UNIT 26 DRAMATIC TECHNIQUES

Structure
26.0 Objectives
26.1 Introduction
26.2 Language and Style
26.3 Dramatic Techniques
26.3.1 Music and Dance

26 3 2 The Human Wall

26.3.3 The Use of Folk Forms

26.4 Let Us Sum Up

26.5 Suggested Readings
26.6 Answers to Exercises

26.0 OBJECTIVES
After reading this Unit carehlly, you will be able to: 3

outline Tendulkar's use of language and style;

discuss the different dramatic techniques used by Tendulkar;
outline the special theatrical effects projected by the human wall;
explain how song and dance taken from Indian folk forms create a special
blend of the old and new in this play.

26.1 JNTRODUCTION
This is the last Unit in your Block and it also happens to be the last one of the
course. You have read one-act plays, three-act plays as well as longer plays like
Shakespeare's 5-act Julius Caesar. Ghashirarn K o t ~ ~ aisl not divided into the
conventional demarcations of act aild scene. Nor is it as long as Julius Cuesur. But
it has two parts separated by an interval. The scenes change smoothly, orchestrated
and directed by the subtle commentary of the Sutradhar and the configuration of the
human wall that arranges and re-arranges itself on stage. As such there is no need
for a curtain that is usually required in a conventional performance. While reading
the play, you must have noticed the innovative techniques used by Tendulkar. It
would seein that d ~ director's
e task is easy for the variations and dramatic effects
seem to be inbuilt.
So far, we have given you a brief introduction to Indian theatre in general and
Marathi theatre in particular in the first unit. We also read about the Life and works
of Tendulkar. Then we discussed the background of the play, i.e. the historical
situation and the people on whom it is based as well as the central theme of power
and how it is constructed in a society interested in maintaining the status quo. By
this we mean the hierarchies of class, caste and gender by which some dominate
and oppress others. In this Unit, we shall take up questions relating to form - i.e.
techniques by which the playwright effectively communicates his vision. In short,
how and by which methods the theme is expressed.
38
 First we sliall discuss the use of language and style, and the other draniatic techniques Dramatic rechni
b) which Tvndulkar achieves liis ends.
Please cornplete tlie exercises we have prepared for you. Remember that in literature
there can be more than one interpretation. As such you may come up with a I j - t , . i :
I response to the play which may be different from ours. Please read the play as :vaSi
the discussion carefully and critically so that you are able to decide for yourself
\vhetIier you agreeldisagree witli tlie points being made and whether you have
alternative readings to propose.
r
26.2 LANGUAGE AND STYLE
t
We are often told: 'Style is the man himself'. And every literary piece carries the
particular stamp of the specific idiorn of the writer. For example, we can say that
the style of one playwright is different from the style of another. For example, the
style of Shakespeare is different from that of Shaw. But in a play the writer is
speaking through the person of the different characters. And so the style has to
vary according to the personality of the character. In fact an educated person
speaks differently from an uneducated one. In short, each person has hislherlown
style of speaking. And the success of a playwright lies in the extent to which helshe
car1 script the dialogues to suit the personality of the character.
In GEz~~shirurnKotwul we have a range of characters from the powerful Nana to a
member of the chorus. How far has Tendulkar succeeded in giving us a variety of
dialogues to suit liis characters? But before we do tliat, let us consider the fact that
what we have before us is a play in translation.
The Play in Translation
Translatiorr does not simply niean rewriting the Marathi text into English. It also
means translating the cultural context of eighteenth century Poona into an English
version. There is no doubt tliat Jayant Karve and Eleanor Zelliot have succeeded i n
rendering the translation as faithful to the spirit of the original as possible. While
translating drama, the translator often adapts the play according to the demands and
expectations of tlie audience in the target language. It is not possible to translate
literally and some degree of adaptation is required in literary texts. As Eleanor
Zelliot, tlie translator has said that Tendulkar's play denlands and inspires a great
deal of creativity, gives the example of a Marathi abuse which translates literally as
'0 you worthless one'. As this sounded somewhat weak, the translators felt that an
original substitute witli the necessary punch would be 'you shape piece of shit!'.
Most serious theatre is enacted in Hindi itself and in Delhi, theatre groups usually
perform tlie works of world farnous dramatists like Breclit and Beckett in Hindi
translation. English theatre usually confines itself to western plays written in English
or in translation. However. urban theatre groups are increasingly taking up the
production of English translations of various plays written in Hindi or the regional
languages. For example, tlie theatre groups of Bombay took up the production of
Girish Ksr~rad'sTughluq. English translations ensure that the play reaches out
across different linguistic barriers to different parts of our own vast country. ln
addition, a foreign readership can also have access to it. Do we ourselves not read
the plays by the great Greek dramatists in translation? The play begins with a hymn
to Ganapati and Saraswati and the translators have tried to keep to the rhythm of
the original: 'Ganapati dances the Ganapati dance. We the Poona Brahmans bow
and prance' (p.2). The rhyming adds to the musical quality. Culture specific words
as 'Bliatji buwa', 'sindur', 'lavani', 'kirtau' are retained as in the original. Instead of
translating them, notes explaining these are given at tlie beginning of the text. The
flavour of the idiom of the original is retained as in the abuse 'May you itch without
cause' and '1 would have you riding backward on a donkey witli sindur all over
Glraslr irant KOfwal: your head'. The arrogant Nana refers to himself in the plural as 'we'. For example,
A Study Guide he tells the servant 'We'll have you killed'. He prornises Gauri 'But our devotion is
-only to this graceful image.. ,' This reference to oneself in the plural is a convention
among the royalty in India as well as in the West. For example, Queen Victoria was
often known to say 'We are not amused'.
You will have noticed that the dialogues are short and crisp. No long speeches but
quick exchanges often laced with wit. The 'tamasha' convention of using abusive
language is also used here. It is only the Sutradhar who has slightly longer dialogues.
The Nana in a moderately long soliloquy reveals his evil i~iteritionsto use Ghashiram
to serve his own i~lfaniouspurpose. 'There is the use of colloquial language and a
feel for the spoken word. When asked by Priya Adarkar about his craft of writing,
Tendulkar said: 'But this is a question of my playing with various styles and levels
rather than of conscious planning. I am in fact at ease in many styles of language'
(Enact 49, 50 Jan-Feb 197 1 ed. Rajinder Paul).
This irony and play with words is also evident in the following exchange: I
Nana: Bastard. You've got me in a narrow pass.
Ghashiram: Yes, the narrow pass of my only daughter.
w
Wit and irony is also evident in the following:
There are several other examples of the use of pun in the play. Can you recognize
the pun in:
There's only one Nana
The rest are na-na-na-na. (p. 21)
The element of slapstick comedy is clear in one of the early exchange between the
Sutradhar and the Brahman:
H
Sutradhar: Ho Ho Ho Bhatji Buwa!
Wait now, wait now. Hold your horses! Must you go?
Brahman: Forces? Whose forces? Foreign? English?
Sutradhar: Not forces! Hold your horses!
Brahman: So I'm stopped. What do you have to say?
Sutradhar: Where is your honour going so late at night?
Brahman: Nowhere, nowhere. It's all right.
Sutradhar: Where is nowhere?
Brahman: Just near somewhere.
Sutrad har: Somewhere is near where?
Brahman: Go away. Don't wait. Its getting late. (p. 3)
This kind of exchange continues until the Brahman unwittingly reveals his destination.
Note the use of pun and irony in this passage. The rhyming dialogues add a
rhythmic quality and establish the light mood that this scene creates.
The Sutradhar's dialogues are full of tongue-in-cheek irony.
'The Brahmans have lost themselves in the cemetery, in kirtan; the Brahman
women are sentenced to solitary confinement' (p. 8). We are shown a Brahman
woman embracing her lover while the husband is away in Bavannakhani. Also
consider his comment:
 The thief is a simple thief. Dramatic Techniques

Tlie police are official thieves? (p. 16)

Sutradhar: Yes, this is the brutish city.
Stranger (not understanding): What, the Britisli city?
Notice the pun on the word 'brutish' which is misunderstood as 'Britisli'. In
the eigliteentli century, the British were a tangible presence in India and to use
'brutish' and 'British' exchangeably may offer a subtle comment on tlie nature of

In fact, there is another reference to the British in the play. You will recall that
when Ghashirani is beaten up by Gulabi's thugs and the necklace given to him by
Nana forcibly taken away from him we are told tliat a 'palanquin of a white man
comes on the stage..... In front a Brahman with ash on liis forehead shouts. 'The

What is the sig~iificanceof this scene? Is it introduced purely for spectacle value? It
might seem so at first. But if we catch the underlying irony, we understand tliat the
real function of the scene is to:

a) prove the sycophantic character of the Brahman;

b) expose his lack of mariners which he confirms by abusing the humiliated

Ghashiram and;

c) liis hypocrisy: while lie blames others for the lack of self-respect and pride, lie
himself has none as he tries to wheedle and coax money out of the Sahib.
The presence of a white Sahib observing the execution of Ghashiram also urges us
to analyse the phenomenon of his rise and fall more objectively.
But in addition to the dialogue, gestures and silence can sometimes speak more than
a thousand words. Tendulkar makes effective use of mime - especially in the
ordeal scene: 'Brahman yells. Mime of placing the ball forcibly in his hands. Brahman
yells. Mirne of the ball falling off (p. 35). This indicates the convention of not
showing violent action on stage. And even though this is a very violent play, tlie
audience would riot be shocked whereas in the American production where the
violence was depicted realistically, tlie effect was one of deep shock.
As we said in the first Unit of this Block, reading plays is a challenge. Not only
does the reader have to visualize all the scenes but he/she has also to listen to the
voices M it11 all tlie modulations of tone and inflexion to catch the nuance of what is
intended within a particular context. For example, if we say 'How wonderful!' to a
person who tells us that she has stood first in a conipetitive exam our tone will be
full of delight, wonder and appreciation. But if we respond in the same way to a
person who has just failed an examination, it is clear that we mean to be sarcastic.
Thus, it is important to relate the speech to the context and understand tlie significance
of the meaning intended. For exaniple, the sarcasni implicit in the Sutradhar's tone
is evident in the following exchange:
Oy. Oy. You son of a bitch. Don't you have eyes and ears?
Sutradliar: I'm sorry, 0 priestly Brahman.
Glrashiram Kotwal: Brahman: Don't you have any manners?
A Study Guide
Sutradliar: l'ni so sorry, 0 lordly Brahman.
Braliman: Don't you liave any brains.
Sutradhar: I'm very sorry. 0 honoured Braliman (p. 4).
The abusive language, as you know, is part of the Taniasha convention that Tendulkar
makes use of.
In this play we have poetic dialogues as well as prose exchanges alternating with
I
the narration of the Sutradhar. In addition there are songs and humming, silence and
mime. All these variations help to create a complex and rich dramatic piece.

DRAMATIC TECHNIQUES
The first question that we so often ask about a novel or play or poeni is "Whut is it
about? This leads us to think about the theme of the play. We can also ask
ourselves 'Does it have a message or function? Like all art, a play is usually not
meant to objectively enquire after truth. It may aim 'to instruct by pleasing'. (Studying
Drama: An Intro. Malcolm Kelsall, London: Edward Arnold, 1988, p. 57). As such
it makes the audience angry or moves them to tears or to laughter and sometimes to
think. Talking about the function of theatre the famous playwright Mohan Rakesh
has said:
'To my mind the function of theatre today is not just to entertain, nor just to reveal
certain ironies and contradictions of man's mind and behaviour nor just to philosophise
or sermonize over certain socio-political issues. For me the major function of theatre
today is to help man to know and discover himself in relation to his environment'.
('Changing Role of Words in Theatre', in an interview with M. Maharishi Enact 73-
74 Jan-Feb. 1973). Thus a play has several dimensions and effects. How does tlie
playwright achieve hislher effects? This is done by using the various techniques of
hislher craft. Visual delight is contributed by the scenery, lighting, colours, costumes
as well as special effects. In addition to all this, we have quick racy dialogues, often
ironical and witty. Then there are songs, music and dances that add another dimension
to the play. All these are part of the playwright's craft. Let us examine some of
these techniques.

26.3.1 Music and Dance

Folk theatre, as we have seen, makes use of song, dance and music. No other
niajor playwright before Tendulkar had made such extensive and innovative use of
folk theatre. In addition to the songs and music, Dr. Jabbar Patel also made use of
humming so that we have what Vasantrao Deshpande. a classical singer and composer
himself, calls 'the first sangeet natak in the real sense of the term'. (in Puslipa
Bhave, 'Conleniporury Indialz Theutre: Interviervs with Pluy~jrights triid
Directors' (New Delhi: Sangeet Natak Akademi, 1989, p. 47).
Ghashiram Kotwal begins with a devotional song and Ganapati, Saraswati and
Lakshmi come in dancing. This immediately establishes a link with Dashavatar (a
form of folk<heatre)which begins with these three deities. This opening ritual also
has links with classical Sanskrit drama and likewise has a certain function, this is, to
arouse the interest of the audience, instill a feeling of seriousness in them and to
arrest their attention. Here we do not have music for its own sake. According to
Pushpa Bhave, 'The music and the dance nu~nbersare not e~nbellish~iients to the
narrative.. . The changing musical notes express tlie changing niood'. (Contemporcrrj~
Indian Tlzeatre - p. 46). In a lecture, the music director of the successful Marathi
production Bhaskar Chandavarkar has said that the music in the beginning of the
42
 play was used i~i~iocuously
in the Shri Ganaraya song. But after the Intern~ission, Dramatic Techniqdes

when Ghashiram has become the Kotwal, the music for the same song becomes
much more revolutionary. Let us look at some of the functions performed by the
use of music. song and dance. We note that
tlie use of traditional songs and dances effectively sets the background of the
decadence of the Pesliwas' Poona of the eighteenth century;
the strategic placement of. songs and music help to provide dramatic relief I
after an unusually tense situation;
music and dance sometimes serve to reinforce the tense atmosphere, as Satish
Alekar assistant director to Dr. Jabbar Patel said, 'After the ordeal by fire the
tempo tended to slow down a little. But with the introduction of the 'Malhari'
song, the tense atmosphere created by the sequence was reinforced'.
(Ghashiram Kotwal: A Production Casebook, Ghashirurtl Kotwal, xiv, xv);
the lavani highlights the sensuous, passionate element but at the same time I
provides a comment on the social corruption;
the juxtaposition of the lavani or love song with the abhanga or devotional
so~igserves to bring out the contradiction in social values and norms;
I the musical form helps to 'deglamourize' history - history has an element of
grandeur, distance, formality, which gets reduced by the introduction of song
and dance, visible in the great Nana who struck terror in the hearts of many
but is made to look ridiculous in the play.
We have also seen that at a deeper level, Ghashiram Kohval is a serious play, a
satire on the hollowness of society. Do you think the music weakens the thrust of
the satire? Tendulkar himself admits: 'The criticism has a point ... the form had a
certain inevitability'. Are we to agree with Tendulkar? Trust the tale and not the
teller, we are often told. And as we know, the play has been considered extremely
disturbing. I n this play we have seen that laughter can be as much an element of
subversion and change as anger. The grotesque figure of the Nana dancing
effeminately demystified the power he represents and thereby shows the hollowness
of what he represents so that we are made aware of the fact that the possibility of
change exists. The form and content subvert logical and authoritarian structures.
We have seen in the play how folk forms with the abusiveness represent irrepressible
vitality and freedom, and as we can see in Ghashiram it very subtly subverts the
hierarchy of caste in the following exchange:
Brahman: Oy. Oy. You son of a bitch. Don't you have eyes and ears?

Sutradhar: I'm sorry, 0 priestly Brahman.

Brahman : Don't you have any manners?

 You can note the sarcasm and insult intended in this exchange. Thus laughter can
be seen as a political mode.

As we have also seen, music and dance have not been used for its own sake. The
songs sung or hummed by tlie chorus establish tlie appropriate niood and comment
on the action. What we have here i s a blend o f folk forms with mainstream urban
drama which has created a unique landmark in the history o f Indian theatre.

26.3.2 The Human Wall

We have already discussed the character o f the Sutradhar in 25.3.1. Let us now
briefly look at tlie function o f the Human wall which i s seen as 'the basic structure
o f the play'. The play opens with the members o f tlie human wall walking up to the
stage from the hall. The twelve men dressed as brahmans form the human wall
which can be used in diverse ways.

Producer Rajinder Nath used this wall to form 'kaleidoscopic patterns'.

Reviewing the play, Rajinder Paul tells us:

"From an aesthetically clothed backdrop, he [Rajinder Nath] rhythmically

removes one Brahman like a brick to make a cut-out window, from behind
which emerges a female figure on the look-out for a noble catch".

Tlie human wall is an innovation and takes tlie place o f a curtain in a

conventional stage. Here the stage is stark and empty without any props and
when the members turn their backs, to the audience, the wall ceases to exist.
As there is no conventional demarcation o f tlie play into acts and scenes, the
human wall helps in the transition from one scene to another.

The wall serves as a chorus in the play. As you know the chorus is a convention
found and used very effectively in ancient Greek drama also. I t was usually a
group o f village elders, dressed in masks, who gave an account o f tlie event
that had happened either offstage or a long time ago. I n Greek drama. tlie
chorus moved from left to right and back again. In Ghmhirum Kotwal the
'Cliorus' o f twelve men comprising the human wall sway in unison. Not only
do they sing and dance establishing a link with folk theatre, but they also
comment on the action o f tlie play.

The 01.alimans make a curtain with backs towards the audience. Tlie curtain sings
and sways:

Ram Shivs Hari ....

The Street o f Bavannakhani, became for a
while
The garden o f Krishna. (p. 6).

'The song exposes the debauchery o f the Brahmans who in the name o f God
Krishna, in this case, wish to justify their erotic dancing with the courtesan.

The human wall i s also a binding factor that holds the different scenes together.
The plot has several episodes which make it different from naturalistic plays i n
which one scene follows necessarily from another. Instead o f artificially
engineered exits and entrances, the play then assumes a semblance o f continuity
and motion. What cannot be represented realistically i s projected through
mime and the stage is never empty.

Tlie human wall also takes on individual roles. A t times it is transformed into a
group sitting in Gulabi's hall; at others, they sneak o f f stealthily as individuals,
in a hurry to get to Bssvannalthani -4t another the Brahmans form a lium-?n
44
 god house round Ganapati, and when the Nana chases a girl, the human wall Dramatic rechniques
becomes a garden. Throughout the play you will notice the human wall assuming
new and visually stimulating configurations. And finally at Ghashiram's execution,
the human wall becomes the fierce mob of angry Brahlnans shouting with
sadistic glee.
The human wall is also a symbol of secrecy that conceals the various faces of
human beings: their hypocrisy, double standards and tendencies to violence and
oppression. This is amply demonstrated in the course of the play.
Thus we have seen that along with its tremeiidous potential as spectacle, the human
wall performs several functions controlling and enhancing the flow of tlie story. In
addition, the use of the human wall makes it as easy to put up the play on a
conventional stage or in any open space in a village.

26.3.3 The Use of Folk Forms

We have seen that Te~idulkarhas niade extensive use of folk forms in Ghashirarn
Kotwal. Because of this the play is visually exciting. What effect does tlie play
have? Folk theatre invites audience participation and in this play we have the
Sutradhar and Ghashiram addressing the audience directly. According to Jabbar
Patel, this is different from tlie effect that Brecht, tlie Gerinan playwright intended
to create. But before we examine whether this is true, let us understand what
Brecht had to say.
According to Brecht 'Modern theatre is epic theatre'. (quoted in John Willett, The
Theatre of Bertolt Brecht (Lond) Eyre Methuen, 1981, p. I 70). He further lists
nineteen points of difference between dramat~cand epic form of theatre in No. 2 of
the new volumes in notes to hfahugonny, of which five are listed below:
Dramatic form of theatre Epic form of theatre
linplicates the spectator in a stage turns the spectator into an observer
arouses
wears down liis power of action
the human being is taken for the human being is an object of

he is unalterable he is alterable and able to alter.

eyesontliefinish eyes on the course.
The aini of this Epic form of theatre for Brecht was 'to develop the means of
entertainment into an object of instruction, and to change certain institutions from
places of amusemerlt into organs of public communication'. (p. 1 70). What Breclit
tried to achieve tlirough his plays was a feeling of alienation in the audience rather
than identification or empathy with the characters. He achieved this by stressing the
artificial nature of the stage but also demanded of his audience a critical appraisal
of the social causes and results of their action. In order to achieve this 'alienation
effect' Brecht punctuated the action with songs, montage, (the juxtaposition of
seemingly unrelated images) captions (for example, a character could well carry a
placard saying 'cousin' to indicate hidher status), verse, projections etc. These are
meant to jolt tlie audience out of empathy so that helshe is distanced and begins to
look at the situation in a new light. Brecht7s objective is political - to make the
audience unmask the contradictions of society and so help open up the possibilities

Froin your reading of Ghashiram Kotwal do you think Te~idulkarhad any intention
of creating Epic Theatre on Brechtian lines? According to Dr. Jabbar Patel, as
Gl~ashiratri Kotwal: Gliasliirarn speaks directly to the audience, the effect achieved is the opposite of
A Study Guide tliat usually created by Brecht. (Preface - Hindi translation of Ghashirum kbtwal.
Vasarl t Dev).

In any case, this is a difficult question because the effect of a play is highly
variable and different audiences respond to it in different ways. In fact the same
production can have a new etTect every time it is staged. Even Brecht's own
productions so~netimesfailed to create the alienation effect.
However, the setting of the play in eighteenth century Poona helps to create a
sense of distance. Characters in period costume produce the effect that the people
portrayed are removed from us in time and space. Moreover, Nana depicted in tlie
play is quite different fro111 the revered Nana of history. This grotesque dancing
character reillforces the fact that the spectator is watching a play rather than
witnessing reality. Tendulkar has used the folk form which is predominantly interactive
and ensures active audience participation. But here the folk form is used in mainstream
theatre and the use of songs and dances further creates a sense of distance from
the action.
In the first reading of the play, it seems tliat the personality clash between Nana
and Ghashiram is the main theme. Nana promotes Gliashiram and when his protege
becomes a maniacal monster as is evident in the climactic ordeal-by-5re scene, the
Nana decides that the time is ripe for destroying the creation that is now of no more
use to him. But on a more careful reading, we realize it is the social system that
throws up such aberrations that is being probed. So while the song, dance and visual
configurations of the human wall provide for sheer entertainment, the juxtaposition
of dialogue, verse, hymn, love song, dance, narration and mime make us probe
beyond surface appearances to understand the subtle and complex social processes
that dehumanize individuals. And unless the system is changed, such a situation will
continue. The end of the play with its revellery may project the false illusion tliat all
is now well with the world on one level but on another it is clear that this is a mere
f a ~ a d eand tile real danger conti~~ues
to thrive. So, for such a complex play which
operates on many different levels, it may not be suitable to pin down the effect to
either 'empathy' or 'alienation'. It seems that the play veers between the two. And
you will agree that the dominant impact is one of shock at the violence and cruelty
depicted. Can it also be related to Antonin Artaud's 'The Theatre of Cruelty"?
What do we mean by the Theatre of Cruelty? According to Artaud, 'The Theatre
of Cruelty has been created in order to restore to the theatre a passionate and
convulsive conception of life, and it is in this sense of violent rigour and extreme
condensatim of scenic elements that tlie cruelty on which it is based must be
understood'. ('Second Manifesto' The Theory of the Modern Stage. Eric Beautley
ed. Harn~ondsworth:Penguin 1983, p. 66). Such a theatre must create a dynamic
language of expressions that will arouse general attention. This would include the
visual language of movements, attitudes, gestures, music, dance and mime. This
language of theatre must transgress the usual limits of art and speech so that what
results is 'a kind of total creation in which man must reassume his place between
dream and events'. (p. 58). What are tlie themes of this Theatre of Cruelty?
According to Artaud the subject and themes that will be chosen would correspond
to the 'agitation and unrest characteristic of our epoch'. (p. 66). If you look at tlie
play in the light of such observations you will find tliat there are certain similarities
between what Artaud proposed and what Tendulkar achieved.
As we have seen, Ghushirarn Kofwal admits of several interpretations. Literature,
as we know, contains a plurality of discourses. and it is tliis that allows us to read a
text in different ways, It is not simply a case of taking up a particular aspect of
what is in the text. Reading is an active process in which all aspects of our own
pel-sonality also come into play. For example, a person reading tliis play twenty
years from now will look at it differently from the way we do now. Also a person Dramatic Techniques

reading and interpreting is a highly variable and subjective phenomenon, we should

try to look at a text from different angles. For example, if there is a picture on the
wall, you will find that it looks different if you stand on a table/stool/floor. Similarly
there are different angles of looking at a literary text. This is something that we
would like to encourage and would request you to inculcate. Let us now do the
following exercise.
Check Your Progress 1
1) Outline the role of the human wall giving examples from the text.
..........................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................
ii) Tendulkar has made use of song, dance, music, mime, dialogue and narration in
the play. Illustrate the extent to wliicli these elements contribute to the total
effect of the play.
..........................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................

iii) Write a short note on the language and style of tlie play.
..........................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................

26.4 LET US SUM UP

In this Unit we have discussed:

Q song arid dance are integral to the action of the play and not just superadded to
provide entertainment alone. Rather than subverting tlie satirical thrust of the
play, song and dance serve to make it more effective by overturning accepted
norms in tenns of theatrical forms;
e the human wall is an innovative-device that not only dissolves into visuals and
exciting configurations but also serves to control tlie flow of the story;
Q the effect produced by the play can be seen as neither of 'empathy' as in the
dramatic form of theatre nor one of 'alienation' as i~ithe Epic form of Theatre
but also akin to the Theatre of Cruelty so that the audience can understand the
social processes that lead to violence and cruelty, a malaise that Tendulkar
studied as a research project and effectively.depicted in artistic form in his
Girasiriram Kotwaf:
A Study Guide 26.5 SUGGESTED READINGS
For an introduction to modern theatre and drama, you could look at: Eric Bentley
(ed) - The Theory of the Modern Stage (Hannondsworth: Penguin, 1983)
Siegfriedn Melchinger, The Concise Encyclopedia of 1l.iodel.n Drama (New York:
Horizon Press, 1964)
Venna Noble Dass, Modern Indian Drama in English Translation (Hyderabad,
1988).