(Extra-3)History of Indian English drama

It is in the first century AD, 'Mahabhasya' in Sanskrit by Patanjali can be said to be the beginning of Indian theater. Bharat Muni's 'Treatise on theater or 'NatyaShashtra' is also a complete work of dramatology in the ancient world which gives a mythological account of the origin of theater.

Modern Indian drama has influences from all over the world as well as Sanskrit and Urdu traditions.

Indian English drama is not older than Indian English novel. It started in the 18th century when the British rule became stable. The rulers brought theatre (initially English actors & actresses were hired to perform in India) with them but initially English dramas could not be presented as Indians were unfamiliar with English. Shakespeare was translated and presented.

Gradually when western education made its way to India, Indian English drama came into existence. The first theatrical companies were established in those areas of British rule. 

Krishna Mohan Bannerjee
In 1831, Krishna Mohan Bannerjee who was very impressed with the English drama, wrote about dramatic scenes of Hindu society in Calcutta. His "The Persecuted Dramatic Scenes Illustrative of the Present State of Hindoo Society in Calcutta" was the first English play. It was symbolic of the Reformation movement too.

In 1831, a Bengali theater called the Hindoo Theater had been established. It staged "Julius Ceasar". This led to modern Indian theater's birth.

The Parsi Natak Mandali was established in 1852. It was followed by The Elphinstone Dramatic Club and Victoria Natak Mandal.

"The First Parsi Baronet" a verse drama by C. S. Nazir is the first recorded play in English from Mumbai. The other plays from this period were D. M. Wadia's "The Indian Heroine" based on the first war of independence of 1857 and P. P. Maharjee's "Dolly Parsen."

In 1776 the Bombay Amateur Theater was set up exclusively for European audiences.

In 1875 the Madras Dramatic Society was founded followed by The Oriental Drama Club and The Sarasa Vinodini Sabha. P. V. Raju, Krishnamacharya, Krishna Iyer & T. B. Krishnaswamy were important playwrights from Madras. Their themes were social, historical and mythological.

V. V. Srinivas Iyengar
He wrote one act and two act plays which were light entertainment or farces. His plays focused on the behavioural patterns of the middle class. His plays were "Blessed in a Wife", "Vichu's Wife" & "The Point of View."

Annasaheb Kirloslar
His "Shakuntal" in 1880 is considered an important contribution.

Michael Madhusudan Dutt.
The first recorded play in English was written by Dutt. He translated his own Bengali play "Ratnavali" to English. It was based on a Sanskrit play by Harshavardhana. In 1871 he published "Is this civilization?" He translated 3 of his Bengali plays into English.

Ramkinoo Dutt
He wrote "Manipura Tragedy".

Bankim Chandra chatterjee

Joy shankar Bujak

Jay shanker Prasad 

Tagore and Aurobindo Ghosh were some of the earliest drama publishers. They were two distinct pre-Independence era dramatists.

Aurobindo Ghosh
Between 1891 to 1916 Ghosh wrote five complete plays in English & 6 incomplete verse plays. He borrowed the materials from western classics, Sanskrit texts, Shakespeare and Elizabethan plays. His themes were human evolution & drama. His plays are "Perseus the Deliverer", "Vasavadutta" & "Eric, the King of Norway".

Rabindra Nath Tagore
Tagore translated almost all his Bengali plays either by himself or by English translators. "Sanyasi", "Chitra", "The Cycle of a Spring", "Malini and the Sacrifice", "The King and the Queen" "The Post Office" & "The King of the Dark Chamber". He was the first dramatist to use symbolism.

Harendra Nath Chottopadhaya
He wrote 7 verse plays. He was Sarojini Naidu's brother wrote "Jayadeva", "Eknath", "Raidas" & "Tukaram" based on the lives of Indian saints. His "The Window" & "The Sentry's Lantern" respectively focus on exploitation of workers by industrialists and evils of imperialism. His first drama was "Abu Hasan", a fantasy in prose & verse.

T. P. Kailasam
He wrote on Kannada lives and traguc heroes from epics in English. He uses a lot of Sanskrit words. His plays are "The Burden" based on epic Ramayan. "The Fulfilment" and "The Purpose" are taken from Eklavya in Mahabharata. "Karna" and "Keechaka" are also modelled on the characters of Mahabharata but with fresh perspectives.

Bharati Sarabhai
She was influenced by Gandhian philosophy. "The Well of the People" & "Two Women" are her verse plays. In the former play, the woman unable to pilgrimage to kashi or Haridwar constructs a well for the 'untouchables'.

POST INDEPENDENCE INDIAN ENGLISH DRAMA

G. V. Desani
"Hali" (1959) & "Tiger's Claw" (1967) were his important dramas.

P. A. Krishna Swamy
He wrote religious plays & historical plays. " The Flute of Krishna" is his important play.

M. Krishnamurthy
He also wrote English plays. His "The Cloth of Gold" had feudal setting.

Nissim Ezekiel
His "Nalini:A comedy" "The sleepwalker:Indo American farce" and "Marriage poem:a tragicomedy" are his English plays.

Gurucharan Das
He wrote historical drama. He wrote "Lavins Sahib".

Girish Karnad.
Topics-satires on alienation and disillusionment in modern Indian society and politics, gender and sexual subjectivity, 
'Tughlaq' was translated in 1972 by himself. It is a historical play on the life of Sultan Tughlaq.
'Hayavadhana' is taken from ancient Kathasaritsagar.
'Dreams of Tipu Sultan', 'Fire', 'Broken Images'.

V. K. Gokak
"The Goddess speaks" is also English play.

K. Nagarjan
He is chronicle playwright. "Chitambaram" is his English play.

M. D. Melwani
"Deep Roots" is his English play.

Manohar Malgonkar
His historical drama is "Lines of Mars".

Vijay Tendulkar. 'Silence:The court is in session', 'Khasiram Kotwal', 'A friend's story'.
Topics are various sides of institutional power like the patriarchal family, state, the course of law.

Mohan Rakesh

Ibrahim Alkazi

B. B. Karath

Badal Sircar

Utpal Dutt

Habib Tanvir

Mahesh Alkanchar.
'Garbo', 'Desire and the locks', 'Sonata'.
Topics-Modern alienation of the individual and mortality, religion, gender and sexuality in urban Marathi theater, expressionism, absurdism, etc.

Mahesh Dattani.
He was first dramatist awarded Sahitya Academy Award in 1958. Radio plays, one act plays and long plays are his practices.
Topics- non normative desires, sexual subjectivity, patriarchal family and the state, gender, communalism.
'Tara' or Twinkle Tara is his important play of gender discrimination.
'Dance like a man' is about a woman caught between ambition and married life.
'Final Solutions', 'Bravely fought the Queen'.

Mahasweta Devi

Uma Parmeswaran

Manjula Padmanabhan

Dina Maheta

Anita Nair

P. Sengupta

Chetan Bhagat


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