Nagmandala - Girish Karnad

Nagmandala - Girish Karnad

 

 

 

Girish Karnad, (born May 19, 1938, Matheran, Bombay Presidency [now in Maharashtra], India—died June 10, 2019, Bengaluru, Karnataka), Indian playwright, author, actor, and film director whose movies and plays, written largely in Kannada, explore the present by way of the past.

After graduating from Karnataka University in 1958, Karnad studied philosophy, politics, and economics as a Rhodes scholar at the University of Oxford (1960–63). He wrote his first play, the critically acclaimed Yayati (1961), while still at Oxford. Centred on the story of a mythological king, the play established Karnad’s use of the themes of history and mythology that would inform his work over the following decades. Karnad’s next play, Tughlaq (1964), tells the story of the 14th-century sultan Muḥammad ibn Tughluq and remains among the best known of his works.

Samskara (1970) marked Karnad’s entry into filmmaking. He wrote the screenplay and played the lead role in the film, an adaptation of an anticaste novel of the same name by U.R. Ananthamurthy. Karnad followed with Vamsha Vriksha (1971), codirected by B.V. Karanth. During this period Karnad continued to produce work as a playwright, including Hayavadana (1971), widely recognized as among the most important plays of postindependence India. For his contributions to theatre, he was awarded the Padma Shri, one of India’s top civilian honours, in 1974.

 

Plot overview: -

Rani is a young bride who is neglected by her indifferent and unfaithful husband, Appanna. Appanna spends most of his time with his concubine and comes home only for lunch. Rani is a typical wife who wants to win her husband’s affection by any means. In an attempt to do so, she decides to drug her husband with a love root, which she mixes in the milk. That milk is spilled on the nearby anthill and Naga, the Cobra drinks it.

Naga, who can take the form of a human, is enchanted with her and begins to visit her every night in the guise of her husband. This changes Rani's life completely as she starts to experience the good things in life though she never knows that the person with her is not her husband but the Naga.

Soon she becomes pregnant and breaks the news to Appanna. He immediately accuses her of adultery and says that he has not impregnated her. The issue is referred to the village Panchayat. Rani is then asked to prove her fidelity by putting her hand in the snake burrow and taking a vow that she has not committed adultery. (It is a popular belief that if any person lies holding the snake in their hand, they will be instantly killed by the snake God.)

Rani places her hand in the snake burrow and vows that she has never touched any male other than her husband and the Naga in the burrow. She is declared chaste by the village Panchayat. However, her husband is not ready to accept that she is pregnant with his child and decides to find out the truth by spying on the house at night. Appanna is shocked to see the Naga visiting Rani in his form, spending time with her and then leaving the house.

Appanna gets furious with the Naga and indulges in a fight with him. Both of them fight vigorously. Eventually, the Naga dies in the fight. After this incident, Appanna realizes his mistake and accepts Rani along with the child she is carrying.

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 Blog Task:-  

1.) Who do you think is the protagonist of this play? Why?

2.) Read the original text and write five dialogues from the original play about the following characters:-

Rani

Appana

Naga

3.) Read the preface and write something about the basics of the story.

4.) Find 3 scholarly articles related to Nagmandala and write it in brief about it by citing that articles.

Happy Learning!!!