ANDHA YUG SUMMARY BY DHARAMVEER BHARATI

AN INTRODUCTION TO DHARAMVEER

BHARATI : Dharamveer Bharati (1861-1941) enjoys a prime status in modern Indian drama with his exceptional dramatic career. Novelist, poet, short story writer, playwright, editor, journalist, DharamvirBharati (1926-1997) was a colossus of the Hindi literary world. Born in Allahabad, he studied Hindi at Allahabad University and went on to teach there as well. Deeply influenced by western intellectual thought, from the works of Karl Marx to the writings of Albert Camus and Jean Paul Sartre, he also studied the great Indian texts such as the Mahabharata, works of philosophy and the poetry of luminaries like Kabir and Surdas. The 1950s were his most creative years when he wrote some of his most outstanding works. Gunahon KaDevta(1949) is DharamvirBharati’s most popular novel and Hindi fiction’s landmark bestseller. He wrote it when he was just 23 years old. Set in Allahabad, it tells the deep but doomed love story of the idealistic university student Chander and the childish, impish Sudha, his professor’s daughter. But Chander is unable to express his love for Sudha and she ends up marrying another man. This painful separation changes their lives forever. Chander, unable to handle the fact that ‘his’ Sudha now belongs to another man, plunges into an affair with a lonely young woman Pammi, while Sudha, on her part, pines away for him. Though the novel was written over 60 years ago, the themes that it tackles – the nature of sex and love, family duty and societal constraints are relevant even today. The book was recently translated by Poonam Saxena into English (Chander&Sudha, Penguin, 2015).DharamvirBharati wrote several powerful short stories such as Band Gali Ka Aa khri Makan and Gulki Banno. But some of the most heart-wrenching among them are a collection of stories he wrote on the 1943 Bengal famine, the terrible tragedy in which people died of hunger on the streets of Calcutta and entire villages were lined with corpses.

AN INTRODUCTION TO ANDHA YUG :

Andha Yug is a piece of drama originally written in Hindi by DharamveerBharati, a legendary writer. Its English rendering has been done by AlokBhalla in 2005. The play begins on the evening of the 18th day of the war and ends with the final pilgrimage and death of Lord Krishna. The play highlights the perils of self-enchantment in an anti-war allegory. It explores human capacity for moral action, reconciliation, and goodness in times of atrocity and reveals what happens when individuals succumb to the cruelty and cynicism of a blind, dispirited age.

It was first directed by Satydev Dubey for Theatre Unit Mumbai in 1960. It is a verse play first performed on the lawn of Kotla Ferozshah in 1964. The playwright wrote “Andha Yug would never have been written if it had been in my power not to write it. I was in a dilemma when the idea of writing the play rose with me. It made me little afraid. I knew that if I set out to write it, I would never be able to turn back”.

AN OUTLINE OF THE PLAY :

The play opens with a Prologue which describes the present time as kali Yug or the age of darkness, as described in Vishnu Purana. All thoughts and deeds of men will be corrupt and perverse. Lord Krishna only can untie the intertwined good and evil as he is dispassionate and detached. All others are blind, self-absorbed, depressed and confused.

Act I – The Kaurava Kingdom :

It is the evening time of last day of the royal battle. The Kaurav Kingdom is full of depressive mood after their loss in the battle. Two guards feel the futility of carrying the arms and guarding the deserted palace. Vidura feels that the origin of bad omen of vultures flying is in the violation of the code of honour, to which even Dhritarashtra agrees. Gandhari deeply mourns the loss of her sons and accuses Krishna for it. Vidura warns her not to do so. An old mendicant appears and announces the Kaurav’s final victory, as he had done earlier. Eventually he too admits that he was wrong and Krishna can only change the course of the stars.

Act II– The Making of a Beast:

Sanjaya is aimlessly moving in the forest as he does not know how to convey the news about Kaurav’s loss to Dhritarashtra. 270 Ashwatthama, Kritavarma and Kripacharya are the only survivals from the Kaurava camp. Ashwatthama is full of revenge against Pandavas. Ashwatthama kills the old mendicant for telling the false prediction of Kaurav’s victory. Ashwatthama’s sleep gets haunted by the thought of killing the old man. At the end chorus informs that it is night of celebration for Pandavas and concealment of Duryodhana.

Act III– The Half-truth of Ashwatthama :

Sanjaya, at last informs Dhritarashtra and Gandhari about Kaurav’s defeat. Yuyutsu, a son of Dhritarashtra also comes along with the crowd. Gandhari insults him for helping Pandavas in the battle. A dying soldier refuses to drink water at his hand; Sanjaya enters and informs everyone about Duryodhana’s killing in the dual. Ashwatthama informs Kritavarma and Kripacharya how Duryodhana’s killing is against dharma, law. Balaram too accuses Krishna for helping adharma, illegal behaviour of Pandavas. He calls Krishna as ‘unprincipled rouge’. Ashwatthama, now mad in rage, takes oath to kill Pandavas by any means. Ashwatthama, Kritavarma and Kripacharya take rest under the tree, on which an owl kills a sleeping crow. Immediately Ashwatthama decides to kill unarmed, sleeping Pandavas. Interlude- Feathers, Wheels and Bandages- The old mendicant appears as a ghost. He explains the horrors of the age as he can realise it as a spirit. He describes this age as ‘a blind ocean’, ‘a pit of snakes’ and full of ‘white snake skins’ and’ white bandages’. By using his visionary powers, the mendicant’s ghost understands everyone’s inner contradictions. Yuyutsu is like a wheel, which is spun on the wrong axle and lost his bearings. Sanjaya is like a useless wheel, which moves when other big wheels move. Vidura’s voice is full of doubts. The ghost sees a giant like being standing at the gates of Pandava’s camp to stop Ashwatthama’s chariot. He covers his eyes with fear.

Act IV– Gandhari’s Curse:

Initially Chorus informs that it was Shankara, whom Ashwatthama saw at the Pandava camp. He begs for mercy and Shankara blesses him victory. Shankara also tells him that the final day of Pandavas in coming near. Ashwatthama creates havoc in the Panadava camp by killing many. Gandhari is very happy and wants to see Ashwatthama. Sanjaya with his divine power makes Gandhari see the scene at the battleground. Gandhari wants to remove her blindfold and empower Ashwatthama. Suddenly Sanjaya loses his vision. Ashwatthama hides for the fear of life. Ashwatthama now uses the deadly Bramhastra against pregnant 271 Uttara. Krishna protects Uttara and her child. He takes out the divine diamond from Ashwatthama’s forehead and sets him free to suffer. Gandhari accuses Krishna for this condition and curses him that his Yadav cult will end with infighting and war. Krishna accepts Gandhari’s curse immediately. Gandhari realises her mistake and to Krishna. Krishna consoles her.

Act V– Victory and a Series of Suicide :

The time moves on and Yudhishthira finally wins the throne of Hastinapur. However he can enjoy the peace of mind. The Pandavas are victorious but their selfconfidence is shattered. The forest catches fire, in which Gandhari, Dhritarashtra and Kunti die of burning. A burning branch falls on lonely Sanjay’s foot and damages him badly. Yuyutsu too meets tragic death as his wounds get exposed. The scene ends with the conversation between the two guards. They inform the audience about the tremendous ruin that their city is witnessing.

Death of the Lord :

The play ends with the death of Lord

Epilogue–

Krishna. Krishna leans against the tree. Ashwatthama enters and sees Krishna in that pose. He curses Krishna for being responsible for destruction. Sanjaya too enters without arms and legs. He is even not able to see. In the meantime, a hunter mistakes Krishna’s foot for deer and aims at it. The hunter releases the bow and there is a flash of lightening. Ashwatthama laughs and Sanjaya screams. A bad smell of blue blood from Krishna’s foot feels the atmosphere and Ashwatthama’s wounds stop soaring. The old mendicant is the hunter who killed Lord Krishna. Yuyutsu says that the death of Lord Krishna is full of cowardness. Such death is not going to secure the future of human race. Ashwatthama feels that Krishna’s death has created faith and hope in his mind. The old mendicant informs about the last words of the Lord. The chorus informs that it is this day, from which the world is descended into the age of darkness. However there is a small seed in the mind of man about courage, freedom and imagination to create something new.

THEMES OF THE PLAY:

Andha Yug highlights the perils of self-enchantment in an antiwar allegory. It explores human capacity for moral action, reconciliation, and goodness in times of atrocity and reveals what happens when individuals succumb to the cruelty and cynicism of a blind, dispirited age. The moral and political issues depicted in Andha Yug are relevant even in the twenty-first century. This technocratic age is perhaps the eponymous age of blindness surrounded in the sinister forces of terrorism, corruption, religious fundamentalism, and bloodshed over the issues of community, caste and honour.

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ANDHA YUG SUMMARY BY DHARAMVEER BHARATI ANDHA YUG SUMMARY BY DHARAMVEER BHARATI ANDHA YUG SUMMARY BY DHARAMVEER BHARATIANDHA YUG SUMMARY BY DHARAMVEER BHARATIANDHA YUG SUMMARY BY DHARAMVEER BHARATIANDHA YUG SUMMARY BY DHARAMVEER BHARATIANDHA YUG SUMMARY BY DHARAMVEER BHARATIANDHA YUG SUMMARY BY DHARAMVEER BHARATIANDHA YUG SUMMARY BY DHARAMVEER BHARATIANDHA YUG SUMMARY BY DHARAMVEER BHARATI

ANDHA YUG SUMMARY BY DHARAMVEER BHARATIANDHA YUG SUMMARY BY DHARAMVEER BHARATIANDHA YUG SUMMARY BY DHARAMVEER BHARATIANDHA YUG SUMMARY BY DHARAMVEER BHARATIANDHA YUG SUMMARY BY DHARAMVEER BHARATIANDHA YUG SUMMARY BY DHARAMVEER BHARATIANDHA YUG SUMMARY BY DHARAMVEER BHARATIANDHA YUG SUMMARY BY DHARAMVEER BHARATIANDHA YUG SUMMARY BY DHARAMVEER BHARATIANDHA YUG SUMMARY BY DHARAMVEER BHARATIANDHA YUG SUMMARY BY DHARAMVEER BHARATIANDHA YUG SUMMARY BY DHARAMVEER BHARATI

ANDHA YUG SUMMARY BY DHARAMVEER BHARATI

ANDHA YUG SUMMARY BY DHARAMVEER BHARATI

AN INTRODUCTION TO DHARAMVEER

AN INTRODUCTION TO ANDHA YUG :

AN OUTLINE OF THE PLAY :

Epilogue–

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