jnanpith Award, India‘s highest literary prize, in 1999 for his contributions to literature and theatre. He continued to work in film, directing such movies as Kanooru Heggadithi (1999) and acting in Iqbal (2005) and Life Goes On (2009), among others. Girish Karnad‘s success in the field of contemporary theatre bears testimony to the fact that Indian theatre has revitalized itself through the use of experimental models. His plays are an assertion of the fact that Indian theatre can achieve significant success only by a ―return to the roots‖. His plays are an interesting blend of the classical and the popular elements of Indian theatre. He borrows theatrical techniques both from the Sanskrit and the folk theatres of India. His plays are often considered to be an important part of Indian English literature, the consensus being that he himself has translated these plays in to English. Karnad, whose mother tongue was Konkani, wrote almost all his plays in Kannada, which was a second language to him. The English translations of his plays are considered by many to be far better in terms of literary merit than the Kannada originals. Another interesting aspect of Karnad‘s plays is that they do not directly base themselves on the original versions of a folk tale or a legend. They quite often develop out of a distinct and identifiable English translation of theoriginal. In his preface to his Naga-Mandala, for instance, Karnad argues that the play ―is based on two oral tales from Karnataka, which I first heard from Professor A.K.Ramanujan‖. Yayati (1961) is a play about the Chandravamshi king in the Mahabharata who exchanged his decrepitude with the youth of his youngest son, to ward off the curse of premature old age. The play reflects his eclecticism in borrowing elements from playwrights like JeanAnouilh, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Eugene O‘ Neill. This play established Karnad as a successfulplaywright and makes use of the mythic narrative that is so crucial to his plays. The play attracted the attention of many readers when it first appeared in Kannada. Hayavadana (1971) marked another significant achievement in his career as a playwright. The play is remarkable not just to Karnad‘s theatrical endeavours, but also to the new directions that post-independence Indian theatre was taking in around that time. It explores the question of the efficacy of revitalizing indigenous performance genres for a supposedly ―modern‖ expression. It also marked the beginning of the genre of the ―urban‖ folk play, that makes 56 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

use of the dramatic and performative conventions of Yakshagana like stock characters, music, dance, masks, and talking dolls. The play centres around a story taken from the Kathasaritasagara, which is based on the transposition of heads. The play raises a set of important questions about identity and desire. Karnad‘s Nagamandala(1988) is often said to echo many of these themes. The play begins with a prologue where a failed playwright is cursed with death, because he has sent so many people to sleep in the theatre, the playwright himself is helped to stay awake by ―Story‖ personified, who recounts to him the exciting narrative of a cobra and a married woman. The newly-wed Rani is neglected by her husband Appanna, who locks her up in the house. A king cobra falls in love with her and visits her in the disguise of her husband every night. On knowing this, her husband orders her to prove her innocence by putting her hand in to the ant-hill. She emerges unscathed in the process and is raised to the status of a village goddess. The play moves at a brisk pace and the dialogues are delivered in a smooth flow which preserves the spontaneity inherent in the narration of a folk-tale. One of the dramatic techniques central to Karnad is the re-contextualization of history in the framework of the present. The past gets a contemporary relevance in most of his plays. This is clearly evident in plays like Tale-Danda and Tughlaq(1964). Tale-Danda deals with the final crisis in the life of one Basavanna, a social reformer in 12th century Karnataka. The play highlights the resentment of the upper-caste to the reformist ideas of Basavanna, which reaches a climactic moment when one his Brahmin disciples gives his daughter in marriage to an untouchable. The ―Mandal‖ and the ―Mandir‖ movements and the unrest they generated in the country become the chief sources for the play and the reason for its contemporary relevance. For his The Fire and the Rain, Karnad borrows a story from The Mahabharata and gives ita contemporary meaning. This story highlights the dangers of knowledge without wisdom, power without integrity. Karnad expanded the original story and invested it with rich meaning and universal significance. The play reverberates with symbolism and suggestions. The ―fire‖ in the title of the play is thus the fire of lust, anger, vengeance, envy, treachery, violence, and death. The ―rain‖ symbolizes self-sacrifice, compassion, divine grace, forgiveness, revival, and life. 2.3ANALYSIS OF ‘TUGHLAQ’ The Context Girish Karnad‘s Tughlaq is a representation of one of the most important but nevertheless neglected periods of Indian history. the reign of the fourteenth century Mughal emperor Muhammad-Bin-Tughlaq remains till date one of the most turbulent periods of history. This is the first and most significant play in the post-independence period to have engaged with the Sultanate period in Indian history. this period brought an end to the g̳ olden age‘ of 57 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

classical Hinduism and introduced Islam as a dominant force. This is one of the most important phases of Islamic imperialism in India, but it remains neglected in the national imaginary because of the attention given to the later Mughal and British imperialism.In the narrative of the life and achievements of the eccentric Sultan, Karnad saw the possibilities of creating a drama about contemporary political turmoil. While Karnad eclectically borrows from a variety of sources like Zia-ud-din-Barani‘s contemporaneous account of Tughlaq in Taqikh-I Feroz Shahi (1357), he also freely blends fact and fiction to give the story a contemporary relevance. The play, then, represents the hopes and disappointments in the political life of the Nehruvian era in Indian politics. It voices the disillusionment of the people of Karnad‘s generation with Nehru‘s idealism. The play is a comment of the political scenario of the two decades after independence, under Nehru‘s leadership. Nehru‘s vulnerability to failure, in spite of over-arching ambition and an uncompromising intellect is paralleled with that of Tughlaq. Karnad‘s Tughlaq is a significant intervention in history, as also a site for the developmentof a creative analogy between the past and the present. The contemporaneity ascribed to a historical situation makes the play unique. Major Characters in the Play Tughlaq- In the play, Tughlaq emerges as a headstrong and idealistic ruler. He is vulnerable,and constantly admits his mistakes and allows himself to be punished publicly. He moves hiscapital to Daulatabad because it is a city dominated by the Hindus. This move will further thecause of togetherness and communal unity. Through this character, the idealism of theNehruvian era is commented upon. Guilty of parricide, Tughlaq is often on the defensivewhen he is questioned of his crime. His uncompromising generosity and sense of socialjustice embraces all religions and treats them in an impartial fashion. This character is adevice that represents a scathing critique of the nationalist notion of communal harmony andreligious co-existence, the very ideals that were valorized before independence but laterturned in to an anti-climax with the partition of India.The opening scenes reflect the idiosyncrasies and eccentricities of this character. Hecontemplates to equate the value of copper coins with silver dinars. In order to establish himself as a worthy ruler, he exposes himself to public scorn and invites public condemnation. He hastens the process of his own nemesis through a series of badly contrived measures at projecting himself as a tolerant and efficient ruler. His irrational and erratic methods are severely criticized by his courtiers and citizens. He emerges as a shrewd contriver and a mercilessly ambitious ruler. He is responsible for the assassination of Sheikh Muhammad, his severest critic, who accuses him of parricide and of being un-Islamic. He stabs Shihab-ud-din when he tries to conspire against him. He is doomed because of his own follies and failures and becomes an insensitive murderer. The height of his insanity is reflected in the later episodes of the play. He later becomes a divided self and suffers from 58 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

inner turmoil and contradictions. His ultimate isolation in a world turned alien gives a tragic dimension to the play. Tughlaq might be perceived as an over-ambitious alien emperor, who aims to rebuild new cities and empires, subjecting the culture of a people to colonial strain. Each scene represents the progressive degradation and dehumanization of Tughlaq, leading to his tragic downfall. Step-mother- The step-mother of Tughlaq constantly appears in the earlier scenes of the play. She is torn apart by conflicting emotions—her over-riding concern for her son is in contradiction with her awareness of the fact that he is guilty of parricide. She appears troubled, and confides in Najib, the courtier and politician. She is consistently projected as an embodiment of rationality and concern. She later murders.......... in order to save her son from ultimate ruin. Tughlaq orders her to be stoned to death for the unwarranted act. Aziz- Muhammad is very manipulative, witty, imaginative, secretive and ruthless, Aziz provides his ironic parallel. Like him, from the very beginning Aziz is clear about what he is to do in future (when he reaches his destination). In pursuit of realizing his dream to be rich by hook or crook, he manipulates the decision of the government giving compensation to those whose land has been confiscated by the state. He is a Muslim but in order to get the compensation he disguises himself as a Brahmin. Thus, he punctures the balloon of the king‘s welfare policies. If Muhammad is confident that everything will be settled after he reaches Daulatabad, Aziz is also confident of his plans. He tells Aazam, ―There is money here.We will make a pile by the time we reach Daultabad.‖(p.155).If Muhammd has disguised his true self and poses to be a very religious and benevolent king, Azis is disguised as a Brahmin( though he is a Muslim washer man). Ironically, he appears as a Brahmin and ends up as a special messenger to the king. He becomes an instrument in exposing the cruelty and corruption prevalent in Muhammad‘s regime when he refuses to help a woman with a dying son in her lap and asking for help for his medical aid. Aziz expects money from her knowing full well that her husband is bed-ridden, and she is helpless. Asked by Aaziz, why he doesn‘t let her go to the doctor, very stoically he says, It is a waste of money. I am doing her a favour. For Muhammad and Aziz politics holds a common interest. Aziz‘s comments about politics are ironically true: ... Politics ! It is a beautiful world- wealth, success, position, power-yet it is full of brainlesspeople, people not with an idea in their head. When I think of all the tricks in our village topinch a few torn clothes from people if one uses half that intelligence here, one can bet robesof power. It is a fantastic world. Like Muhammad he also makes use of religion and caste for his personal gains. He knows that even if the Hindu woman is not allowed to leave the camp, she cann‘t complain against him as she takes him for a Brahmin. Complaining against a Brahmin to a Muslim, according to a Brahminical dogma, will send her to hell which she never desires. Furthermore, he is cruel like Muhammad in taking life of someone. He kills Ghiyas-ud-din and starts dancing after that which shows that he has no regrets of any sort after killing someone. His singing and dancing over a dead body reminds us of the 59 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

neurotic self of the emperor. After killing Ghiyas-ud-din and putting on his robes he asks the horrified Aazam, ―How do I look, eh? The great grandson of the Khalif. Laugh, the fool you laugh. Celebrate! What are you crying for?Dance, dance. (sings).‖(201). When he is to present himself before the king, he aptly defines himself, ― I am your majesty’s true disciple‖ (216). Indeed, Aziz appears as his s̳ hadow‘ or the o̳ ther Muhammad‘. It is perhaps because of this parallelism between them that Muhammad pardons him even for his grave misdeeds. Aazam- He is a close friend of Aziz and his partner in the play. Both of them are vagabonds and live mostly by robbery and deception. Aziz is undeniably the more cunning of the two. Aazam‘s actions are staged on a smaller scale, and Aziz‘s actions have larger ramifications. They constantly comment upon and analyse the policies of the Sultan and provide a variety of perspectives on the political climate of the play. Najib- He is a politician and a shrewd contriver, a Hindu, who later embraced Islam. In most of the scenes, he is seen advising the Sultan on matters of political action and diplomacy. He is an advocate of ruthless political expansion and domination, and presents a perfect contrast to Barani, the historian. In the words of the Sultan ―he wants pawns of flesh and blood. He doesn‘t have the patience to breathe life in to these bones...‖ He represents the more rational aspects of Tughlaq‘s self and is a constant companion in terms of royal political affairs. Barani- He is a historian and a close associate of the Sultan. He witnesses and records history unfolding before his eyes. He radically differs in his opinions from the more rational Najib and is more interested in looking at events in a relational and humanitarian point of view. He is sympathetic and tries his best to save the Sultan from his own whims and fantasies. The Step-mother confides in Barani and advises him to guard the Sultan from his temperament. Sheikh-Imam-ud-Din- He is a maulvi and probably the harshest critic of Tughlaq. Heopenly proclaims Tughlaq to be un-Islamic and invites his hostility. He gives public lecturesand condemns Tughlaq as guilty of parricide. He tries to influence the general public throughhis inflammatory speeches deriding the actions of the Sultan. He is later murdered in a cleverly crafted plot of the Sultan. Scene-wise Analysis of the Play Scene-I This scene opens in front of the Chief Court of Justice in Delhi, where a group of pre- dominantly Muslim citizens share their views on the political climate of the region. The few Hindu citizens are also involved in this casual exchange of dialogues. They discuss in detail the policies of the Sultan and their several implications. Tughlaq‘s benevolence to Hindus is critiqued from various perspectives. Tughlaq announces the proposed shift of capital from Delhi to Daulatabad, since Daulatabad had a majority of Hindu population. He projects his magnanimity towards Hindus and appropriates this quality as a political strategy. This decision of his is constantly viewed with disfavour by many of his Muslim subjects. His whimsicality and idealism are openly condemned. 60 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

Aziz, the foil to the character of Tughlaq, is also introduced in this scene. He appears inthe guise of a Brahmin, and he wins a case against the Sultan himself. This is a parody of theSultan‘s declaration that he can also be acquitted in the court of justice. Aziz traps Sultan inhis own noose. He wins the game that the Sultan had started in a fit of ambitiousness. Aziz and his close associate Aazam are then seen shifting their attention towards making money by deceiving people on their way to Daulatabad, the new capital. Scene-II The scene shifts from the public space of the court to Tughlaq‘s chamber in his palace, wherehe is seen playing chess. The game of chess is a powerful symbol in the play, which could beperceived as symptomatic of the Sultan‘s alienation from his surroundings. In most of theimportant scenes, he is found isolated from the rest of his kingdom and passionately involvedin the game of chess. Tughlaq‘s step-mother reprimand‘s him for his recklessness in mattersof his own security. She rebukes him for not initiating action to counter Ain-ul-Mulk‘s anticipated attack on Tughlaq‘s kingdom. Muhammad Najib the politician and Zia-ud-din Barani the historian, two importantacquaintances of the Sultan, are introduced in this scene. They offer different perspectives ona single issue and therefore represent conflicting points-of-view on political matters. While Najib is rational, pragmatic, and a shrewd contriver, Barani is full of human sympathy and concern for the Sultan and his kingdom. Najib is a man of action, whereas Barani is a man of forethought and restraint in courtly matters. Najib is actively involved in plotting and contriving political strategies and plans for the Sultan. Tughlaq‘s crime of parricide is mentioned in this scene, and his insecurity andeccentricities are referred to. He murders his own father and brother for the cause of the realization of his political ambition. The step-mother‘s anxieties over the whimsical nature of Tughlaq are addressed to Barani, in who she confides. She advises Barani to keep Tughlaq away from some of his advisors, who might mislead him. Scene-III Sheikh Imam-ud-din meets Tughlaq in Delhi, and this meeting turns out to be a strategic point in the play. He is the harshest critic of the Sultan and his policies. He openly accuses Tughlaq of parricide and inflames the hatred of his opponents. He is considered to be the chief agent in stirring the fires of discontent in the kingdom. Both Sheikh and Tughlaq wait in front of a mosque for an anticipated audience. Tughlaq supposedly arranged this meeting so that Sheikh, his harshest critic, could meet his subjects and address them in a gathering. The Sheikh is disappointed as not a single listener turns up at the proposed hour of the meeting. He blames Tughlaq for having craftily managed to keep away his citizens from his address. What appears to be Tughlaq‘s openness and magnanimity is in fact a cunningly contrived political move. Sheikh accuses him of being un-Islamic and of challenging the central tenets of the religion. Both of them engage in a witty repartee justifying their own positions. 61 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

Towards the end of the scene Tughlaq convinces Sheikh, whose physical attributes resemblethose of his, to go counter Ain-ul-Mulk‘s attack in the guise of the Sultan. He purportedlyrequests him to act as a messenger of peace. The rationale for his weird decision, inTughlaq‘s opinion, was that Ain-ul-Mulk will never proceed when he sees the Sheikh, a holyman, conveying a message of political compromise. Scene-IV The Step-mother shares her anxieties about Tughlaq with Shihab-ud-din, another courtier. The sudden and unexpected death of Sheikh Imam-ud-din is announced in this scene. Imam- ud-din‘s death is testimony to the success of the Sulan‘s plans. The Sultan cunningly plots Sheikh‘s death in the battlefield in a bid to counter Ain-ul-Mulk and is easily and effortlessly absolved of his guilt. This murder by Tughlaq acquaints the readers with the darker side of his character. His soaring ambition compels him to curb all dissension, and this is a step in that direction. The actual reason for Sheikh‘s death in the battlefield and the Sultan‘s hand in the murder are explained in some detail by Ratansingh, who narrates the events to Shihab-ud- din and says that it was a cleverly conceived murder. Scene-V The scene shifts to a house in Delhi, where Sihab-ud-din and Ratansingh, the Amirs and the Sayyids are involved in a discussion that aims to curb the tyranny of the Sultan. The Amirs attempt to influence Shihab-ud-din by talking about the adverse effects of the Sultan‘s policies on them. They project the Sultan as blasphemous and implore Shihab-ud-din to act on their behalf. They reveal the underbelly of the Sultan‘s seemingly tolerant nature. The Sultan had prevented the citizens from attending Sheikh‘s address even as he was waiting in front of the Great Mosque and getting disappointed as they did not turn up for the gathering. Fires of discontent about the Sultan‘s tyrannical behaviour and despotic domination are seen to soar high in this scene. The proposed shift of capital from Delhi to Daulatabad is vigorously debated. In the opinion of the Amirs, this shift is a trap to dis-empower them, since Daulatabad is a place with a majority of Hindu population. The Amirs, along with Ratansingh successfully manage to persuade Shihab-ud-din to engage in the plot of the murder of the Sultan. It is decided by common consensus that Tughlaq would be murdered on the day of his Durbar-i-khas, at the time of prayer. Although Shihad strongly opposes such a move, he eventually condescends to the plan. The plan is presented as advancing the cause of Islam, and the murder of the Sultan is presented as an act of deliverance from tyranny and insecurity. Towards the end of the scene, Shihab is still in two minds about the appropriateness of the proposed act of murder. Scene-VI The Amirs meet the Sultan for the Durbar-i-khas, and various issues are taken up for 62 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

discussion and negotiation. The sultan announces that copper currency would be introduced in his kingdom and that it will have the same value as silver dinars. This move further disappoints the Amirs. Shihab-ud-din advises the Sultan not to move to Daulatabad, as it might invite the hatred of many of his citizens. The Sultan remains adamant about the proposed shift and doesn‘t listen to the suggestion made by Shihab. The Amirs, along with Shihab initiate the plan for the murder by the time of the muezzin‘s call for prayer but are immediately held captive by Sultan‘s Hindu soldiers. Shihab-ud-din is mercilessly stabbed by the Sultan himself in a fit of rage. Tughlaq emerges as a brute and a merciless murderer in this scene. Any amount of sympathy that the readers might have had for him in the earlier scenes is lost after this episode. He announces that the corpses of all the conspirators must be hanged publicly for people to learn a lesson. He also bans all prayer in his Kingdom, but Najib advises him to suspend all prayer till the anticipated arrival of Ghiyas-ud-din Abbasid, a descendent of the Khalifa. Scene-VII The setting for this scene is the route from Delhi to Daulatabad, where Aziz, still dressed as aBrahmin swindles innocent citizens on their way to the new capital and makes money out ofit. Aziz is presented as a worldly-wise and cunning person. He lives by cheating others of their money. He manipulates the orders and decisions of the Sultan and cons people in the name of law. When Aazam questions him, he answers: ―You‘ve been in Delhi for so many years and you‘re as stupid as ever. Look at me. Only a few months in Delhi and I have discovered a whole new world—politics! My dear fellow, that‘s where our future is— politics! It‘s a beautiful world—wealth, success, position, power—and yet it‘s full of brainless people, people with not an idea in their head.‖ He sufficiently justifies his actions and invents new methods of cheating fellow citizens with every changing circumstance. Scene-VIII The scene quickly shifts to Daulatabad, the new capital. The two sentries guarding the fort comment on the progression of events on the way to Daulatabad. The family of the older official died on the way, and he considers himself to be unfortunate enough to have survived this calamity. They discuss the rather unhappy and somber state of affairs in the fort. Tughlaq suddenly arrives on the spot and opens his heart out to the young sentry: ―Nineteen. Nice age! An age when you think you can clasp the whole world in your palm like a rare diamond. I was twenty-one when I came to Daulatabad first and built this fort. I supervised the placing of every brick in it, and I said to myself, one day I shall build my own history like this, brick by brick.‖ He reminisces the moment when he had arrived with his citizens to Daulatabad. He was overflowing with hope and enthusiasm, which eventually died out. His disturbed and perplexed state of mind is exposed in this scene. He suffers from qualms of conscience and inner agony. The news of armies marching towards his kingdom unnerves him. He confides in Barani, the historian, who provides timely advice to him by 63 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

suggesting that it is high time he considered giving up the ruthless bloodshed and murder.The scene ends with the shocking news of the sudden murder of Najib, the courtier and a close associate of Tughlaq. Scene-IX Aziz and Aazam wait for ―goods‖ which were supposed to arrive soon. They discuss variousmethods of making a living by cheating people and Aziz is exposed to be mischievously intelligent. Aziz orders Ghiyas-ud-din Abbasid, the person claiming to be the descendant of the Khalifa to be kidnapped. A man arrives with the ―goods‖, i.e., Abbasid, and hands him over to Aziz. Aziz then murders him and dresses himself up as Ghiyas-ud-din Abbasid. Disguise, which forms an integral part of the theatrical techniques used in the play, is once again used to magnify the theme of parallelism between Aziz and the Sultan. Aziz once again cleverly manages to manipulate the orders of the Sultan. He makes the best strategic use of the political climate of Daulatabad and steps in the disguise of a holy man who was invited by the Sultan. The observance of prayer would only be resumed after the arrival of this much-awaited guest. Scene-X The Step-mother questions Tughlaq and reprimands him for his erratic and illogicalbehaviour. The proposal of equating the value of copper coins and silver dinars had led to ahuge problem. Around five hundred carts of counterfeit coins had to be exchanged for silverdinars, and the step-mother fears this might adversely affect the economy. Tughlaq isdisturbed by the death of Najib, his adviser in political matters. He orders many of the Amirsand their families to be killed for not being able to reveal the name of the murderer. On hearing of these innumerable deaths, the step-mother reveals the fact that she had Najib poisoned to death as she apprehended further violence. Tughlaq is further agonized by this revelation. He is torn apart and becomes mentally unstable. He orders her to be stoned to death for her crime. Tughlaq is further isolated from his surroundings. He goes to the extent of even murdering his step-mother, one of the very few people close to him. He appears to be helpless: ―God, God in Heaven, please help me. Please don‘t let go of my hand. My skin drips withblood and I don‘t know how much of it is mine and how much of others. I started in Yourpath, Lord, why am I wandering naked in this desert now? I started in search of you. Why have I become a pig rolling in this gory mud? Raise me. Clean me. Cover me with Your Infinite Mercy. I can only clutch at the hem of Your cloak with my bloody fingers and plead. I can only beg—have pity on me. I have no one but You are now. Only You. Only You...You...You...You...‖ Barani announces that the descendant of the Khalif has arrived, and it is a time for resuming prayer in the kingdom. 64 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

Scene-XI The citizens do not rejoice on hearing the news of the arrival of the holy man. They are further perplexed because in their opinion, prayer is not a befitting solution for death and famine. People have been mercilessly murdered; many others have starved to death in the long run. Prayer can no more save their starving frames. Tughlaq welcomes Abbasid, who is Aziz in disguise. He uses high flown words and honorarytitles for him, which, seen in the context of the play, sound hilarious since the readers are aware of the fact that it is Aziz in disguise. A Hindu woman who lost her child on the way to Daulatabad recognizes Aziz but is silenced. Riots follow this episode since this is supposed to be yet another cleverly contrived measure at defeating the will of the citizens. Scene-XII Aazam makes plans for escape from the palace with Aziz. Aziz resists these attempts becausehe believes he is comfortably placed in the Sultan‘s custody. Moreover, Aazam‘s suddendisappearance may give rise to questions. Aazam voices his fear of being recognized,whereas Aziz is contented with his circumstances. Aazam realizes the seriousness of the situation and pleads with Aziz to escape, but Aziz is confident enough not to even conceive of anything like this. Scene-XIII The unexpected assassination of Aazam brings Aziz to the Sultan. His identity is questioned,and Aziz seems to be caught. Aziz cleverly absolves himself of all crime by eloquently arguing that he has been the true disciple of the Sultan, since he has unflinchingly observed each and every order of his. He was a disciple who closely imitated the actions of the Sultan himself, obeyed every bid of his and stood by every law. He reveals the fact that when the Sultan declared the oneness of all religions, he, a common dhobi, was the first to file a suit against the Sultan in the garb of a Brahmin. He then produced counterfeit currency and obeyed the new law. He plundered people of their wealth and belongings on the way to Daulatabad. Exhausted with all this, he killed Abbasid and appeared in the garb of a holy man. On being asked what punishment would be the most appropriate for him, he requests the Sultan to promote him to the post of an officer. The Sultan, amazed at this genius and his deeds, appoints him the official of Deccan. Even Barani, the only surviving companion of Tughlaq, leaves him. Tughlaq‘s isolation iscomplete, and he is a different being altogether. As Tughlaq tries to get the forbidden sleep, the call for the prayer is heard and he falls asleep. After the prayer, Tughlaq gets up confused from his deep sleep. Tughlaq as a Political Allegory Through the technique of establishing analogy between the past and the present, Girish 65 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

Karnad heightens the relevance of the play for the present time. The play does not merely present a picture of the past but highlights its implications for the present. An analogy is developed between Tughlaq‘s reign in the play and the political situation of the Nehruvian era. This analogy and its appropriateness make the play unique in terms of contemporary relevance. Even after years of its first publication, the play continues to be perceived as being contemporary. One of the critical issues that Karnad addresses in Tulghlaq is the striking gap between political aspirations and its reality. In one of his interviews Karnad comments: ―When I readabout Mohammed bin Tughlaq, I was fascinated. How marvellous this was, I thought.Tughlaq was a brilliant individual yet is regarded as one of the biggest failures. He tried to introduce policies that seem today to be farsighted to the point of genius, but which earned him the nick name ‘Mohammed the mad’ then. He ended his career in bloodshed and chaos.‖ There is a consistent conflict between reality and what is assumed to be the ideal state of affairs. Tughlaq‘s uncompromising idealism is strongly critiqued. As the drama opens, Tughlaq implores his subjects to observe a system of imparting justice ‘without any consideration of might or weakness, religion or creed.’ Karnad's depiction of Tughlaq as one who sought to put aside religious differences in the hopes of embracing secularism is a powerful issue in the drama. Tughlaq states early on that he wishes to see unity between Hindus and Muslims as a significant part of his vision: ‘Daulatabad is a city of Hindus and as the capital, it will symbolize the bond between Muslims and Hindus which I wish to develop and strengthen in my kingdom.’ The impracticality of his aspiration collides with reality as Tughlaq fails in his vision. It is because of such a condition that Karnad exposes his propensity to failure. This sense of analogy that attaches itself to the play is significant when set against the condition in which it was written. In 1964, India had been less than two decades removed from Partition and Independence. The result was a nation where direction and transformative vision was hard to establish. A nation born from Gandhian principles was still hopelessly locked in sectarian violence and communal hatred, the very elements that Karnad's Tughlaq desires to overcome in the drama. The theme of political aspiration being limited by teporal reality is a significant one in both the drama and the historical condition in which it is written. Tughaq's initial judgment rendered upon a Brahmin that he ‘should receive a grant of five hundred silver dinars from the state treasury... and in addition to that...a post in the civil service to ensure him a regular and adequate income’ reflects how a transformative political vision might not necessarily be received well by the public. This theme of political transformation stumped in the face of temporal reality is a significant part of the drama. It is reflective of the India that Karnad sees in front of him, a stunning realization between the gulf between what is and what can be. The chaos and fragmentation that results out of a vision steeped in genius becomes a part of both the ruler's narrative and the nation's history. 66 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

Tughlaq‘s notion of religious tolerance prompts him to emancipate Hindus from the payment of jiziya or tax. This vision of his is not properly understood and appreciated by his citizens,who strongly oppose such a move. His policies and methods of political action were well ahead of his time, and therefore received severe critique from his contemporaries. They were formulated with the far-sighted vision of establishing a secular kingdom but were instant failures as they failed to relate to the immediate reality of the subjects. 2.4SYMBOLISM IN ‘TUGHLAQ’ The play Tughlaq is noted for its symbols. Four symbols like prayer, sleep, the game of chessand the rose are used to heighten the effect of the play. As P. Bayapa Reddy remarks: ―At the micro level, prayer symbolizes the religious idealism of Tughlaq. At the macro level, it connects man‘s unconscious need for divine protection and guidance in an hour of anguish.In the beginning prayer is made compulsory but later it is banned for a few years and again itis revived. It is reduced to a mockery when the Sultan‘s life is threatened at the time ofprayer. S̳ leep‘ on one level represents the need for rest in man‘s life. At the macro level itbecomes symbolic of peace, which eludes man often. The rose is a symbol of the aesthetic and poetic susceptibilities of Tughlaq. It later on becomes a symbol of the withering away of all the dreams and ideals of Tughlaq. At the macro level, the game of chess is an ordinary game which is popular in India. It also symbolizes a political game in which an ordinary washer man checkmates the most intelligent and clever politician. Through this symbolist technique, the playwright has succeeded in creating the right political atmosphere....‖ Rulers and politicians use religion as a medium to befool the common man. They pollutereligion by misusing it for fulfilling their dirty political motives. But religion cannot be usedto serve the end of those who are in power because it preaches morals and expects moralityfrom the people. It stands for virtue, goodness, righteousness and moral conduct whilepolitics thrives on intrigue, craftiness, dishonesty and deceit. The case of Tughlaq is no exception. What Karnad shows in Tughlaq is that the idealist and his idealism do not go hand in hand with a politician and his politics. The idealist is only a misnomer, and he has to face challenges, which he tries to curb down in his own crafty manner. But the idealist Tughlaq fails in producing any lasting result. What he gains, as he tells, is: ―Not words but the sword – that‘s all I have to keep my faith in my mission‖ and ―power, strength to shape my thoughts, strength to act, strength to recognize myself. All his idealism is shattered in the game of politics and thrown to the winds. Even Barani, the best of his advisors, asks Muhammad, who is a man of great learning, ―You are a learned man, Your Majesty, you are known the world over for your knowledge of philosophy and poetry. History is not made only in statecraft; its lasting results are produced in the ranks of learned men. That‘s where you belong, Your Majesty, in the company of learned men. And further, Your Majesty, there was a time when you believe in 67 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

love, in peace, in God. What has happened to those ideals? You won‘t let your subject pray. You torture them for the smallest offence. Hang them on suspicion. Why this bloodshed?‖ The murder of the Sheikh leads to the intrigues of the courtiers and other idealists of the kingdom. This happening unites the Hindus and the Muslims altogether to rise against the craftiness and tyranny of the Sultan. Shihab-ud-din, the most trusted of the friends of Sultan is persuaded to attend the meeting of the intriguers and at last to stand against the Sultan. Sheikh Shams-ud-din Tajuddarfim tells Shihab-ud-din that he is attending the meeting to saveIslam not to ―get mixed up in the treacherous games of politicians.... But Allah isn‘t only forme, while tyranny crushes the faithful into dust, how can I continue to hide in my hole? Religion-Politics Interface Tughlaq is of great interest as it combines religion and politics of an idealist and visionary Sultan Muhammad Tughlaq. It intends to show that idealism of the ruler will fail and will ruin the idealist. The concepts like secularism, equality and unity in a country like India are very much ahead of the times. In India people still are led away by the saints and religious heads. They believe more their religious leaders than a politician. The fiery speeches of the religious saint swing people this side or that side for the vote. People still are be fooled by them as they were during the reign of Tughlaq. Thus, the life of the people is governed and corrupted by the interaction of the saints and the politicians. Tughlaq, who pretends to be a true follower of religion, commits numberless murders to retain his monarchy. He commits patricide, fratricide and wipes off the religious and political leaders like Imam-ud-din and Shihab-ud-din for his kingship. He tells the cause of murdering them to his Step Mother in a simple way: ―They couldn‘t bear the weight of their crown. They couldn‘t leave it aside, so they died senile in their youth or were murdered‖. When Step-Mother accepts that she has murdered Najib, Muhammad does not accept this truth. But when she argues, ―It was easier than killing one‘s father or brother. It was better than killing Sheikh Imam-ud-din, Muhammad replies, ―I killed them for an ideal. Don‘t I know its results? Don‘t you think I‘ve suffered from the curse? My mother won‘t speak to me – I can‘t even look into a mirror for fear of seeing their faces in it. Muhammad is torn in finding peace in his own kingdom that ―has become a kitchen of death. There is only one punishment for treachery, he tells his Step-Mother, it is death. And for killing Najib he orders even his Step-Mother whom he loves more than anyone else to be stoned, dragged and killed. Agony and the Notion of Repentance The innumerable murders that Tughlaq is involved in don‘t bring him peace. They tear him from within. He feels lonely and frustrated. In such torn and wretched state, he seeks the shelter of God who can only save him from misery and the ghosts of the murdered. Only He can help him to be a man. For this all of a sudden Tughlaq, the mighty murderer, plunderer and sinner, falls to his knees and clutches his hands to his breast to pray: 68 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

―God, God in Heaven, please help me. Please don‘t let go of my hand. My skin drips with blood and I don‘t know how much of it is mine and how much of others. I started in Your path, Lord, why am I wandering naked in this desert now? I started in search of you. Why am I become a pig rolling in this gory mud? Raise me. Clean me. Cover me with your Infinite Mercy. I can only clutch at the hem of Your Cloak with my bloody fingers and plead. I can only beg—have pity on me. I have no one but you are now. Only you. Only you... you... you... you.... The above passage reveals a Faustian cry of anguish, which comes from the mouth of Sultan. This Sultan uses his opponents like pawns on the chessboard of politics and unscrupulouslykills them. Tughlaq even fails to offer prayer, which is reintroduced after an interval of fiveyears when Ghiyas-ud-din Abbasid disguised Aziz comes to Daultabad to bless him. He fallssoundly asleep and gets up when the Muezzin‘s call to prayer fades away. His bloody actionsare the result of his intense ambition to establish an idealistic leadership as the norm. The failure of his political methods unnerves him and makes him insane. 2.4.1Irony As regards the use of Irony in Tughlaq it begins to appear from the very beginning of the play. In the opening scene Muhammad’s proclamation, ‘‘My beloved people, you... have seen for yourself how justice works in my kingdom – without any consideration of religion and creed’5. The situation turns ironic when we learn that the winner against the king is not Vishnu Parasad but is Aziz disguised as Vishnu. This situation turns comic when Aziz mimicking a public announcer says, ‘Henceforth the people may file a suit against the Sultan for the misbehavior of his officers....Justice will be done. His comments arouse laughter when he justifies his disguise before Aazim. Had he not disguised himself as a Brahmin ‘Then what would happen to king’s impartial justice? A Muslim plaintiff before a Muslim king. Where is the question of justice? Where is the equality between Hindus and Muslims?he enquires. Thus, the disguise of Aziz ironically puts the whole administrative system of Muhammad upside down. His tall claims of justice and equality sound comic to the audience. The play presents the best example of irony through comparison and contrast. On one hand is Muhammad who is a king and is the main character of the play and, on the other, is Aziz- a washer man- who is a minor character but assumes importance when juxtaposed with the character of the emperor. If Muhammad is an idealist who wants to shift his capital and change his currency for the welfare of his subjects, Aziz is a realist and is a practical man to the core. If the court’s judgment in favour of the disguised Aziz makes a mockery of Muhammad’s slogans of secularism and justice, the underground life of Aziz and his associate Aazam mounts a parody of Muhammad’s ideals about the welfare state. The appearance of Aziz and Aazam in the camp on Delhi -Daultabad road and their daily routine of cheating others pooh-poohs Muhammad’s claims of an ideal king of an ideal state. If Muhammad is very manipulative, witty, imaginative, secretive and ruthless, Aziz provides his ironic parallel. Like him, from the very beginning Aziz is clear about what he is to do in 69 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

future (when he reaches his destination). In pursuit of realizing his dream to be rich by hook or crook, he manipulates the decision of the government giving compensation to those whose land has been confiscated by the state. He is a Muslim but in order to get the compensation he disguises himself as a Brahmin. Thus, he punctures the balloon of the king’s welfare policies. If Muhammad is confident that everything will be settled after he reaches Daultabad, Aziz is also confident of his plans. He tells Aazam, ‘There is money here.We will make a pile by the time we reach Daultabad.’.If Muhammd has disguised his true self and poses to be a very religious and benevolent king, Azis is disguised as a Brahmin( though he is a Muslim washer man). Ironically, he appears as a Brahmin and ends up as a special messenger to the king. He becomes an instrument in exposing the cruelty and corruption prevalent in Muhammad’s regime when he refuses to help a woman with a dying son in her lap and asking for help for his medical aid. Aziz expects money from her knowing full well that her husband is bed- ridden, and she is helpless. Asked by Aaziz why he doesn’t let her go to the doctor, very stoically he says, ’It is a waste of money. I am doing her a favour.’ The Prayer Scene in which the attempt is made to murder Muhammad also provides the irony of situation. It is Muhammad who has made prayer mandatory for every Muslim. But the same prayer proves a threat to his life. Moreover, it becomes a reminiscent of Mohammad’s action of killing his father during prayer. Similarly, the encounter between Mohammad and Aziz, when the latter is disguised as Ghiyas-ud-din illustrates the irony of situation and comedy through contrast. With his presence of mind and witty dialogues, Aziz appears to eclipse Muhammad’s intelligence. When Aziz realizes that he can deceive Muhmmad no more, he reveals his identity at once. When Muhammad questions him who he is, Aziz retorts, ‘I am a Dhobi from Shiknar. My first name was Aziz. There have been so many since then. ’.At Muhammad’s warning that he should not overreach himself, he says, ‘I don’t. But since your majesty came to throne, I have been your most devout servant. I have studied every order, followed every instruction, considered every measure of your majesty with great attention. Keeping in view his past Aziz’s views are highly ironic and comic too. Mohamad’s every ideal including his plan to introduce new currency stands ridiculed right under his nose. As Aziz comments, ‘Soon after your majesty introduced the new copper currency, I succumbed to its temptation.... There was enough money in that business, but too much competition, soon it became unprofitable. Finally, when Muhammad abuses him calling him a ‘dhobi’ (washer man) very smartly he reacts, ‘What if I am a dhobi, Your Majesty? When it comes to washing our filth, no saint is a match for Dhobi. Ironically, the king is so much impressed by a washer man that he has to confess that ‘This man is a genious’. Irony is that nothing fascinates the emperor so much as does a criminal washer man. 2.4.2Humour Kamad’s comic element brings out the absurdity of the situation and makes the audience relieved. The actions of Aziz and Azam are uncommon leading force. They remind us of a magician who turns a baby into a girl and who takes out a ten rupee note from other man’s 70 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

pocket and shows it coming out of his own pocket, yet they go undetected by the king’s men. They befool them and there lies the cause of mirth, humour and fun. Tughlaq’s humour is ominous and sarcastic, callous and ironical. The following remark is suggestive of irony and ruthlessness: ‘I have just solved the most famous problem in chess’ (Kamad, Tugh. II.9). It means that Tughlaq intends to use Ain-ul-Mulk and Sheikh Imam-ud-din as pawns on the chess board ofpolitics. The sub plot of the play is full of ironic humour. It seems to lessen the stress and strain caused by the serious scenes in the play. Irony is a technique, which he employs to make the play highly theatrical. It is not merely situational but also verbal. The manner in which prayer is sought to be used as an instrument of murder against the very man who has made prayer compulsory in the state and the role played by Aziz are examples of the irony of situation. A few instances of verbal irony are, ‘The past sultans of Delhi could not bear the weight oftheir crown. They couldn’t leave it aside. So, they died senile in their youth, or they were murdered’ It is also ironical that Tughlaq and the Sheikh look alike but they do not think alike. Kamad’s use of irony is remarkable when his protagonist expresses his views that Pandey why he has banned prayer in his kingdom. He says, ‘Our prayers too are ridden with disease, and must be exiled’. Honest scoundrel and enjoys the feeling of guilt are also finest example of Kamad’s irony. 2.5THEMES Major Themes and Issues in the Play Idealistic Leadership What makes the Sultan‘s character more fascinating is his paradoxical and complex nature. He is portrayed as ―a dreamer and a man of action, benevolent and cruel, devout and callous. U.R. Anantha Murty remarks: ―Both Tughlaq and his enemies initially appear to be idealists; yet in the pursuit of the ideal, they perpetrate its opposite. The whole play is structured on these opposites: the ideal and the real: the divine aspiration and the deft intrigue. These opposites constitute the main charm of the structure of Tughlaq. Tughlaq promises his Subjects to maintain ―justice, equality, progress and peace -- not just peace but a more purposeful life‖ ―without any consideration of might and weakness, religion or creed. But to a great surprise he could not win the hearts of his public. He wants to give his ―beloved people‖ peace, freedom, justice and progress. He says that hispeople would witness how justice works in my kingdom - without any consideration of mightor weakness, religion or creed. But his ascendancy over the throne of Delhi makes him ―atonce a dreamer and a man of action, benevolent and cruel, devout and godless. His two closeassociates- Barani, the scholarly historian and Najib, the politician seem to represent the twoopposite selves of Tughlaq, while Aziz, the wily time server appears to represent all those who took advantage of Sultan‘s visionary schemes and fooled him. Indeed, Tughlaq was at first an idealist but as time passed on his idealism failed and he turned to be a shrewd 71 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

politician, a callous and heartless murderer and intriguer who employed religion for his political motives and even hurled the country into turmoil and troubles. Thus, the play ―explores the paradox of pseudo – idealistic Sultan Muhammad Tughlaq, whose reign is regarded as a spectacular failure in India‘s history. As an idealist and visionary, arationalist and forward-looking emperor Tughlaq tried to introduce his kingdom into an egalitarian society. But he found the circumstances not favorable to rule because the country was divided between Islam and Hinduism. There was much animosity between the Hindus and Muslims. Tughlaq began to make efforts to bring about harmony between the two communities, justice and equality for all for the welfare of his people. He said: ―May this moment burn bright and light up our path towards greater justice, equality, progress and peace – not just peace but a more purposeful life. Tughlaq wanted to be an enlightened and liberal despot and tried hard to find the cooperationof his subjects, which was denied to him due to the bigotry and orthodoxy of his people. Thepeople fail to understand his idealism and reformatory zeal and condemn him as an enemy ofIslam. In fact, he is a devout Muslim with full faith in the Holy Koran, but his rationalistic andideal views are beyond the comprehension of his subjects. However, the young people admireand support the liberal and secular policies of the Sultan whose rationalistic and modernizedattitude appeals the youth. To him, ―The country’s in perfectly safe hands – safer than any you‘ve seen before‖. No other Sultan before Tughlaq allowed ―a subject within a mile‘sdistance‖. It is he who made prayer five times a day compulsory for all Muslims as dictatedin the Koran. The Young man further advocates him and says: ―Now you pray five times a day because that’s the law and if you break it, you‘ll have theofficers on your neck. Can you mention one earlier Sultan in whose time people read the Koran in the streets like now?‖ Religious Tolerance as a Political Strategy The Sultan practiced the idea of brother hood, which is an important aspect of human valuesin Islam, and this in turn annoyed the ecclesiastics because it undermined their political interests. The efforts of the Sultan to bridge the difference between Hindus and Muslims invited anger and displeasure of the Mullahs and Maulavis. To unite them, he abolished the jiziya tax and openly declared that both Hindus and Muslims would be treated impartially and would be equal in the eyes of the law. But this made him a suspect both in the eyes of the Hindus and the Muslims. The Old Man in the first scene mocked at the Sultan‘s liberal attitude towards Hindus: ―Beware of the Hindu who embraces you. Before you know what, he’ll turn Islam into another caste and call the prophet an incarnation of his god....‖ Even Hindus, who were prospering and exempted from jiziya taxes, never trusted on their part. They bore with such insults silently. A Hindu expresses his anguish in the following words: 72 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

―We didn‘t want an exemption! Look, when a Sultan kicks me in the teeth and says, ̳Pay up, you Hindu dog ‘; I ‘am happy. I know I‘m safe. But the moment a man comes along and says, ̳Iknow you are a Hindu, but you are also a human being‘ – well, that makes me nervous.‖ The young Muslim reacted sharply and violently to this statement of the Hindu and called him ―Ungrateful wretch.‖ Tughlaq remained an idealist and visionary throughout his life. As he said to his Step Mother: ―I pray to the Almighty to save me from sleep. All day long I have to worry about tomorrow but it‘s only when the night falls that I can step beyond all that.‖ Even at the height of frustration he did not give up his visions and idealism. He tells the Young Man: ―Nineteen. Nice age! An age when you think you can clasp the whole world in your palm like a rare diamond. I was twenty-one when I came to Daulatabad first and built this fort. I supervised the placing of every brick in it, and I said to myself, one day I shall build my own history like this, brick by brick.‖ By temperament Tughlaq was a rationalist and philosopher and he wanted to build up a powerful and united nation. The far-sighted Tughlaq announced his policy to shift the capital by saying that ―this is no mad whim of a tyrant. My ministers and I took this decision after careful thought and discussion‖(3). The decision to shift the capital from Delhi to Daulatabad was taken because ―My empire is large now and embraces the South and I need a capital which is at its heart. Delhi is too near the border and as you well know its peace is never free from the fear of invaders. But for me the most important factor is that Daulatabad is a city of Hindus and as the capital it will symbolize the bond between Muslims and Hindus which I wish to develop and strengthen in my Kingdom. I invite you all to accompany me to Daulatabad. This is only an invitation and not an order. Only those who have faith in me may come with me. With their help I shall build an empire which will be the envy of the world. Tughlaq’s rash decision to change the capital from Delhi to Daulatabad is a turning pointin Tughlaq, which results in untold and inexpressible suffering to the common people. Prayerand religion are vitiated for power and money. Prayer is used to achieve an end and not an end in itself. The word prayer is repeated several times and it reverberates throughout the play. Karnad dexterously shows how prayer affects the ruler and the masses. The powerful, the prosperous and the rulers can pray in peace. The poor who are exploited and empty stomachs cannot even think of prayer. Their prayer is only to earn bread by the sweat of brow. To Tughlaq it was a masquerade to hide his guilty conscience and to the hungry people it was luxury. In the atmosphere of atrociousness, cruelty, killing, sobs and sighs, wailing and tears which India had during the reign of Muhammad, it was very difficult for the people to pray. Disguise Disguise is an important theatrical strategy in the play. It on the one hand undermines the seriousness with which the Sultan‘s plans are made and on the other, mocks at his idealism. 73 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

The dramatist ironically presents Aziz, the dhobi, who disguises himself as Brahmin, and later appears in the guise of the great grandson of ―His Imperial Holiness Abbasid, the Khalif of Baghdad‖. He is invited by the Sultan to Dualtabad to bless the country and to start the banned prayer. An announcement is made so that all the citizens may welcome His Holiness for, ―This is a holy day for - us - a day of joy! And its glory will be crowned by the fact that the Public Prayer, which has been mute in our land these five years, will be started again from next Friday. Henceforth every Muslim will pray five times a day as enjoined by the Holy Koran and declare himself a faithful slave of the Lord. Muhammad welcomes His Holiness with these words: ―We have waited for years for this joyful moment. Our streets have waited in silence for themoment when the call to the holy prayer will ring in them again. And each year has been a century. We have waited long, Your Holiness, and our sins have become shadows that entwine round our feet. They have become our dumbness and deprived us of prayer. They have become the fiery sun and burnt up our crops. Now the moment has come for me and my people to rejoice. Only you can save me now, Your Holiness, only the dust of your feet on my head can save me now. 2.6SUMMARY  Tughlaq is a 1964 Indian Kannada language play written by Girish Karnad. The 13- scene play is set during the reign of the Tughlaq canister of Muhammad.  It was first conducted in Urdu in 1966 as an undergraduate program at the National School of Drama. More widely, it was structured in Purana Qila, Delhi, in 1972. It was established in Mumbai in 1970 in English. Tughlaq, a 13-scene play composed by Girish Karnad, a fourteenth-century Turko-Indian ruler, is both a chronicled play and a discourse on contemporary legislative issues of the 1960s.  The Times of India notes: ‘In the novel, the narrator, Tughlaq, is depicted as possessing exceptional thoughts and a tremendous dream, but his reign was a wretched failure. He started his term with the enormous goals of taking India together, but he declined to chaos and his kingdom.  The contemporary historians’ emphasis on mass exodus, which Girish Karnad also presents in Tughlaq, is not correct. In fact, the upper classes comprising nobles, courtiers, sheikhs, ulema and the elite were shifted to Daultabad.  The general Hindu public remained unaffected by this project. In order to prove that Sultan Tughlaq was a devil, Karnad greatly alters the historical facts of the rebellion of Ain-ul-Mulk.  Karnad makes Tughlaq weak. So, this play at last considers a classic play and a regarded as a famous historical play. 74 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

 Girish Karnad closely follows historical sources in this respect. In the opening scene, the old man signifies the orthodox clerical class, vehemently opposed to Tughlaq's liberal and rational initiatives. He says, It’s an insult to Islam.  The young man who defends the liberal attitude of the Sultan appreciates his devotion to Islam, which has also been mentioned in the aforesaid words of Ibn-i-Buttuta.  He said you're practicing five times a day, because that's the rule, and if you violate that, you'd have the police on your back. Could you remember an earlier Pharaoh, in whose time people read the Koran in the streets as they do now?’ Karnad continues the history of making Tughlaq accused of parricide and fratricide.  The third man in the first scene learned that the Sultan was guilty of killing his father and brother.  Girish Karnad adroitly employs historical evidence about Tughlaq’s rash decision to change the capital from Delhi to Daultabad.  It is a turning point in his carrier, and it causes inexpressible suffering to the common people.  Historical evidence also shows that Tughlaq has taken a dramatic step towards shifting capital to efficient administrative control of the south. 2.7KEYWORDS  Antagonist: The opponent or adversary of the hero or main character of a drama; one who opposes and actively competes with another character in a play, most often with the protagonist.  Contrast: Dynamic use of opposites or significant differences to create dramatic effect. Examples of ‘opposites’ might include movement/stillness, sound/silence, and light/darkness. ‘Significant differences’ might include distinct styles or colour of costumes, or styles of dialogue.  Exposition: The part of a play that introduces the theme, main characters and current situation in the story. See also climax, dénouement and resolution.  Falling action: The parts of a plot which occur after the climax but before the end of the play. Often experienced as part of the resolution and dénouement.  Irony: An implied discrepancy between what is said and what is meant. There are several forms of irony. Verbal irony is when a writer or speaker says one thing and means something else (often the opposite of what is said). Dramatic irony occurs when the audience know more than the characters on stage. Situational irony can be described as a discrepancy between what is expected and what actually happens. 75 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

2.8LEARNING ACTIVITY 1. Examine Karnad’s art of characterization in the play. ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 2. In what ways does Karnad’s Tughlaq contribute to the modern Indian drama? Discuss. ___________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ 2.9UNIT END QUESTIONS A. Descriptive Questions Short Questions 1. Examine Karnad’s treatment of history in his play Tughlaq. 2. Justify your view, would you agree that Tughlaq is more a political allegory than a historical play. 3. Comment on the following Tughlaq fails because he cannot grow from a visionary idealist into a realist statesman. 4. Analyse Tughlaq’s passage from visionary idealism through tyrannical despotism to frenzied madness. How do your account for this change? 5. Would you agree that Karnad plays off irony against tragic dignity in his treatment of the character of Tughlaq? Substantiate. Long Questions 1. Examine the role of Aziz as a foil to Tughlaq. 2. Examine the importance of the Aziz-Azam sub-plot in the play. 3. What role is played by the other minor characters? Do they contribute to the understanding of the character of the protagonist? 4. What is the extent to which Karnad justified in his use of violence in Tughlaq? 5. What purpose does this violence serve in the dramaturgical structure of the play? B. Multiple Choice Questions 1. Identify the movie for which Girish Karnad won first President's Golden Lotus Award for Kannada cinema? a. Yayati b. Tughlaq 76 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

c. Samskara d. Hayavadana 2. When was Girish Karnad born? a. 15 May 1937 b. 19 May 1938 c. 10 June 1938 d. 21 June 1939 3. Identify the TV series for which he had played the role of father? a. Malgudi Days b. Karamchand c. Nukkad d. Vikram aur betal 4 Which play Girish Karnad had written first? a. Yayati b. Tughlaq c. Taledanda d. Hayavadana 5 What was the full name of Girish Karnad? a. Girish Ram Karnad b. Girish Raghu Karnad c. Girish Rahu Karnad d. Girish Raghunath Karnad Answers 1-c, 2-b, 3-a, 4-a, 5-d. 2.10REFERENCES  Girish Karnad, Three plays: Nagamandala, Hayavadana, Tughlaq (New Delhi: Oxford University Press,1994), p.147. All subsequent textual quotations are from this edition. After the quotation only page number is given in parentheses. 77 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

 U.R. Ananmtha Murthy, ‘Introduction to Tughlaq,’ Three plays, p.150  Christine Gomez, ‘Karnad’s Tughlaq as an Alienated Protagonist,’The Plays of Girish Karnad: Critical Perspectives,’ ed. Jaideepsinh Dodia (New Delhi: Prestige books,1999), p.125  Parmod K.Nayyar, ‘Voices in/of the Void: Logorrhoeic Discourse in Tughlaq,’ The Plays ofGirish Karnds, p.162  .U.R. Anantha Murthy, p.1457 Tejwant s.Gill, ‘ Tughlaq: Its past significance and Present Meaning,’ Bharati Journal of Comparative Literature,Vol.II.No.1 (1987):57- 58 Textbooks  Chatterjee, Partha. 1992 Nationalist Thought and the Colonial World: A Derivative Discourse. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, Print.  Iyengar, K.R.Srinivasa. 2008Indian Writing in English. New Delhi: Sterling, 1985. Print.  Indian English Literature 1980-2000. New Delhi: Pencraft, Print.  Mehrotra, Arvind Krishna. ed. 2008 A Concise History of Indian Literature in English. Ranikhet: Permanent Black. Print. Websites:  http://www.dspmuranchi.ac.in/pdf/Blog/Tuglaq%20themes%20and%20techniques.pd f  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tughlaq_(play)  https://www.jagranjosh.com/general-knowledge/muhammad-bin-tughlaq-key-facts- and-refroms-1441278596-1 78 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

UNIT 3: POETRY BY KAMALA DAS: MY GRANDMOTHER'S HOUSE STRUCTURE 3.0Learning Objective 3.1Introduction 3.2About the Poet 3.3Analysis of ‘My Grandmother’s House’ 3.4Themes 3.4.1Reminiscence 3.4.2Desire 3.4.3Begging For Love 3.5Critical Analysis 3.6Summary 3.7Keywords 3.8Learning Activity 3.9Unit End Questions 3.10References 3.0LEARNING OBJECTIVE After studying this unit, you will be able to:  Explain the background to Kamala Das' poetry.  Describe the major themes in her poem 'My Grandmother's House'.  Analyze her poem 'My Grandmother's House'. 3.1INTRODUCTION Kamala Das is a famous Contemporary Indian writer who is called Kamala Suraiyya who wrote in English and Malayalam her native language. She is called by the name A.K.A. Madhavikutty. Kamala Das was born in Punnayurkulam, Thrissur District in Kerala, on March 31, 1934, to V. M. Nair, a former managing editor of the widely-circulated Malayalam daily Mathrubhumi, and Nalappatt Balamani Amma, a renowned Malayali poetess.She spent her childhood between Calcutta, where her father was employed as a senior officer in the 79 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

Walford Transport Company that sold Bentley and Rolls Royce automobiles, and the Nalappatt ancestral home in Punnayurkulam.Like her mother, Kamala Das also excelled in writing. Her love of poetry began at an early age through the influence of her great uncle, Nalappatt Narayana Menon, a prominent writer. However, she did not start writing professionally until she got married and became a mother. Her popularity in Kerala is based chiefly on her short stories and autobiography. Kamala Das, the Indian poetess recalls her ancestral home and her dead grandmother in the poem ‘My Grandmother’s House’. Kamala Das’ poems as well her imagery is extremely personal and drawn from life. This poem takes the form of a confession comparing her present broken state with that of being unconditionally loved by her grandmother. Published in 1965 in summer in Calcutta the poem is a reminiscence of the poetess’ grandmother and their ancestral home in Punnayurkulam in Kerala. Her memory of love she received from her grandmother is associated with the image of her ancestral home. The poem begins like a story introducing a house which was visited long back and it’s too far from the place where the poetess lived at the same time it indicates the fairness of the embracement that Kamala Das once received. But one thing is clear, the house is still there physically standing without any live activity in it. The poetess expresses very clearly that love was received, which throws light on the fact that now she is bereft of love and that’s why she craves for that which is lost. The poet now lives in another city, a long distance away from her grandmother’s house. But the memories of her ancestral house make her sad. She is almost heartbroken. The intensity of her emotions is shown by the ellipses in the form of a few dots. Now, in another city, living another life, she longs to go back. With the death of the Grandmother, the house ceased being inhabited. It now became an isolated and remote entity, echoed by the phrase 'far away'. The poetess asserts that with the death of her grandmother, silence began to sink in the house. The poem is a reminiscence of the poetess’ grandmother and their ancestral home at Malabar in Kerala. Her remembrance of love she received from her grandmother is associated with the image of her ancestral home, where she had spent some of the happiest days of her life, and where her old grandmother had showered her love and affection. With the death of her grandmother the house withdrew into silence. When her grandmother died, even the house seemed to share her grief, which is poignantly expressed in the phrase ‘the House withdrew’. The house soon became desolate, and snakes crawled among books. Her blood became cold like the moon because there was none to love her the way she wanted. She understands that she cannot reclaim the past, but she wants to go back home, look once again through its windows and bring back a handful of darkness – sad and painful memories, which she would have made her constant companion, to keep as a reminder of her past happiness. The poet is unable to proceed with her thoughts for some time as is indicated by the ellipses (dots). The poet is now garroted with the intensity of grief. She hankers for love like a beggar going from one door to another asking for love in small change. Her need for love and approval is not 80 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

satisfied in marriage and she goes after strangers for love at least in small quantity. But she does not get it even in small change or coins. Her love-hunger remains unsatisfied, and there is a big void, a blank within her, she seeks to fill up with love but to no avail. The image of the window is a link between the past and the present. It signifies the desire of the poet for a nostalgic peep into her past and resurrects her dreams and desires. When there are so many things that grandparents could impress grandchildren obviously the feelings of the poetess Kamala Das proves true and eternal. The poem springs from her own disillusionment with her expectation of unconditional love from the one she loves. In the poem, the image of the ancestral home stands for the strong support and unconditional love she received from her grandmother. The imagery is personal and beautifully articulates her plight in a loveless marriage. Thus, the old house was for her a place of symbolic retreat to a world of innocence, purity and simplicity, an Edenic world where love and happiness are still possible. 3.2ABOUT THE POET Kamala Das(31 March 1934 – 31 May 2009) Kamala Surayya/ Suraiyya formerly known as Kamala Das, (also known as Kamala Madhavikutty, pen name was Madhavikutty) was a major Indian English poet and littérateur and at the same time a leading Malayalam author from Kerala, India. Her popularity in Kerala is based chiefly on her short stories and autobiography, while her oeuvre in English, written under the name Kamala Das, is noted for the fiery poems and explicit autobiography. Her open and honest treatment of female sexuality, free from any sense of guilt, infused her writing with power, but also marked her as an iconoclast in her generation. On 31 May 2009, aged 75, she died at a hospital in Pune, but has earned considerable respect in recent years. Kamala Das is one of the three most significant Indian poets writing in English today, the other two being Nissim Ezekiel and Ramanujan. Her poetry is all about herself, about her intensely felt desire for love, for emotional involvement, and her failure to achieve such a relationship. In this poem, ‘My Grandmother’s House’ Kamala Das, recalls her ancestral home and her dead grandmother. This poem takes the form of a confession comparing her present broken state with that of being unconditionally loved by her grandmother. An overview of the poem: ‘My Grandmother’s House’ is a nostalgic poem written by Kamala Das (Kamala Surayya). Though it’s a short poem its meaning is vast and wide. The undercurrent of the poem is Kamala Das’s childhood life with her grandmother where she felt more love and peace than she enjoys in her present life. The poem My Grandmother’s House has only 16 lines, very short poem. The opening line tells the readers about her grandmother’s house, where she lived when she was very young. This is a constituent poem of Kamala Das’s maiden publication Summer in Calcutta. Though short, the poem wraps within itself an intriguing sense of nostalgia and uprootedness. In her eternal quest for love in such a loveless‟ world, the poet remembers her grandmother which surfaces some emotions 81 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

long forgotten and buried within her– an ironical expression of her past which is a tragic contrast to her present situation. It is a forcefully moving poem fraught with nostalgia and anguish. Early Life Kamala Das was born in Punnayurkulam, Thrissur District in Kerala, on March 31, 1934, to V. M. Nair, a former managing editor of the widely-circulated Malayalam daily Mathrubhumi, and Nalappatt Balamani Amma, a renowned Malayali poetess. She spent her childhood between Calcutta, where her father was employed as a senior officer in the Walford Transport Company that sold Bentley and Rolls Royce automobiles, and the Nalappatt ancestral home in Punnayurkulam. Like her mother, Kamala Das also excelled in writing. Her love of poetry began at an early age through the influence of her great uncle, Nalappatt Narayana Menon, a prominent writer. At the age of 15, she got married to bank officer Madhava Das, who encouraged her writing interests, and she started writing and publishing both in English and in Malayalam. Calcutta in the 1960s was a tumultous time for the arts, and Kamala Das was one of the many voices that came up and started appearing in cult anthologies along with a generation of Indian English poets. Literary Career She was noted for her many Malayalam short stories as well as many poems written in English. Das was also a syndicated columnist. She once claimed that ‘poetry does not sell in this country [India]’, but her forthright columns, which sounded off on everything from women's issues and child care to politics, were popular. Das' first book of poetry, Summer In Calcutta was a breath of fresh air in Indian English poetry. She wrote chiefly of love, its betrayal, and the consequent anguish. Ms. Das abandoned the certainties offered by an archaic, and somewhat sterile, aestheticism for an independence of mind and body at a time when Indian poets were still governed by ‘19th- century diction, sentiment and romanticised love.’ Her second book of poetry, The descendants was even more explicit, urging women to: ‘Gift him what makes you woman, the scent of Long hair, the musk of sweat between the breasts, The warm shock of menstrual blood, and all your Endless female hungers...’ - The Looking Glass This directness of her voice led to comparisons with Marguerite Duras and Sylvia Plath At the age of 42, she published a daring autobiography, My Story; it was originally written in Malayalam and later she translated it into English. Later she admitted that much of the autobiography had fictional elements. 82 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

Kamala Das wrote on a diverse range of topics, often disparate- from the story of a poor old servant, about the sexual disposition of upper middle-class women living near a metropolitan city or in the middle of the ghetto. Some of her better-known stories include Pakshiyude Manam, Neypayasam, Thanuppu, and Chandana Marangal. She wrote a few novels, out of which Neermathalam Pootha Kalam, which was received favourably by the reading public as well as the critics, stands out. She travelled extensively to read poetry to Germany's University of DuisburgEssen, University of Bonn and University of Duisburg universities, Adelaide Writer's Festival, Frankfurt Book Fair, University of Kingston, Jamaica, Singapore, and South Bank Festival (London), Concordia University (Montreal, Canada), etc. Her works are available in French, Spanish, Russian, German, and Japanese. She has also held positions as Vice chairperson in Kerala Sahitya Academy, chairperson in Kerala forestry Board, President of the Kerala Children's Film Society, editor of Poet magazine and Poetry editor of Illustrated Weekly of India. Although occasionally seen as an attention-grabber in her early years, she is now seen as one of the most formative influences on Indian English poetry. In 2009, The Times called her ‘the mother of modern English Indian poetry’. Conversion to Islam She was born in a conservative Hindu Nair (Nallappattu) family having royal ancestry, After being asked by her lover Sadiq Ali, an Islamic scholar and a Muslim League MP, she embraced Islam in 1999 at the age of 65 and assumed the name Kamala Surayya. After converting, she wrote ‘Life has changed for me since Nov. 14 when a young man named Sadiq Ali walked in to meet me. He is 38 and has a beautiful smile. Afterwards he began to woo me on the phone from Abu Dhabi and Dubai, reciting Urdu couplets and telling me of what he would do to me after our marriage. I took my nurse Mini and went to his place in my car. I stayed with him for three days. There was a sunlit river, some trees, and a lot of laughter. He asked me to become a Muslim which I did on my return home.’ (- Merrily Weisbord) Her conversion was rather controversial, among social and literary circles, with The Hindu calling it part of her ‘histrionics’. She said she liked being behind the protective veil of the purdah. Later, she felt it was not worth it to change one's religion and said ‘I fell in love with a Muslim after my husband's death. He was kind and generous in the beginning. But I now feel one shouldn't change one's religion. It is not worth it.’. Politics 83 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

Though never politically active before, she launched a national political party, Lok Seva Party, aiming asylum to orphaned mothers and promotion of secularism. In 1984 she unsuccessfully contested in the Indian Parliament elections. Personal Life Kamala Das had three sons - M D Nalapat, Chinnen Das and Jayasurya Das. Madhav Das Nalapat, the eldest, is married to Princess Lakshmi Bayi (daughter of. Sri Chembrol Raja Varma Avargal) from the Travancore Royal House. He holds the UNESCO Peace Chair and Professor of geopolitics at the Manipal Academy of Higher Education. He was formerly a resident editor of the Times of India. She had a sexual relationship with Sadiq Ali, an Islamic scholar who was much younger in age. She herself describes her visit to Sadiq Ali's home as follows: ‘I was almost asleep when Sadiq Ali climbed in beside me, holding me, breathing softly, whispering endearments, kissing my face, breasts... and when he entered me, it was the first time I had ever experienced what it was like to feel a man from the inside.’ (- Merrily Weisbord) Womanhood in her Poetry Das' uncanny honesty extends to her exploration of womanhood and love. In her poem ‘An Introduction’ from Summer in Calcutta, the narrator says, ‘I am every/ Woman who seeks love’. Though Amar Dwivedi criticizes Das for this ‘self-imposed and not natural’ universality, this feeling of oneness permeates her poetry. In Das' eyes, womanhood involves certain collective experiences. Indian women, however, do not discuss these experiences in deference to social mores. Das consistently refuses to accept their silence. Feelings of longing and loss are not confined to a private misery. They are invited into the public sphere and acknowledged. Das seems to insist they are normal and have been felt by women across time. In ‘The Maggots’ from the collection, The Descendants, Das corroborates just how old the sufferings of women are. She frames the pain of lost love with ancient Hindu myths. On their last night together, Krishna asks Radha if she is disturbed by his kisses. Radha says, ‘No, not at all, but thought, What is/ It to the corpse if the maggots nip?’. Radha's pain is searing, and her silence is given voice by Das. Furthermore, by making a powerful goddess prey to such thoughts, it serves as a validation for ordinary women to have similar feelings. Eroticism in her Poetry Coupled with her exploration of women's needs is an attention to eroticism. The longing to lose one's self in passionate love is discussed in ‘The Looking Glass’ from The Descendants. The narrator of the poem urges women to give their man ‘what makes you women’. The things which society suggests are dirty or taboo are the very things which the women are supposed to give. The ‘musk of sweat between breasts/ The warm shock of menstrual blood’ should not be hidden from one's beloved. In the narrator's eyes, love should be defined by this type of unconditional honesty. A woman should ‘Stand nude before the glass with him,’ and allow her lover to see her exactly as she is. Likewise, the woman should appreciate even the 84 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

‘fond details’ of her lover, such as ‘the jerky way he/ Urinates’. Even if the woman may have to live ‘Without him’ someday, the narrator does not seem to favor bridling one's passions to protect one's self. A restrained love seems to be no love at all; only a total immersion in love can do justice to this experience. Much like the creators of ancient Tantric art, Das makes no attempt to hide the sensuality of the human form; her work seems to celebrate its joyous potential while acknowledging its concurrent dangers. Feminism Das once said, ‘I always wanted love, and if you don't get it within your home, you stray a little’(Warrior interview). Though some might label Das as ‘a feminist’ for her candor in dealing with women's needs and desires, Das ‘has never tried to identify herself with any particular version of feminist activism’ (Raveendran 52). Das' views can be characterized as ‘a gut response,’ a reaction that, like her poetry, is unfettered by other's notions of right and wrong. Nonetheless, poet Eunice de Souza claims that Das has ‘mapped out the terrain for post-colonial women in social and linguistic terms’. Das has ventured into areas unclaimed by society and provided a point of reference for her colleagues. She has transcended the role of a poet and simply embraced the role of a very honest woman. Death On 31 May 2009, aged 75, she died at a hospital in Pune. Her body was flown to her home state of Kerala. She was buried at the Palayam Juma Masjid at Thiruvanathapuram with full state honour. Awards and other Recognitions Kamala Das has received many awards for her literary contribution, including:  Nominated and shortlisted for Nobel Prize in 1984.  Asian Poetry Prize-1998  Kent Award for English Writing from Asian Countries-1999  Asian World Prize-2000  Ezhuthachan Award-2009  Sahitya Academy Award-2003  Vayalar Award2001  Kerala Sahitya Academy Award-2005  Muttathu Varkey Award 85 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

She was a longtime friend of Canadian writer Merrily Weisbord, who published a memoir of their friendship, The Love Queen of Malabar, in 2010. 2.3ANALYSIS OF ‘MY GRANDMOTHER’S HOUSE’ My Grandmother's House There is a house now far away where once I received love……. That woman died, The house withdrew into silence, snakes moved Among books, I was then too young To read, and my blood turned cold like the moon How often I think of going There, to peer through blind eyes of windows or Just listen to the frozen air, Or in wild despair, pick an armful of Darkness to bring it here to lie Behind my bedroom door like a brooding Dog…you cannot believe, darling, Can you, that I lived in such a house and Was proud and loved…. I who have lost My way and beg now at strangers' doors to Receive love, at least in small change? The poem, ‘My Grandmother’s House’, first appeared in Kamala Das’s first anthology of verse titled Summer Time in Calcutta (1965). It is also an autobiographical poem in which the poet’s longing for her parental house in Malabar is movingly described. She is reminded of the ancestral house where she had received immense love and affection from her grandmother. The poet’s feminine sensibility finds its clearest loveless relationships in it. A note of pessimism runs throughout the action of the poem. It reveals the poet’s painful unfulfilled desire to visit her grandmother’s house to which she is deeply and emotionally attached. The poet is shocked to learn that the house is all in ruin after the death of her grandmother. She suffers in silence due to the wear and tear it has undergone in her absence. A death-like silence reigns in her grandmother’s house. 86 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

Moreover, the intensity of her grief is suggestively conveyed by the ellipsis in the form of a few dots in this section of the poem. It was her disenchantment with her loveless marriage that reminded her of her grandmother’s pure and selfless love. Her heart is itself like a dark window where the fresh air does not blow. The image of the house has stuck to her mind. The poet has also used the similes of a brooding dog to show her inability to pay a visit to her grandmother’s house. She has also used suggestive visual imagery of ‘blind eyes of the windows’ and ‘the frozen air’ to convey the idea of death and desperation. Line by line Analysis Lines 1-5 There is a house now far away where once (…) To read, and my blood turned cold like the moon The poem, ‘My Grandmother’s House’, which can be read in full here, shows Kamala Das’s intense love and attachment to it. She suffers from an acute sense of alienation after having left this place after her marriage. The poet now lives in a big city after her marriage, a remote place from her grandmother’s house. She is reminded of her grandmother’s house where she spent her memorable childhood. Ironically, it is the only place where she received love from her grandmother. The death of the grandmother is even mourned by the house to which she was emotionally attached. A death-like silence reigned in the house after her exit from this world. It seems that the grandmother was the very soul of this house. Being deserted, the snakes could be seen among books in the library of the house. At that point in time, she was too young to read those books which looked quite horrible and repulsive like snakes. She was almost frozen with fear at the passing away of her grandmother and seemed cold like the moon. The very opening lines of the poem capture alive the poet’s mood of nostalgia. She is reminded of the happiest days of her childhood which she spent in the company of her grandmother. She was deeply attached to her grandmother who was very caring and affectionate to her. She was emotionally destabilized after the death of her grandmother and felt almost heart-broken. The intensity of her grief is suggestively conveyed by the ellipse in the form of a few dots in this section of the poem. It was her disenchantment with her loveless marriage that reminded her of her grandmother’s pure and selfless love. Lines 6-12 How often I think of going (…) Dog… 87 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

In the above lines of the poem, ‘My Grandmother’s House’, the poet defines her relationship with her grandmother in a very moving manner. Kamala Das is reminded of the happiest days of her childhood which spent with her grandmother. The poet was deeply attached to her grandmother who was very caring and affectionate to her. She was emotionally shattered after the death of her grandmother who had been the chief source of inspiration in her life. The poet often longs to visit her grandmother’s house to which she was emotionally attached since her childhood. It has been a place of security and protection which is sadly missing in her new house in the city. She would like to peep through the dust-ridden or coloured panes of windows that were shut after the death of the grandmother. She would like to listen and feel the still atmosphere prevailing in the house. It is this longing to revisit her grandmother’s house that adds to her sense of frustration and hopelessness. The darkness of her grandmother’s house can have no terrifying impact on her. She would like to gather some darkness, some memories of the grandmother’s house and bring them to her present city residence. The very memories of her grandmother’s house will have a soothing impact on her loveless and hopeless married life. The poet is in a mood of reminiscence and recreates the plight of the grandmother’s house after her departure from the scene of life. She gives us the very feel of the house in its state of neglect and desertion. The poet has used the simile of a brooding dog to show her inability to pay a visit to her grandmother’s house. She has employed suggestive visual imagery of ‘blind eyes of the windows’ and ‘the frozen air to convey the idea of death and desperation. Lines 12-16 you cannot believe, darling, (…) Receive love, at least in small change? In these lines of ‘My Grandmother’s House’, the poet says how her frustration and disenchantment in the marital life forced her to go into for an extra-marital relationship. The poet often longs to visit her grandmother’s house to which she was emotionally attached since her childhood. Unlike her miserable city life with her husband, it had been a place of security and genuine love for her. Here the poet informs her dead husband that he can never believe the intensity of love that she received from her grandmother. He can never realize that she was extremely proud of her grandmother’s house where she was deeply loved by her grandmother. It is her separation from her grandmother’s house after marriage that has ruined her life forever. It is loveless and hopeless married life that has crippled her sense of pride and love which she used to have in her grandmother’s house. She has become a beggar for love who knocks helplessly at strangers’ doors to receive at least in a small measure. She has almost lost her way in search of genuine and selfless love. 88 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

Kamala Das exposes the futility of loveless and hopeless marital relationships in these five concluding lines of the poem. It shows the agony and humiliation of a married woman who is forced to seek extra-marital relationships to seek love for her emotional satisfaction. It is the mood of nostalgia that dominates the closing phase of the poem. The poet is reminded of her grandmother’s house where received love and safety in her childhood. She has lost all her identity and freedom in her loveless relationship. Kamala Das provides us detailed information regarding the genesis of this poem in Chapter 33 of her Autobiography, My Story. She writes: ‘After the sudden death of my grand - uncle and then that of my dear grandmother the old Nalpat House was locked up and its servants disbanded. The windows were shut, gently as eyes of the dead are shut. My parents took my great grandmother to the house called Sarvodaya where she occupied noiselessly the eastern bedroom on the ground floor, shaded by the tall mango trees through the leaves of which was visible the beloved house. The rats ran across its darkened halls and the white ants raised on its outer walls strange totems of burial.’ The grandmother has been a source of affection and inspiration to the poetess, but her death has rendered her sorrow - stricken and desolate. The house looks totally deserted, now inhabited by snakes and rats. Kamala feels lonely and depressed. During one of her illness - during her nervous breakdown in the noisy city of Bombay - she had taken shelter in Malabar and nursed back to perfect health by her anxious grandmother, but, alas, she is now no more alive. The expression 'blind eyes of windows' and 'the frozen air' reinforce the idea of death and desperation. The grandmother's house is associated with an impenetrable sense of security and protection, which is now missing in her married life. Even the 'darkness' of the grandmother's house was secure for her instead of terror or violence. Kamala Das rather wants that darkness to be lifted bodily and shifted to her new married home flooded with light (but with no security). She expresses this feeling of hers through an evocative image: ‘Pick an armful of Darkness to bring it here to lie Behind n\\my bedroom door like a brooding Dog …’ A 'dog' is a trusted companion keeping an unerring eye on the door to scare away the strangers and the enemies and to safeguard the inmates with all main and might. The last few lines are addressed to the 'darling', i.e., her husband. Kamala Das tells him that: ‘I lived in such a house and Was proud, and loved …’ 89 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

How nostalgic and pathetic these lines are! The sense of pride and love she once had in the house of her grandmother is now no more her property, since she has become a beggar for love who knocks helplessly at strangers' doors to receive it at least in a small measure. She has lost her way in quest of true love. This situation is in utter contrast to her previous life lived in the soothing company of her grandmother. Kamala Das tells us that she has often remembered her with a sense of nostalgia and beggarliness. That her present life is sans love, sans pride, is emphatically conveyed by her begging for love at 'strangers' doors. There can possibly be no worse pathetic situation for a married woman than this. 3.4THEMES Kamala Das is indeed an iconoclast who has asserted her identity on the firmament of Indian English Poetry by her honest and candid poetic lines that breaks the hypocritical veneer of man-woman relationship in traditional Indian society. Her poetry is indeed a celebration of the universal experience of the self, love, despair, anguish, failure and disgust against the traditional mode of gender manifestation apprehended through a feminine Indian awareness. Her poems have a self-affirming way of life for the female protagonist as an intelligent, self- aware, confident and integrated personality with the aptitude and ability to live life on her own terms. Kamala Das appeals, in poem after poem, for a love beyond the body, or what she calls ‘’ the skin’s lazy hungers’’. The husband’s/ lover’s arms reaching out to embrace are described as ‘carnivorous plants.’ While a lot of her poetry is about love and sexuality, her treatment of these themes is unconventional and goes against traditional modes. Thus, her poetry is filled not with the images of beauty but with the images of dead yellow skin, the slack mouth of an old man, or the body as burden she has to carry. Thus, she writes in A Request:- When I die Do not throw the meat and bones away But pile them up And Let them tell By their smell What life was worth On this earth What love was worth In the end. 3.4.1 Reminiscence 90 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

The poem is reminiscent of the poet’s grandma and her ancestral home in Malabar, Kerala. Her memory of the love she had received from her grandma is associated with the image of her ancestral home, where she had spent some of the happiest days of her life, and where her old grandma had showered her love and affection. The house withdrew into silence with the death of her grandma. When her grandma died, even the house seemed to share her sorrow, which is poignantly reflected in the sentence ‘the House withdrew’. The house soon became desolate, and the snakes crawled through the books. Her blood was cold like the moon because there was no one to love her the way she wanted to. The poet now lives in another city, a long distance away from her grandmother’s house. But the memories of her ancestral house make her sad. She is almost heart broken. The intensity of her emotions is shown by the ellipses in the form of a few dots. Now, in another city, living another life, she longs to go back. She understands that she cannot reclaim the past, but she wants to go back home, look once again through its windows, and bring back a handful of darkness – sad and painful memories, which she would have made her constant companion, to keep as a reminder of her past happiness. The poet is unable to proceed with her thoughts for some time as is indicated by the ellipses (dots). The poet is now choked with the intensity of his sorrow. She yearns for love like a beggar going from one door to another asking for a little change of love. Her desire for affection and acceptance is not met in marriage, and she follows strangers for love, at least in limited amounts. But even in small changes or coins, she doesn’t get it. Her love-hunger remains unsatisfied, and there is a great loneliness, a void inside her, she tries to fill herself with love, but in vain. The window image is a connection between the past and the present. It means the poet’s urge for a nostalgic peep into his history and to revive his dreams and desires. 3.4.2 Desire To escape from the unpleasant reality of her married life, the poet compares her present life with her childhood days and present life and finds her childhood days are much better than her present. Therefore, the speaker often wishes to go back to her grandmother’s house because she wants to vitalize her mind and life. It is memories of beautiful old days of the past which she wants to keep remembering to conceal her harsh reality. This manifests that she is not happy with her present and she needs psychological company. Therefore, the speaker is so nostalgic about her grandmother’s house. The fact of thinking often about the house suggests that Das was not happy in her married life. While she remembers the past days, she says probably to her husband that she lived in such a house where she has received love and she is proud to say that. 91 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

Unfortunately, now she has lost love from her life, and she is in search of love. In her quest for love, she begs strangers to receive love and compels her to pursue clandestine relationships at least for a little love. If her appetite is psychological then she would not need any strangers. Since it was her instinctual need therefore, she needed someone. The use of the word love as in ‘I received love…….’, ‘Was proud, and loved….’ and ‘to/ Receive love’ in the poem shows her tireless pursuit of love in her life. If it was not for her ‘id’ then she would not beg strangers for exchange of love. If it was only a psychological need, she would have thought about some other psychological relief. It is more of an instinctual need than a psychological need. So, it can be said that under the veil of grandmother’s memories it reveals her quest to quench her thirst of sexual appetite. 3.4.3 Begging For Love Published in 1965 in Summer in Calcutta, the poem, consisting of sixteen lines, is a sustained description of the sense of security of a grandmother’s house at Malabar in Kerala where the self of the poetess attains some sort of integrity. Here the poetess, though somewhat lonely, is free to dream her own fantasies, her desires to be connected to a more interesting world. The memory of love which she received from her grandmother is associated with the image of her ancestral home, where she had passed some of her happiest days in her life, and where her old grandmother had showered her love and affection to her. As the poetess now lives in another city, a long distance away from her grandmother’s house, the memories of her ancestral house make her sad. So, the poem springs from the poetess’s own disillusionment with her expectation of unconditional love from the one she loves, and the image of the ancestral home stands for the strong support she received from her grandmother. According to Kamala Das, the grandmother’s house is singular in the sense that it was filled with the all-pervading presence of her grandmother. But after the death of the grandmother, the house had become an isolated and remote entity, echoed by the phrase ‘far away.’ When the grandmother died, even the house seemed to share her grief, which is poignantly expressed in the phrase ‘’ the House withdrew.’’ The poetess asserts that with the death of her grandmother, silence began to sink into the house. Her blood became cold like the ‘moon’ because there was none to love her the way she wanted. Kamala Das, at that juncture, was small enough to read books. But she was emotional enough to understand the true meaning of love. After the death of her grandmother, the worms on the books seemed like snakes, in keeping with the eeriness of the situation. Kamala Das also asserts that the deserted house looked like a desert, with reptiles crawling over here and there. She now longs to ‘peer’ at the house that was once her own. She has to peer through the ‘blind eyes’ of the windows as the windows are now permanently closed. The air is frozen now, as contrasted to the situation when the grandmother was alive. Although the poetess pleads with us to ‘listen’ to the ‘frozen’ air, it is just a case of impossibility. Neither is the air a visual medium, nor can air 92 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

cause any displacement because it is ‘frozen.’ In wild despair, she longs to bring in ‘’an armful of darkness.’’ Here, the word ‘darkness’ has a positive connotation of a protective shadow. It also reflects the comfort inside the room. This ‘’armful of darkness’’ is the essence of her nostalgia. With this piece of darkness, she can lie down for hours like a brooding dog behind the door, lost in contemplation. The speaker claims that in her quest for love, she has now become wayward. Ironically, she addresses her husband as ‘’darling’’ and talks of the lack of love in her life in the same breath and tone. As she is now suffering with the intensity of grief, her pursuit of love has driven her to the doors of strangers to receive love at least in the form of ‘a tip.’ She hankers for love like a beggar going from one door to another asking for love in small change. But she does not get it even in small change or coins. Previously, she was ‘proud’ as she did not have to compromise on her self-respect. But now she has to move in the maze of male monopolistic chauvinism and beg for love in the form of change. But her love-hunger remains unsatisfied, and there is a big void, a blank within her, she seeks to fill up with love but of no avail. So, the entire texture of the poem makes it clear that Kamala Das’ grandmother was indeed an embodiment of unconditional love. As one go through the text in an intense manner, one cannot miss the dominant tone of despair and suffering or what Keats calls ‘the fever and fret’ of the poetess’s own personal life. Kamala Das has also provided the detailed information regarding her experiences in her autobiography, My Story, in which she writes—‘’ After the sudden death of my grand-uncle and that of my dear grandmother the old Nalapat House was locked up and its servants disbanded. The windows were shut, gently as the eyes of the dead are shut. My parents took my great grandmother to the house called Sarvodaya where she occupied noiselessly the eastern bedroom on the ground floor, shaded by the tall mango trees through the leaves of which was visible the old beloved house. The rats ran across its darkened halls and the white ants are raised on its outer walls...’’. The reason behind the intensity of love which the speaker feels for her late grandmother lies in the dichotomy between past and present. If the past was idyllic to the speaker, the present is characterised by lack of love and hypocrisy. As the ‘grandmother’ represents the time gone by, a time marked by love and innocence, the speaker fails to reconcile herself with the present time, and above all, comes to the realisation that she has lost her way for ever. In other words, the sense of belonging seems to have been replaced by a sense of being an outsider. That the speaker’s perception has undergone a radical change can also be justified from the lexical point of view. While in the beginning of the poem the use of the word ‘’house’’ has a sense of cordial reception, the use of the word ‘’door’’ towards the end of the poem represents a barrier to gain an entry into the house. In such a scenario, when there is a clear conflict between past and present, the speaker’s quest for true love and her nostalgic appreciation of the past seems to be really touching and endearing. 3.5CRITICAL ANALYSIS 93 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

Kamala Das, a unique voice in Indian English poetry, is the multi-layered dimensions of matter and manner in her poems make her a significant personality in feminist literature. She was born in 1934 in Malabar, Kerala. Her mother, Balamani Amma was a renowned poet in Malayalam. Kamala Das was trained in the traditional art of decoration, performing rituals at Nalapat house in Malabar. She went to a convent school in Calcutta. These traditional and literary knowledge at Nalapat house and modern and western knowledge at Calcutta—shaped the psyche of the growing child. She was married to Das at the age of fifteen, so that she could never adjust well married life in spite of her husband being kind and liberal to her. She was educated both in Kerala and Calcutta. It was during her long stay in Calcutta that she acquired proficiency in English. She started her poetic journey through Summer in Calcutta in 1965 which was followed by The Descendants in 1967 and the last one The old playhouse and the other poems in 1973. She was honoured by the Sahitya Academy for her work Tanuppu in Malayalam. Her poems first appeared in the Indian P.E.N. in 1965. She won the poetry prize of the Asian Anthology Volume in 1963 and was a frequent nominee for the Noble Prize. She wrote her autobiography in Malayalam which later published in English with the title My Story. Nostalgic Element in Kamala Das Poetry Kamala Das is known for her confessional mode of writing, her treatment of love theme as a unique manner and a poetess of extreme feminine sensibility. She started to write poetry at that time when personal experiences took the place of colonial and nationalist themes in English poetry by Indian women. After the soft and soothing strains of Toru Dutt and Sarojini Naidu, the offensive individualism of Kamala Das appears as a shock. She is considered as a subjective poet and her poems are ‘products of uncontrolled emotions’. She was always in search for the perfect masculine being and each encounter with the male-the husband or the lover in discovering the meaning of true love and finally the frustration and disappointment resulting from the repeated failures of such experiments. To get relief from the frustration, she turns to her past memories where she got ideal love as a child. She showed her nostalgic element in her poems My Grandmother’s House and A Hot Noon in Malabar which first appeared in Summer in Calcutta in 1965. Kamala Das’ past and the present are contrasted. The present time is in no way worth-living and the past is inspiring and the memory is worth- retaining. When she thinks of her past and her present life, she thinks that how fast the time goes, today my grandmother is no more, and I can’t see her again. Nostalgia means remembering our past or childhood. Indian poetess recalls her dead grandmother in the poem My Grandmother’s House. This poem takes the form of a confession comparing her present broken state with that of being unconditionally loved by her grandmother. An unconditional love expects nothing and expresses everything. In reality, the love of grandparents towards grandchildren is unconditional and incomparable. Kamala Das belonged to a traditional Nair family and was married at the age of fifteen. After marriage, she remembers her childhood days which she spent at her grandmother’s house. 94 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

With the death of her grandmother the house withdrew into silence. She recalls that she spent her childhood in that house where she received unconditional and pure love by her grandmother. She was the loving granddaughter and felt very close to her and also felt safe and happy. In a nostalgic mood, she reminds all the incidents which she spent in that particular place. But suddenly, she comes in the present and thought that now grandmother has passed away and that house has gone in silence where snakes moved on books racks. The worms on the books seem like snakes at that moment, in comparison to the size of the little girl; and in keeping with the eeriness of the situation. The poetess also implies that the deserted house is like a desert with reptiles crawling over. There were many books at her grandmother’s house, but at that time Kamala Das was very young to read those books means at such initial stage she neither understand the importance of books nor the significance of the written material in those books. Her blood became cold like the moon because there was none to love her the way she wanted. Kamala Das, the most prominent feminist voice in the postcolonial era, has created a permanent place for herself in Indian Writing in English. The poem My Grand Mother’s House is a lyric that reveals her nostalgic yearning for her family home in Malabar where she had spent some of the happiest days of her life with her grandmother. The poem first appeared in Kamala Das’s first anthology of verses titled Summer Time in Calcutta. Kamala Das then lived in a city, far away from her grandmother’s place. Here she suffered from an acute sense of alienation after having left grandmother’s place after her marriage. She remembered the days she spent in her grandmother’s house and the love and affection showed by her. The memory makes her sad and she says … ‘There is a house now far away where once I received love…… that woman died.’ She was reminded of her grandmother’s house where she spent her memorable childhood. It was the only place where she could receive love from her grandmother. She became emotional and suffered intense agony. After the death of her grandmother, the poet says that even the House was filled with grief, and she accepted the seclusion with resignation. Only dead silence haunted the House, feeling of desolation wandering throughout. Kamala Das was too young to read the books at that time. The books in the house seemed to her as horrible as snakes and her blood turned cold like the moon. ‘The house withdrew into silence, snakes moved Among books, I was then too young To read, and my blood turned cold like the moon’ Since then, the poetess was thinking of going to her grandmother’s house again. She had a strong desire to be in there and wanted to look through the windows of the house. She called the windows blind because there was no one in the house to look through the windows. She wanted to sit there alone and listened to the blowing of the cold winter wind. Her heart was itself like a dark window where the fresh air did not blow. 95 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

There, to peer through blind eyes of windows or Just listen to the frozen air.’ Kamala Das told her darling that it would be difficult for him to believe that she had lived in such a wonderful house. She loved it so much that she was proud of it. Now the love shown by her grandmother was not there for her. So, she had been requesting even the strangers to show at least some of their love on her. But her wish remained unfulfilled. The failure of love and the birth of poetry were related to each other in Kamala Das. Her intimacy with her husband was purely physical. Under such circumstances love degraded into lust and savage condition. So, she had been begging strangers to show true love to her like her grandmother who shared her love and affection for Kamala Das. ‘You cannot believe, darling, Can you, that I lived in such a house and Was proud, and loved… I who have lost My way and beg now at strangers' doors to Receive love, at least in small change?’ Kamala Das sums up the poem saying that it is, to some extent, difficult for anyone to believe that she once lived in such a house filled with love and affection and was so loved by all and she lived her life with full pride. It is also to hard believe for everyone that her world once filled with happiness is a sharp contrast to her present situation where she is completely devoid of love and pride. She says that in her desperate quest for love, she has lost her way. Since she didn’t receive any feelings of love from the people whom she called her own, she now has to knock ‘at strangers' doors’ and beg them for love, if not in substantial amounts, then at least in small measure. 3.6SUMMARY  “My Grandmother’s House” is a nostalgic poem written by Kamala Das (Kamala Surayya). Though it’s a short poem its meaning is vast and wide. The undercurrent of the poem is Kamala Das’s childhood life with her grandmother where she felt more love and peace than she enjoys in her present life.  The poem My Grandmother’s House has only 16 lines, very short poem. The opening line tells the readers about her grandmother’s house, where she lived when she was very young. This is a constituent poem of Kamala Das’s maiden publication Summer in Calcutta.  Though short, the poem wraps within itself an intriguing sense of nostalgia and uprootedness. In her eternal quest for love in such a loveless‟ world, the poet remembers her grandmother which surfaces some emotions long forgotten and buried 96 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

within her– an ironical expression of her past which is a tragic contrast to her present situation. It is a forcefully moving poem fraught with nostalgia and anguish.  'My Grandmother's House' reflects the pleasant memories of Kamala Das at her ancestral house of her dear grandmother.  She cherishes those warm days even after years to such an extent that the memory itself makes her nostalgic. She also confesses that it was the only place where she received unconditional love.  The poet also shows the ironical contrast between her past and present and says that her present has been so tormenting that even the Darkness of the House that is bathed in Death does not horrify her anymore and it is a rather comforting companion for her in the present state of trials. The poets says that she would gladly (“in wild despair”) pick up a handful of Darkness from the House and bring it back to her home to “lie behind my bedroom door” so that the memories of the Old House and its comforting darkness, a rather ironical expression, might fill assurance and happiness in her present life.  She wraps up the poem saying that it is hard for one to believe that she once lived in such a house and was so loved by all and lived her life with pride. That her world was once filled with happiness is a sharp contrast to her present situation where she is completely devoid of love and pride. She says that in her desperate quest for love, she has lost her way; since she didn’t receive any feelings of love from the people whom she called her own, she now has to knock “at strangers’ doors” and beg them for love, if not in substantial amounts, then at least in small change i.e., in little measure at least.  The poet has intensified the emotions of nostalgia and anguish by presenting a contrast between her childhood and her grown-up stages. The fullness of the distant and absence and the emptiness of the near and the present give the poem its poignancy. The images of “snakes moving among books”, blood turning “cold like the moon”, “blind eyes of window”, “frozen air” ‟evoke a sense of death and despair. The house itself becomes a symbol of a cradle of love and joy. The escape, the poetic retreat, is in fact, the poet’s own manner of suggesting the hopelessness of her present situation. Her yearning for the house is a symbolic retreat to a world of innocence, purity and simplicity  It also highlights her quest for true love, but she is not successful in locating it. 'The Old Playhouse' is a poem which deals about the poetess' own autobiographical experiences.  The poem highlights frustration of her married life. 97 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

 The poem, which was first published in 'The Illustrated Weekly of India', is a strong indictment against injurious male behaviour.  It protests against the manner of treatment meted out to her by her own man.  She also highlights the injustices levied upon her as a wife and the sufferings she has undergone. Also, she regrets her lost freedom. 3.7KEYWORDS  Withdrew into Silence - Sank into Silence  Turned Cold Like the Moon - Became Very Chilly, Like the Moon.  Blind Eyes of Windows - Colored Curtains orWindowpanes.  A Brooding Dog - Is A Visual Image ofa Watchful and Wary Sentinel.  Tame - Spiritless  Raw - In A Natural State  Urge - Strong Desire  Shallow - Of Little Depth (Not Serious)  Convulsions - Violent Irregular Movement of Body Caused by Contraction of Muscles  Dribble (Of Liquid) - Flow Drop by Drop or In a Slow Trickle  Spittle - Spit  Nook - Inside Corner  Cranny - Small Crack or Hole  Embalm - Prevent (A Corpse) From Decaying by Using Spices andChemicals, Fill with Fragrance  Cower - Lower the Body, Crouch in Fear  Mumble - Speak Indistinctly  Pall - Become Distasteful or Uninteresting  Pervasive - Tending to Spread Through; Get into Every Part Of  Playhouse - Theatre (Also, A Child's Toy House)  Lethal - Causing Death  Saccharine - Extremely sweet substance from coal - tar. 98 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

 Narcissus - A youth in classical mythology who fell in love with his own image reflected in a pool and wasted away from unsatisfied desire, whereupon he was transformed into a flower. 3.8LEARNING ACTIVITY 1. To whom is the poem addressed? ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 2. Why does the poetess miss her grandmother? ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 3.9UNIT END QUESTIONS A. Descriptive Questions Short Questions 1. What is Kamala Das' profession? 2. Name one more poem by Kamala Das where she fondly cherishes her childhood memories? 3. Name the poetess' grandmother's house? 4. Which expressions reinforce the idea of desperation? 5. Which feeling does the poetess miss in her married life? Long Questions 1. Why has the poetess become a beggar for love? 2. How is the present life of the poetess? 3. Why is the poetess suffering in her husband's company? 4. Which duties are assigned to the poetess as a wife? 5. How is the language of the poem? B. Multiple Choice Questions 99 1. Who has composed My Grandmother's House? a. Kamala Das CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)

b. John Donne 100 c. John Keats d. D.H. Lawrence 2. Whose collection of poems is Summer in Kolkata? a. Kamala Das b. keki N.Daruwala c. D.H. Lawrence d. John keata 3. When was Kamala Das born in? a. 1933 b. 1934 c. 1935 d. 1936 4. Which figure of speech has been used in ' my Grandmother's House? a. Metathore b. Personification c. Epic simile d. Simile 5. What is the speaker of 'my Grandmother's House' is proud of? a. Her parent's house b. Her grandmother's house c. Her uncle's house d. None of these Answers 1-a, 2-a, 3-b, 4-d, 5-b. 3.10REFERENCES References:  Dwivedi, A.N. 1983 Kamala Das and her Poetry. Delhi: Doaba House. CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)