Tughlaq
Tughlaq is
the play which brought name and fame to Karnad.It was written in 1964, in
Kannand language and has been translated by Karnad in 1970. Alyque Padamsee
requested Karnad to translate into English and it was staged by Theatre Group,
Bombay and it was a great success. National School of Drama (NSD) got it
translated into Hindi and later it was produced in Bengali and Marathi. Vijay
Tendulkar has translated Tughlaqinto Marathi. Tughlaqis based on the historical
character of Muhammad Tughlaq who ruled India in the 14th century and he was
called mad Tughlaq. Girish Karnad in his play has shown him as a man of
opposites, the ideal and the real; the divine aspiration and the deft
intrigue.He is what he is in spite of his self-knowledge and an intense desire
for divine plaopposites begins with the first scene. The old fee l that
Sultan Muhammad Tughlaq is leading the country downward. He is notbehaving as
human being and he is not working according to tenets of Islam.It is an insult
to Islam but the young think that the country is in safe hands and Sultan is
working properly. During his reign the Muslim are asked topray (Namaz) five
times a day. Earlier they did not observe this payment of
the Koran
and in no other reign was the Koran read so openly and commonly. The Muslims
and Hindus are living together. It is Muhammad-bin-I-Tughlaq who has exempted
Hindus from the
Jiziya tax. Tughlaq is an idealist and hewants to treat Hindus as human beings
but in reality Hindus also dislike it because they suspect the intention of
Tughlaq. He wants justice and brotherhood in his country. He wants justice to
work in his kingdom without any consideration of might or weakness, religion or
creed. He craves for equality, progress and peace.But in reality his idealism
is caught in a farce. Aziz, a Muslim dhobi disguises himself as a Brahmin,
Vishnu Prasad and files a case against the Sultan as his land is confiscated by
the state. Hedemands compensation for the loss of his land and the privation.
And to the great surprise his suit is considered seriously and the
Kazi-I-Munalik declares that the Brahmin’s claim is just. The Brahmin gets his
land back and he is paid 500 dinars. Tughlaq wants to prove that there should
not be any differentiation in between Muslims and Hindus. But the old Muslims
call this action a falling and the Hindus smell a trap in it. The Sultan and
the Kazi are satisfied with the
decision but
they don’t know the person who is benefited is not a Hindu, but a Muslim.
Tughlaq is an idealist and he wants Hindu-Muslim unity. In his reign everybody
should be treated equally in the eyes of law and to prove this, he has taken
various decisions.Muhammad: My beloved people, you have heard the judgment of
the Kazi and seen for yourselves how justice work in my kingdom without any
consideration of might or weakness, religion or creed. May this
moment burn
bright and light up our path towards greater justice, equality, progress and
peace –not just peace but amore purposeful life. (Karnad 3) The Sultan announces
that he is taking a new step to bring above Hindu-Muslim unity. He wants to
transfer the capital in his empire from Delhi to Daulatabad. He rationalizes
his decision and says, Muhammad: Delhi is too near the border and you as well
know its peace is never free
from the fear of invaders. But for me the most important factor isthat
Daulatabad is a city of the Hindus and as the capital it will symbolize the
bond between Muslims and Hindus which I wish to develop and strengthen in my
kingdom. I invite you all to accompany me to Daulatabad. This is only an
invitation and not an order. Only those who have faith in me may come with me.
With their help I shall build an empire which will be the envy of the world.
(Karnad 3-4) Tughlaq’s plan regarding the change of capital from Delhi to
Daulatabad is reasonable to his own mind but he fails to convince his
subjects.He does not take into account the emotional attachment of people to
their native soil when he proposes a change of capital in
volving not
only the shift in the administrative machinery but also of the people Muhammad
proudly tells his step-mother that he hassolved one of the most famous problems
in chess which even the noted chess-players could not solve. But the step
mother who really loves him is
worried
about his sleep because the Sultan does not sleep at night. Muhammad answers
that he is worried about his subjects and this worry does not allow him to go
to sleep. He loves the people of his reign. Muhammad: Come. My people, I am
waiting for you. Confide in me your
worries. Let
me share your joys. Let’s pray laugh and cry together and then, let’s play.
Let’s pray till our bodies melt and flow and our blood turns into air. (Karnad
10) Muhammad’s struggles are mounting. Sheikh Imam-Ud-din is turning the people
in Kanpur against him whereas his
boyhood friend Ain-ul-Mulk has revolted
against him and is marching on Delhi with
his
thirty-thousand soldiers whereas Muhammad hardly has six thousand soldiers.
Najib
informs Muhammad that the Sheikh closely resembles him. Muhammad is a crafty
politician.
He invites Sheikh Iman-ud-din for preaching the people. Muhammad knows that the
Sheikh dislikes him and if he is given chance he will talk only against him.
Muhammad announces a meeting and invites people to attend the meeting but
nobody turns to the meeting. The reality is though Muhammad has announcedthe
meeting and invite the people he sends his soldiers to manage the situation and
nobody is allowed to attend the meeting. His soldiers threaten the people and
if someone comes out of the house, the soldiers beat him. When the Sultan realizes
a political and religious danger to his crown from the most revered Saint
Sheikh Imam-ud-din he humiliates the Sheikh in meeting. The Sultan is a crafty
politician and a hypocrite despot. Ain-ul-Mulk comes to the battlefield and on
behalf of the Sultan the Sheikh is sent to take the message of peace to Ain-ul-Mulk.
The Sheikh is dressed in royal dress,standing on a gorgeous elephant and looking
almost like the Sultan. He goes there as the royal envoy to make peace. But
before he can do so the trumpetis sounded which is a signal for attack. At once
soldiers pour out of the surrounding him and attack Ain-ul-Mulk and his army.
They in turn take the Sheikh to be the Sultan andshoot so many arrows at him
and soon he is dead. After the battle when the Sultan comes back he explains to
his step-mother and others the cause of the Sheikh’s death and his great grief.
On the contrary, he also tells that he has pardoned Ain-ul-Mulk and sent him
back as Governorof Avadh. A revolt is growing against the Sultan. The Sheikh’s,
the Amirs and the Sayyads are preparing themselves to pull Sultan down from his
throne. Ratansing, Sihab-ud-din and others are meeting secretly and
thinking of the rebel. As soon as the rebel rises to attack the Sultan,
personally and twenty Hindu soldiers hidden behind the curtain attack therebels
and there is general massacre.
As the order
of shifting the capital from Delhi to Daulatabad is given to the people they
move on to Daulatabad according to the commands of the Sultan. Thousands die on
the way and many people suffer with various diseases. Cries of lamentation
resound in the atmosphere. There are rogues
like Aziz
and Aazam who deceive the people and thrive on the suffering of the people.
They make a lot of money. Another mad decision is taken by the Sultan that he
introduces copper
currency in
the state and more than that he declares the value of copper currency will be
equal to silver currency because he has read about the currency of China, where
the paper- notes are treated as currency. But people take undue advantage of
the Sultan’s policy and they demand silver currency in exchange of copper
currency. The Sultan becomes spiritually lonely and is to
rtured
within. He becomes more frustrated when people call him ‘mad Muhammad’. His
most
trusted
friend Najib is killed by his step-mother. Najib is poisoned by the Sultan’s
step-mother. When the Sultan comes to know that his step-mother is responsible
for Najib’s death, Muhammad orders to arrest her and she should be stoned to
death. Barani, the historian informs the Sultan that Ghiyas Uddin Abbasid is coming
to Daulatabad. In reality he is Aziz in disguise with Aazam as his follower.
When he reaches Daulatabad, he is given a royal welcome and public prayers are
resumed from that moment. However the people starve and they want food and not
prayers; there is a lot of shouting and crying. When the soldiers try to
silence them, they are attacked. In this way large scale riots begin in
Daulatabad and thousands of people are killed in it. Aazam is bored by
deceiving of the people. He wants to stop these things but Aziz refuses to do
so. Aziz manages that Aazam is to be killed. It is a general rule that a
culprit should be punished. Aziz is a crafty man and he claims to be a true
disciple of his Majesty, the Sultan. The Sultan is impressed by his craftiness
and decides that he will be sent to the Deccan as a powerful officer. Tired and
exhausted the Sultan falls asleep on the throne. At the time of public prayer a
servant tries to awaken him, butsoon gives up the effort. The play ends as
Muhammad suddenly opens his eyes and looks around dazed and
frightened as though he cannot comprehend wherehe is. Has he gone mad? In Tughlaq
the interpersonal relationship is based on politics. Tughlaq loves his subjects
and he is all the time worried about the people of his reign. He is not
interested in his personal life. He is not even married. He wants that Muslims
and Hindus should live together happily in his kingdom. He loves justice,
equality, progress and peace –at least he says like that. He shames the throne
by devious means –killing his father and brother during prayer time though one
is not sure about it. This leads to lack of credibility among his followers
from the time he shames the throne. No one trusts him and he never trusts
anyone. As he kills his own father and brother his mother does not talk with
him. He is alienated from the society. “Not only is Tughlaq alienated from the
society in which he lives, he is also estranged at the interpersonal level from
the individuals around him. His interpersonal alienation manifests itself in
two ways. First of all he is shown to manipulate people for his own purposes,
treating them as objects and not persons. Secondly he is unable to establish
meaningful communication with others and is seen to be play-acting
continually.” (Christine Gomez 115) The Sultan uses his political pawns in a
proper way and throws them away when they are useless. He is seen as an ace-schemer
who manipulates Sheikh
Imam-ud-din to act exactly according to his plans. Both of his enemies Sheikh
Imam-ud-din and Ain-ul-Mulk are killed in a single stroke. He uses persons as
objects. His relationship with others is very little genuine. The family
concept is totally collapsed in Tughlaqas it is more based on power and
politics. Power is at the centre of the play and the Sultan uses religion also
for his power politics. The Sultan uses power and makes the people to behave as
he likes. The Sultan makes people compulsory to pray five times a daily. He
knows the art of projecting a public
image of impartiality. He does well for the people no doubtbut he wishes to be
known for and wide
for having done well. And for the same purpose he announces that Vishnu Prasad
a Brahmin from Bikaner has won asuit against the Sultan himself. On one hand he
invites the Sheikh to deliver a public speech and on the other hand he manages
that no one should attend theSheikh’s speech forcefully. He uses the power of
his soldiers and prevents the people to attend the public speech. Sultan uses
his power and tactics to kill his enemies. He even uses his power to kill his
own step-mother.“With regard to his relationship with his mother, Tughlaq is
already estranged from her, as she believes him guilty of patricide and
fratricide. More significantly in scene ten the betrayal of his stepmother
takes place to whom he has been very close. He condemns her to death by stoning
in public when she confesses to having his close adviser Najib murdered.” (R.
Ratna ShielaMani 145) The Sultan has given orders and made prayers compulsory
but during the prayer he kills his father and brother. “History has it that
Muhammad Tughlaq had killed his father and brother in order to become the
Sultan of Delhi. The charge of murder may or may not be true, for history draws
heavily on conjectures. However, the playwright only casts a shadow of doubt of
parricide on Tughlaq. Admitting that it was a pre-planned murder, the question
arises how the elephant went amok exactly when prayers were offered, and dashed
against the wooden pandal resulting in its collapse and the instant death of
the reigning Sultan? There is room for doubt in that allegation.” (K.K. John
127-128). The Sultan kills or murders a man calmly and enjoys the feeling of
guilt. Ratansing: I have never seen an honest scoundrel like your Sultan. He murders
a man calmly and then actually enjoys the feeling of guilt. (Karnad 28) As the
play is based on politics, intrigue is the part of the politics. Tughlaq is a
great tragedy of intrigue. And in the play there are three types of intrigues.
First, the intrigues of the Sultan against his nobles and even against the
royal family, second, the intrigues of even trusted courtiers and nobles against
the Sultan, third, the intrigues of the nobles against each other. 1)Tughlaq
comes to the throne through an intrigue against his
father and brother in which they are killed. Sheikh Imam-ud-din who calls
Sultan as adisgrace to
the throne as he has killed his own father and brother. The Sultan manages to
kill the Sheikh by sending him asthe messenger of peace to Ain-ul-Mulk.
2) The
trusted courtiers and nobles too hatch a number of intrigues against each
other. The stepmother is displeased with Najib and ultimately gets him
poisoned. The Sultan arrests her and punishes her in a cruel manner. Sihab-ud-din
is a trusted friend and courtier but he is misguided by his adopted brother,
Ratansing. Ratansing works as a spy and Sihab-ud-din is killed.
3)The nobles
too conspire against each other. Ratan Singh is the adopted brother of Sheikh
Sihab-ud-din but he is vindictive and wants to have his own revenge upon him.
The fact is that Sihab-ud-din’s father has killed Ratansing’s father and
usurted his Jahangir since then Ratansing has been planning his revenge and he
does take his revenge through treachery.
Tughlaq’s
struggle begins with his assumption of power as the Sultan of Delhi. His
enemies want to swoop down him from his throne. The chieftains of Delhi, the
Amirs, Sheikh Imam-ud-din, and Ain-ul-Mulk are the powerful personalities who
have started a propzy war against
the young
Sultan. What Tughlaq does to them is his self-defense. He has to preserve himself,
his ideals, his visions, his dreams and for that his own survival is important.
Young
Sultan’s
interest is in the secular India where Hindus and Muslims would live in
perpetual amity and brotherhood. For him humanism is more important than religion.
But Tughlaq’s opponents are all mean of wasted interests. Ain-ul-Mulk is
interested in capturing the throne of Delhi. Imam-ud-din and the chieftains
of Delhi want power because with it they want to make the statesubservient
to Islam. But Muhammad Tughlaq has gone beyond the caste system and religion
also. For him religion should play a positive role in human life, to enhance
the progress and happiness of the people. “This is the bone of contention
between the Sultan and his opponents.
So, clearly,
at least in the initial stage of the play, the conflict is between two
ideologies, two attitudes. The theme turns tragic only when the young Sultan
refuses to dance to their tunes, and decides to defend his ideals and visions.”
(K.K. John 128) Another distinctive feature of this play is its exploration of
man’s search for power. Tughlaq motivates the action of the play. Every
sequence, every act originates from his desire for authority and the total
power. “His interest and aspirations revolve within the emitting circle of
power, the rest of his human impulses dry up, the needs of his being become
distorted; his erudition and intellect turn out to be instruments for use in
the politics of power, its stratagems and counter stratagems. He says, “No one
can go far on his knees. I have a long way to go. I can’t afford to crawl. I
have to gallop. ” (Veena Noble Dass p.94) Aziz is representative of the persons
who are self-centered and can do anything for money and power. Born as a Muslim
dhobi, he disguises himself as a Brahmin Vishnu Prasad. He files a suit against
the Sultan and wins also. Aziz is a cunning Dhobi and he assumes several disguises
in the play. His story runs parallel to that of the Sultan Muhammad and heclaims
to the Sultan’s most faithful follower. He is cunning and treacherous. He is a
kind of caricature of the Sultan. He is the best representative of utter
failure of Tughlaq’s administration in which good people suffer and the cheats
like Aziz are rewarded. His character is a satire on the working of democracy
in which more emphasis is given on merit but in practice mischiefs person and troublemakers
are rewarded. On the contrary, the virtuous people have to face exploitation
and frustration. He is both intelligent and imaginative. He is very poor and
has no future before him. He pulls the Sultan by disguising himself in various
robes. His disguises reveal the irony of human existence. To please the Sultan,
Aziz, pretends to be both, Muslim and Hindu. He tries torise higher and higher
by exploitation of the poor. Politics is goal of his life. He says to Aazam - Aziz:
You are a hopeless case, you know. Pathetic!You’ve been in Delhi for so many
years and you’re as stupid as ever. Look at me. Only a few month in Delhi and I
have discovered a whole new world Politics! My dear fellow, that’s where our
future is Politics! It’s a beautiful world –wealth, success, position, power
–and yet it’s fullof brainless people, People with not an idea in their head.
When I think of all the tricks I used in our village to pinch a few torn
clothes from people –if one uses half that intelligence here, one can get robes
of power. And have not to pinch them either –get them! It’s a fantastic world!
(Karnad 50) Aziz is bold and fearless. He advises Aazam not to steal the
counterfeit coins. When the Sultan recognizes that he is the cheat and he has
been befooling him with his masquerade, the series of chaining clothes, instead
of punishing him, appoints him an officer to his army in the Deccan. Aziz is representative
of the persons who crave for power and ready to do anything for it.
Violence in Tughlaq
The play Tughlaqis
packed with intrigues, machinations, bloodshed,
terrible
murders, Violence and horror. There is a long chain of deception and violence.
Seven to eight major characters are killed and countless people die while they
excel. The Sultan creates the situation in which his father and brother are killed.
He invites Sheikh Imam-ud-din and sends him to meet Ain-ul-Mulk as a messenger of
peace. Both of these characters who were headache for the Sultan are killed in
a single stroke. The Sultan is a crafty politician. When seven to eight Amirs,
Sayyads and Sheikhs are aboutto assassin the ultan,some twenty Hindu soldiers
rush on behind the curtain and arrest the conspirators. After his Namaz is over
the Sultan kills Sihab with his own hands. The conspiracy is climax in the
play. The Sultan becomes very violent and vicious. The conspirators are
beheaded and their bodies are hung for people to see. The step-mother of the
Sultan is of a diabolic nature and she manages to poison Najib, a trusted
advisor of the Sultan because, she holds him responsible for the Sultan’s
degradation. When theSultan comes to know about her deceitful nature he orders
her death sentence by stoning. Thus in the play there is fratricide, patricide
and matricide. “His kingdom transfers into a
kitchen of death and he becomes the lord of skin.” (S.T. Kharat 42) The capital
is shifted to Daulatabad. This unfortunate decision of the Sultan makes him
unpopular. Thousands of people die of hunger and starvation. Those who oppose
the Sultan’s orders are killed. He kills even on suspicion. Aziz and Aazam kill
Ghiyas-ud-din. A lot of bloodshed is shown on the stage and at the same time it
is narrated also. The audience watches evil acts and violence
on the stage because a predator lies hidden in every human being. It is Artaud
who mentions, “ The use of cruelty was means of effecting a sort of therapy for
the soul.” (Artaud 29) India was conquered by the Muslim by the power of the
sword and Islam was imposed even on unwilling Hindus were treated as second
class
citizens in
their own country. They were called ‘Kefirs’, or infidels and those who did not
pay Jiziya tax were ill-treated and brutally punished. Religious bigotry
prevented on a large scale and Hindus constantly lived in fear of their lives. It
was in the fourteen century that Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq came to the throne and he
tried to alter all this.Many of the
critics are of the opinion that Tughlaqis a political allegory. Girish Karnad,
while writing this play was struck by
the parallelism between the reign of Tughlaq and contemporary history. Tughlaq
is a powerful personality but he is disintegrated withina short span of twenty years
and the mood of frustration at the end of the Nehru era.
Karnad himself states, “I did not consciously write about the Nehru era and equally
applies to development of politics since then. But I think, well, that is a
compliment that any playwright would be thrilled to get but it was not intended
to be a contemporary play about contemporary situation. I think if one gets
involved with one’s
characters or one’s play then it should develop into some kind of a true
statement about oneself. I think a play can be only as contemporary as the
playwright is. If the writer does not have contemporary convictions or is not
committed, the play will not be contemporary. You cannot be fashionably committed
or fashionably involved. If you are involved, the issues will come which if you
are not involved don’t emerge.” In the play Tughlaqpower and politics is linked
with religion. The Sultan wants that in his reign Muslims and Hindus are to be
treated at equal level. This is political ideology of the Sultan. And in order
to prove this he gives justice to a Hindu Brahmin, Vishnu Prasad. The sheikh
Imam-ud-din, a religious figure is involved in politics. He gives public
speeches and tells the people how the Sultan is bringing blot to Islam. He
accepts the request of the Sultan to serve as his messenger and dissuade
Ain-ul-Mulk from the folly of turning against the Sultan. The Sultan requests
the Sheikh and tells him if the war takes place only Muslims will die. Muhammad:
Because I want peace. I am willing to make peace but how can I do it? I don’t
even know why he has turned against me. He won’t even see my official envoys.
But he will see you. He respects you as every Muslim in
India does. He will trust your word. That’s why I’m asking you –will you please
go as my envoy anddissuade him
from this folly? Please Sheikh Sahib, I’m not asking you only for mysake but
for all the Muslims who will die at the hands of Muslims if there is a war.
(Karnad 23) Sheikh Imam-ud-din accepts the suggestion of the Sultan
because he loves Islam. The Sultan has managed to kill SheikhImam-ud-din in
such a way that nobody would suspect him. Here the religious leader becomes a
prey to the dirty political game of Tughlaq. The Sultan kills his
brother and father during the time of prayer (Namaz). The prayer timeis used
for murder. Prayer halls are being polluted with discussions onpolitics. The
prayer in the play is diseased at the source of the political ascendency. He
has made a law that the Muslims have to pray five times a day. The Koran is
allowed to be read in the streets and every religion is to be equally respected.
The word prayer is repeated several times and it reverberates
through the play. But it is polluted at the very source, and so it no longer
has the epicasy of prayer. Religion makes it incumbent forthe people to pray. Ambition
for power and money vitiates prayer and religion. Prayer is used as a means to
an end and not as an end in itself. The play Tughlaqcombines religion and
politics of an idealist. It aims at showing that idealism of the ruler will
fail and will ruin the idealist. Tughlaq fails because he
tries to mix politics with religion. Tughlaq is estranged from the religion
followed by those aroundhim. “Tughlaq’s
alienation from traditional religion arises primarily from the fact that he is
an existentialist in his religion and therefore inevitably comes into conflict
with the orthodox believers and fundamentalists in religion.” (Gomez 116)
Techniques Used by Girish Karna
d in Tughlaq
Use of History and Historical Figures
Girish Karnad is mainly interested in the folk
theatre and the Company
–Natak
tradition. The play Tughlaqis deliberately written in the convention of the
Company Natak. In Company Natak all scenes aredivided and alternated between
deep scenes and shallow scenes. The shallow scene is usually a street scene and
is kept for comment. While the shallow scene is on, the deep scene is prepared
for, a garden, a palace whenever the sets are being changed. While the set
change is going on, in the shallow scene, the audience enjoys comedy and when
the curtain opens the audience see palace on the stage. Karnad has minutely
studied the presentation of play on the
stage and he has written Tughlaqto satisfy the needs of the theatre
presentation. The play Tughlaqis a historical play. A historical play seems to be
a contradiction in terms. History is dependent on truth and the events of the past
are presented in it. On the contrary, art requires imagination and fancy. It
means that the writer of a historical play must use the facts of history with discretion
to suit the needs of his drama. He mustbe faithful to the events which have
taken place in the past. While maintainoverall truth to history the playwright
has to deviate from the facts of history. He has to introduce new characters in
the interest of dramatic effectiveness. The character of Tughlaq is taken from
history. Tughlaqexplores the character of one of the most fascinating kings to
occupy the throne in Delhi. Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq ruled for twenty-six years, a
period of unpatrolled cruelty and
agonizing
existence for his subjects. Karnad first read of him in Ishwari Prasad and wasfascinated
by the emperor Tughlaq. Karnad in his interview with Tutun Mukherjee says,
“History was
used as a positive concept to analyze life and society by the Muslim
historians. So, I thought, why not give his tory a try as a tool to interpret
our life and times? I started some research; read some history. As Ihave
described in my introduction to the Three Plays (OUP), when I read about
Mohammed bin Tughlaq, I was fascinated. How marvelous this was, Ithought.
Tughlaq was a brilliant individual yet isregarded as one of the biggest
failures. He tried to introduce policies that seem today to far-sighted to the
point of genius, but which earned him the nickname “Mohammed the mad” then. He
ended his career in bloodshed and chaos.” (Girish Karnad Interview 35) In Tughlaq,
a historian may find lapse with regard to the accuracy ofthe facts of
history and with regard to the historical Sultan’s character but he will have
no dissonance and disagreement when it isasserted that Karnad has made use of
Sultan’s characters to suit his theme that an idealist ruler cannot remain
idealist if he is ambitious of perpetrating his own power. Karnad usesthe
Sultan only as a background to make the people
understand,
judge and interpret contemporary reality. His purpose is to show that in true
history,
faces change
but forces don’t. Karnad’s own Tughlaqshould be studied to find parallelism
between the realities of the fourteenth century India ruled by the Sultan and
the twentieth century democratic country governed by a Prime-Minister and his
colleagues in the Cabinet.Karnad’s own
statement which is quoted by U.R.A. Anantha Murthy in his Introduction to Tughlaqshould
not be taken with a pinch of salt. “What struck me absolutely about Tughlaq’s
history was that it was contemporary. The fact, that he was the most intelligent
king ever to come to the throne of Delhi and one of the greatest failures also.
And within a span of twenty years this tremendously capable man had goneto
pieces. This seemed to be both due to his idealism as well as the short
–comings with him, such as his impatience, his cruelty, his feeling that he had
the only correct answer. And I felt in the early sixties India had also come
very far in the same direction the twenty year period seemed to me very much a
striking parallel.” (U.R. Anantha Murthy VIII)
Karnad
visited the most renowned historian Mr. Ishwari Prasad and discussed with him
the details about Tughlaq. He read other historical resources also like.
Ziaud-din Barani’s Tarikh-a-FiruzShahi, Al Marshi’s The Mashik-al-Absar,
Ibn-e-Battuta’s Travelsand Badoni’s Tarikh-i-Mubarak Shahi. Though Karnad uses
all these resources while writing his Tughlaq, he delegates from history which
is necessary for artistic and technical purposes.Karnad has done his best to
create the atmosphere of mutual distressed, frustrated idealism, orthodox,
convention ridden faith, communal in tolerance, religious bigotry, treachery
and seditio
n, rampant
corruption, soaring prices, natural calamities plague and famine, the Sultan’s
unmitigated blood thirstiness and his final disillusionment. Tughlaq was a
great scholar, idealist and visionary. Of all the Sultans who had hither to
occupy the throne of Delhi, he was the most learned and accomplished. He also
invited non-Muslim scholars for discussion. He used to have
discussions
with Muslims, Hindus, Jain scholars, Buddhist Monks and Hindu thinkers. He was
liberal in matters of religion. Due to his liberal and rational religious views
the orthodox theologies like Zia-ud-din Barani through him a non-believer in
Islam. But Ibn-i-Battuta informs u
s that he
constantly urged people about the performance of obligatory prayers.Even the
enemies of Sultan recognized his learning and scholarship. Sheikh Imam-ud-din
is a staunch critic of the Sultan but he also praises him. Imam-ud-din:.....
You are one of the most powerful ki
ngs on earth
today and you could spread the kingdom of Heaven on earth. God has given you
everything
–power, learning, intelligence, talent. Now you must repay his debt. (Karnad
20)
Plot
By no means
can the plot of Tughlaqbe called Aristotelian. The playwright has flaunted the
unities of time and place. The action of the playtakes place
first of all in Delhi in the year 1327,then from the road from Delhi to
Daulatabad and lastly in and around the fort at Daulatabad five years later. The
unity of action implies that all the episodes in the play must be knit together
to form the whole. Not a single episode or incident can be removed from the
structure without a loss. In Tughlaq, there are many superfluous incidents e.g.
the episode of Aziz and Hindu woman and the episode of Aziz with a family
containing six illegal children. Many scenes regarding bloodshed and murders
are narrated and not shown directly on the stage. Only the gruesome murder of
Sihab-ud-din is enacted on the stage. The
stepmother of the Sultan is shown being dragged by the soldiers.In Greek plays,
the episodes regarding murders, bloodshed and other horrorful actions are
narrated and are not shown onthe stage. Karnad weaves the story of Aazam and
Aziz with the main tragic story of Tughlaq. Karnad has become successful in
creating suspense in the play by keeping in abeyance the happy fate of Aziz.
Though he cheats the Sultan, instead of being killed or tortured, he is
rewarded by the Sultan. Girish Karnad uses suggesting method in developing the
plot of Tughlaq Karnad has skillfully woven the plot. He knits together the
comic story of Aziz and the tragic tale of life of Muhammad. Many critics are
of the opinion thatTughlaq is a
political allegory based on Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru’s era and it comments directly
or indirectly the plans introduced by Jawaharlal Nehru. Tughlaqdeals with the
last five years of the reign of Tughlaq. And whatever else we need to know we
learn from what others tell us of him.
This has
been done in the interest of dramatic effectiveness. The dramatist introduces
tension and conflict which are essentialfor plot, in the very beginning and all
the events and actions of characters intensify conflict until it reaches the
climax. The subplot related with Aziz and Aazam runs parallel to the main plot.
It is employed for the purpose of burlesque. In other words it is introduced inthe way of
ridicule. And in order to achieve the target it was deliberately written in the
convention of the company Natak.
Action
Girish Karnad’s Tughlaqis based on a
historical figure of Tughlaq who reigned Delhi more than two decades. The play
is full of actions. On one hand Tughlaq is involved in achieving the throne and
on the other hand Aziz is involved in deceiving the people. On the parts of both,
they are deceptive and commit intrigue to achieve the objective. Azizdisguises
and deceives the people whereas Tughlaq observes cunning ways to destroy his
enemies. When the play begins the characters are talking about the Sultan. The
Sultan is a controversial character. Some people talk in favour of him whereas
some people blame him. The murder shown on the stage, the bloodshed reported and
how the people died in their journey to Daulatabad from Delhi; all these actions
lead the audience to suspect the wisdom of the Sultan.
Characterization
Being very
skilled in the art of characterization Girish Karnad’s characters are of
various types. Karnad has introduced a politician like Najib, a historian like
Barani, the religious like Imam-ud-din, the thinkers like stepmother, friend
turned foe like Sihab-ud-din, the comic like Aziz and Aazam. In Tughlaqthe
characters are not either all the good or all bad. They are a mixture of
opposites, vices and virtues and best example is the Sultan. The common men of
the country hold contradictory opinions about him. The old find him
irreligious, anti-Islam and a romanticwhereas the young people call him truly
religious human and an idealist. Karnad’s art of characterization is based on
theprinciples of life which is an amalgam of contrasting elements. In the play also
a number of characters are seen who present contrast. The Sultan himself is a
contrast to all the people of the state –the idealist against the practical
human beings. Najib and Barani also are contrasting characters.Najib is a
politician whereas Barani is a
historian. Barani has faith in courage, honesty and justice while Najib mocks
at these words. Barani’s way of thinking is different. The contrast, in the
thinking of Aziz and Aazam enhances the interest of the play. Karnad makes the
story of Aziz and Aazam run parallel to that of the Sultan.
Characters
Tughlaq
The Sultan
Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq is the central figure of the play, Tughlaq. He is the
protagonist/ antagonist of the play. Many of the critics are of the opinion
that Karnad’s Tughlaq is caricature of Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru. He is very
intelligent and works very hard for the people. He becomes successful to kill
Sheikh Imam-ud-din and Ain-ul-Mulk in a single stroke. This double-facedness of
Tughlaq can be compared with modern politicians.
Barani
Barani plays
significant part in Girish Karnad’s plays. Karnad has used historical
background while writing
Tughlaq and The
Dreams of Tipu Sultan.In both these plays he has used a fictional histori
an named
Barani. His character is contrast to Najib who is a politician. To him history
is not made only in straight crafts; its lasting results are produced in the
ranks of learned
men. Like
Najib, Barani is also the favourite of Sultan but unlike Najib, he is an idealist.
He is a good man and sees goodness in everyone. He is a moderate and temperate.
He does not want violence. He praises the Sultan’s generous and kind deeds and
does not approve of his killings
and murders.
He is a scholar historian standing for the virtues of life.He is a simple, good
and an honest advisor to the Sultan completely unaware of intrigues and
treachery.
Sheikh Imam-ud-din
He is a holy
character of India who defies the Sultan and meets his death by being caught in
the trap of the Sultan. He is a bold and courageous man and is a great fiery
speaker. He boldly tells the people that Muhammad is a murderer of his father
and brother. The Sheikh
is a man of
courage and integrity.
He warns Sultan against making verbal distinctions between religion and
politics. But he is trapped by Muhammad in hisplan and he is killed in the
battle.
The Step-mother
The
Step-mother of Tughlaq is the only important female character in the play. She
is worried about the health and welfare of Tughlaq. She is worried about his
late nights. As she dislikes many of Tughlaq’s advisors, she requests Barani to
promise her not to leave the Sultan – ever – whatever he does. She comes to the
conclusion that Najib is responsible for the killings in the state. She manages
the murder of Najib and for that Tughlaq gives order for her being sent to
prison and stoned to death. The Sultan loses a good advisor.
Language
Karnad’s
handling of language and of dialogue is quite effective in Tughlaq.“He has
chosen English to reflect the idiom of thelanguage of character. A Karnad
sentence often performs two or three functions at once. It sheds light on the
character spoken about and itfurthers the plot. It almost functions ironically
in conveying to audience a meaning different from that conveyed to the
character” (P. Bayapa Ready p.151) Tughlaq does not want to crawl but he would
like togallop and this is
reflected in
his assertive language. He is aware ofhis loneliness and all the time he thinks
of his god and his subjects. Muhammad:.... But I am alone in my life. My
kingdomhas millions – Muslims, Hindus, Jains. Yes, there is dirt and sickness
in my kingdom. But why should I call on god to clean the dirt deposited bymean?
(Karnad 20) The language used by Muhammad is very poetic also.He has also read literature
in various languages. He says, Muhammad:.... I still remember the days when I
read the Greeks– Sukrat who took poison so he could give the world the drink ofgods,
Aflatoon who
condemned
poets and wrote in comparably beautiful poetry himself - and I can still feel
the thrill with which I founda new world, a word I had not found in the Arabs
or even the Koran. They
tore me in
to shreds. And to be whole now, I shall have to kill the part of me which sang
to them And my Kingdom too is what I am-torn in to pieces by vision whose
validity I can’t deny. You are asking me to make myself complete by killing the
Greek in me and you proposeto unify my people by denying the visions which led
Zarathustra or theBuddha. (Karnad 21) There are examples of verbal irony in the
text. Theironical language of Karnad makes the play more interesting. Muhammad:...
They couldn’t bear the weight of their crown. They couldn’t leave it a side. So
they died senile in there youthor were murdered (Karnad 11) Tughlaqis notable
for its poetic value. The Sultan uses language which appeals directly to the
mind and intellect of the p
erson. Muhammad:....
My kingdom rejoices at the arrival of your gracious presence. We have waited
for years for this joyful moment...... Your Holiness, and our sins have become
shadows that entwine roundour feet. They have become our dumbness and deprived
us of prayer.They have become the fiery sun and burnt up our crops. Now the
movement has come for me and my people to rejoice. Only you can save me now, your
Holiness, only the dust of your feet on my head can save me now---.”
(Karnad71-72) Karnad uses different language for different chara
cters. The
characters of Aziz and Aazam are created by him for groundlings and the
language used by these characters is also of lower strata.
