Character sketch of Mahendranath in play Halfway House

--Mahendranath is the second most important character, after Savitri, and without his presence, the situation that is in the play would not have arisen. Aged about fifty, Mahendranath is the husband of Savitri and father of three grown-up children-Ashok about twenty-one, Binni about twenty and Kinni about thirteen. When he appears before us in the beginning of the first act, he seems to be 'totally subjugated', 'put off by his wife's men friends', dependent on Juneja, and taunted by his wife for not being at home when she arrived home from work. His wife is employed while he is out of work and so his condition in the family is pitiable. He appears abject and sort of guilty before his wife. Not only his wife have even his children ignored him. Only Ashok has some sympathy for him. However, sometimes his male assertiveness raises its head. Mahendranath is a failure in life and undergoes an experience of metaphysical death.

This is why he complains that nobody cares for him or respects him in the house and that he is used as a 'mere stamp of respectability'. He says sadly and angrily, "I am of no use, of no use at all. I'm only an idler... to be kicked and bullied just as you please. Can anyone tell me why I should stay here?" Savitri criticises him for not having been practical in his business partnership with Juneja in the past. She complains that he was made to invest some money in a company with his partner Juneja but ultimately put to great loss though Juneja had his usual profits. In this way, being an economic non-entity in the family makes him suffer from a feeling of estrangement. "I am responsible for ruining my life, your life, all our lives! And Istill stick to this house, because I'm a parasite, because Ilike living off my wife." He suffers from a feeling of constant humiliation. In the words of Basavaraj Naikar,

"One may easily notice the irony involved in his name. 'Mahendra' which means the Great Lord Indra, the mythical god known for wealth, luxury and glory provides a sharp contrast to Mahendranath who is known for his utter poverty, humiliation and helplessness".

Mahendranath's wife Savitri is a very ambitious woman who wants her husband to be strong in mind and body, successful in his business, earn a lot of money for the family, and be a glamorous person. Therefore, she complains that Mahendranath has no personality or strength of character or self-confidence. She says to Juneja,

"Let me tell you about the reality I know. Why does one get married? In order to fulfil a need... an inner... void, if you like; to be self-sufficient... complete. But that's not why Mahendra got married! The object of his existence is... as if... he were there only to fill in the gaps in the lives of others."

Savitri further condemns Mahendranath and says that he is not a man, not even half-a-man, and marriage does not mean anything to him. She says that to him marriage is a hanger on or something to fill inner void. Then she proceeds to narrate the events when she was treated by Mahendranath most miserably. Earlier Binni also narrated to Juneja some horrible scenes of beating of Savitri by Mahendranath and of pulling her hair on many occasions.

To quote Binni's Words:

"Daddy's rages when he tore Mama's clothes to shreds... when he gagged her and beat her up behind closed doors... dragging her by the hair to the WC.. (shudders) I can't even recount the fearful scenes I have witnessed in this house!"

Thus, Mahendranath is being painted by the mother and the daughter in demonic colours but the picture is incomplete as it never mentions the strong provocations to require such a drastic s step. However, as Girish Rastogi writes,

"the play never dramatises the abject-yet-demonic aspects of his character. We come to know of it only from the speeches of Savitri, which is not the best way to reveal character Besides this, the portrait of Mahendra that Savitri draws is that of a slim and harsh man that generates hatred and aversion. But on the other hand for Juneja 'he is like any other man', and his words evoke sympathy for Mahendra. There seems to be no consonance between the two, and Mahendra seems to be fragmented into bits. Besides, it seems strange that others should 'explain' him. Why is he not himself able to create a clear picture before the reader-audience? As we have asked before, why is he so vexed by Savitri? Is it because of what he believes to be her illicit relations with other men? Or is it simply because his self-respect has been destroyed in that he was once the head of the household but now is ignored, rejected by all, dependent on others. Undoubtedly, the playwright has given us no clear clues. This is an important question for the dramatic meaning and for the truth of character to be established; it should have been dealt with greater care."

D.K. Basu also dwells upon this demonic side of Mahendranath's character. He writes,

"Mahendranath beating his wife and children is emphatically reported, but from all appearance it is a matter of the past. Or, are there bouts of temporary insanity? What we see is that it is the wife who beats one child, violently sneers at another (by lisping sarcastically), and generally browbeats the husband. It is reported that Mahendranath lives for his friends, is surrounded by them. Yet, of the three outsiders who come to the house, two come to seek Savitri. The general impression from other reported details is that when people came here earlier also, they all came for Savitri. One wonders when was the time Mahendranath kept asking his wife to present herself to his friends in his desired manner. At the moment it is Savitri who is asking her husband to stay back home because her boss has condescended to come. She is the one who complains that both her husband and her son fail to behave when Singhania comes to their house. Has everything then changed to its opposite over the years? Or, 15 a big change consequent on Savitri's becoming the only bread-earner? But Savitri, angry, sarcastic, bitter, complaining, sometimes nasty, does not make a major issue of this fact. It would have been the most logical thing for he to remind him of it testily and frequently, given her general mood. Yet, sne does not do so. Why?"

Towards the end of the play, Mahendranath shocks even Juneja by to the house when only a few minutes before Juneja was asserting Suruina that Mahendranath 'won't come back'.