Tughlaq : Girish Karnad

     

       Girish Karnad, an actor and a film director is originally a Kannada dramatist, who has written many plays such as ‘Yayati’, ‘Hayavadana’, and ‘Tughlaq’.

      Karnad has successfully translated ‘Tughlaq’ and ‘Hayavadana’ in English. Girish Karnad is one of the greatest living dramatists in the India; he is a person with a versatile genius he has not only acted in theatre but also in first movies.

      Karnad has a great insight into human nature and he is well aware with the paradox in human nature. He implies mythical, historical and folk themes as the skeleton of his play, but he identifies that with contemporary elements and themes.

Tughlaq

       

       ‘Tughlaq’ is Karnad’s second play written in 1964; the play was originally written in Kannada and then translated in Kannada by Karnad himself. It is all about the life of Sultan Muhammad bin Tughlaq who has ruled in India in 14^th century. There is a lot of controversy among the historians about the character of Tughlaq but Karnad has presented this man as a man of opposites. The central theme of the play is the complexity in the character of Sultan Tughlaq, who has both the elements good as well as evil. He is a visionary man as well as man of action. Other characters also present Tughlaq’s dual personality; his close associates Barani and the scholarly historian Najib are practical politician like him.

       

        From the very first scene we come to know about the complex personality of Tughlaq, he can be considered as a learnt and an intelligent man. He has abilities to learn and curiosity to know and he is master in playing chess, he has the knowledge of ‘ Quran ’ more than any sheikh, and also a good reader who has read Greek, farcical and Arabic literature. Tughlaq wanted his life as a garden of roses, where even thrones also give delight; his imagination expresses his sense about literature.

      The character of sultan Tughlaq can be compared with Christopher Marlow’s “Dr. Faustus” who has same hunger of knowledge and he had a tragic end and same tragic end Tughlaq has also faced. He wanted to make a new India, and for him it was very difficult but he is ready to explain what people don’t understand,