The "Indian" character of modern hindi drama

neo-sanskritic, pro-Western naturalistic, or nativistic dramas?

Diana Dimitrova

pp. 173-183

in: Williams Ortiz Gaye, Clara B. Joseph (eds), Theology and literature, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan, 2006

Abstract

This essay deals with the notion of "Indian" character of naturalistic Hindi drama, as revealed in the plays of Mohan Rakeś (1925–1972), Bhuvaneśvar (1912–1957), and Upendranath Aśk (1910–1996) who wrote in the wake of Western theater and who were opposed to the influential theatrical school of Prasad (1889–1937). It reflects on the Indian character of Hindi drama by raising the question: what is Indian tradition? Does it comprise only Western (British), or Brahmanic (Sanskritic), or indigenous (folk) elements and influences, or is it informed by all of them simultaneously? Does the fact that naturalistic Hindi drama is meant for the proscenium theater, which came from abroad, mean that its character is "non-Indian"? How is the issue of ideology related to the concept of "Indian" character of modern Hindi drama and to the making of its canon?