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.