Tradition of Indian drama is very old--Comment /
Explain Sanskrit drama in the Indian context ---
The tradition of Indian drama is very old. It goes back to the Sanskrit Drama of ancient India and encompasses contemporary Indian theatre in Hindi, English and the regional languages. Modern Indian drama is influenced not only by classical Sanskrit drama or folk drama but also by Western theatre following the establishment of British rule in India. Sanskrit Drama: Sanskrit drama flourished in ancient India and produced Bharata's Natyashastra, the great treatise on all aspects of drama. Bharata's comparable in range and scope to Ariștotle's Poetics. In the Poetics, Aristotle prioritises tragedy as a higher art form as opposed to comedy. But in classical Sanskrit drama, there cannot be tragic end. This is because of the Hindu worldview which considers the word a 'maya' or an 'illusion' and death not a final end, but a release of the soul into higher forms of being - an event to be celebrated rather than lamented. So you will find no tragedies in Sanskrit drama. People in the West first heard of Kalidasa's Shakuntala (circa 5th century) when Sir William Jones translated it into English in 1789. His excellent translation brought Sanskrit drama to the attention of the Western world. Goethe (1749-1832), the German writer was so impressed that he borrowed the convention of the Prologue from Shakuntala and used it in his own play Faust.
Kalidas, however, was not the only playwright that ancient India produced. In the Hindu period of the first nine centuries, we have three kings Shudraka, Harsha and Visakadatta who wrote plays that now form part of our great cultural heritage. Shudraka (circa 4 AD) wrote the famous Mrichkattakam or The Little Clay Cart which features regularly in contemporary drama festivals as Mitti Ki Gadi. The Little Clay Cart is a social play. Vasantasena the beautiful courtesan loves Charudatta a noble Brahman who is already married. Sansthanaka, the brother-in-law of the king tries to make overtures to the courtesan who repulses him. His wicked schemes to implicate Charudatta in Vasantasena alleged murder come to nought as Aryaka a shepherd rebel overthrows the king and sets both Charudatta and Vasantasena free to marry and live a happy life. Vishakhadatta wrote the powerful play Mudraraksasa (Raksasa captured through the Signet Ring). The play deals with two rival ministers Chanakya and Raksasa. Chanakya represents intelligence and intrigue whereas Raksasa is a man of noble ideals and integrity. The play gives us an insight into the minds of power- hungry politicians. Bhasa wrote 134 plays comprising monologues, one-act plays and six-act dramas. His masterpiece is Swapana -
Vasavadatta (Vasavadatta Seen in a Dream). The story is about King Udayana who is torn between his love or his wife Vasavadatta and the political necessity of marrying Padmavati, the daughter of a neighbouring king. Harsha's (7th century) best-known play is Ratnavai. Ratnavai is somewhat similar in plot to Swapana – Vasavadatta. Sanskrit drama was eclipsed with the advent of the Mohammedans in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Sanskrit drama, with its ornate language, was addressed to sophisticated courtiers. Moreover, it has many rules and regulations such as there could be no tragic end, no violent or repulsive act could be depicted on stage, the hero and heroine had both to be charming and noble, the jester had to be greedy and fat. As opposed to this, folk theatre with its flexible and free form has changed, developed and adjusted itself to the changing social conditions reflecting the lives of the people. A Natyashastra:
In the West, Aristotle's (4th century BC) Poetics is taken as a basic classic that states the principles of poetry in general, and gives a more detailed account of the epic and tragedy. In India, Bharata Muni's Natyashtra (circa 200 BC to AD 200) is regarded as a comprehensive book that discusses all aspects of dramaturgy. Not only does it touch upon production and direction, but it also deals with make-up, costumes, jewellery, movements of the eyes, neck, as well as body postures. This exhaustive study is directed at the playwright, director and actor Decause these three were considered inseparable in drama. Sanskrit plays began with a ritual of music and dance performed on stage. The Sutradhara or stage manager dressed in white came in with two assistants and offered homage to the presiding deity at the centre of the stage by scattering flowers and sprinkling water. This was not only an appeal to the deity for the success of the performance but also helped to create an atmosphere of austerity. Then the Sutradhara called the leading actress and opened the play with a prologue that announced the time and place of the action. For example, Balwant Gargi in his book Theatre in India (1962) tells us how Shakuntala begins: Sutradhara: Our audience is very discriminating and we are to offer them a new play, called Shakuntala, written by the famous Kalidasa. Every member of the cast must be on his mettle. Actress: Your arrangements are perfect. Nothing will go wrong. The Sutradhar not only introduced the play but took one of the chief roles as well, In fact, we shall see the Sutradhar assuming different roles in Ghashiram Kotwal. The Sutradhar provides a link between the different episodes in the play. Another stock character in Sanskrit drama is the clown or Vidushaka. Both the Sutradhar and the Vidushaka are found in folk theatre. Four Kinds of representations: In Sanskrit drama, an actor expresses himself through four kinds of abhinaya. These abinayas are as follows:
Angika: Representation of action physically by moving hands, fingers, lips, neck and feet.
Vacika: Expression through speech, song, intonation to evoke various sentiments in the audience. Aharya: Use of specific costumes and make-up. Sattvika: This is the most important of the four representations. The actor must feel the role and the emotion that he is to convey. This emotion is the bhava which has to be expressed in such a way so as to convey the rasa (taste or flavour) to the spectator. Rasa literally means 'taste' or 'flavour' and is an important concept in Hindu drama.
0 Comments