Staging Resistance: Plays by Women, in Translation 0195670086, 9780195670080

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Staging Resistance Plays by Women in Translation

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§!aging Resistance Plays by Women in Translation

Edited, with an introduction, by

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.)~ C ~ YMCA Library Building, Jai Singh Road, New Delhi 110 001 Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University's objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide in Oxford NewYork Auckland Cape Town Dar es Salaam Hong Kong Karachi Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Nairobi New Delhi Shanghai Taipei Toronto With offices in Argentina Austria Brazil Chile Czech Republic France Greece Guatemala Hungary Italy Japan Poland Portugal Singapore South Korea Switzerland Thailand Turkey Ukraine Vietnam Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press in the UK and in certain other countries Published in India by Oxford University Press, New Delhi C Oxford University Press 2005 The moral rights of the author have been asserted Database right Oxford University Press (maker) All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from Oxford University Press. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside the scope of the above should be sent to the Rights Department, Oxford University Press, at the address above You must not circulate this book in any other binding or cover and you must impose this same condition on any acquirer ISBN 019 567008 6

Typeset in Minion 10.5/12.7 by Excellent Laser Typesetters Printed in India by Sai Printopack Pvt Ltd., New Delhi 110 020 Published by Manzar Khan, Oxford University Press YMCA Library Building, Jai Singh Road, New Delhi 110 001

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all women who have contributed to the theatre forms in India

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Contents

Acknowledgments

IX

PROLEGOMENON TO WOMEN'S THEATRE

I

I.

WOMEN IN BENGALI THEATRE Swarnakumari Devi • The Wedding Tangle Usha Ganguli • The Journey Within Nabaneeta Dev Sen • Medea

28 33 69 86

2.

WOMEN IN GUJARATI THEATRE • Varsha Adalja Varsha Adalja • Mandodari

96 99

3.

WOMEN IN HINDI THEATRE Tripurari Sharma • A Tak from the Year 1857: Azizun Nisa Kusum Kumar • Listen Shefali

120 182

WOMEN IN Marnta

229 232

4.

THEATRE Sagar • The Swing of Desire

KANNADA

G.

5. WOMEN IN MALAYALAM THEATRE Catherine Thankamma • Beyond Fafades

117

249 252

6.

WOMEN IN MARATHI THEATRE • Maya Pandit Malatibai Bedekar • Prey Muktabai Dikshit • Gambk

263 266 310

7.

WOMENINPUNJA!llTHEATRE Manjit Pal Kaur • Sundran Neelarn Mansingh Chowdhry • Fida

361 365 406

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Contents

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8. WOMEN iN TAMIL THEATRE • V. Padma C. S. Lakshmi 'Arnbai' • Crossing the River Mangai • Frozen Fire

428 432 440

9. WOMEN IN TELUGU THEATRE

463

Chalam-Volga • The Six of Them Vmodini • Thirst

468

492

10. WOMEN IN URDU THEATRE • A. R. Manzar

513 517

Rasheed Jahan • Woman Jameela Nishat • Purdah

539

Note on Translarors

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Acknowledgments It gives me great pleasure to express my gratitude to all the people who have contributed to the making of this book. First and foremost, I thank all the playwrights who responded immediately to my request for playscripts and extended their unfailing support through the process of translation. I express my gratitude to (in order of their appearance in the book) Nabaneeta Dev Sen, Usha Ganguli, Varsha Adalja, Tripurari Sharma, Kusum Kumar, Mamta G. Sagar, Catherine Thankamma, Manjit Pal Kaur, Neelam Mansingh Chowdhry, C. S. Lakshmi 'Ambai', V. Padma 'Mangai', Volga, Vinodini, and Jameela Nishat. What I have gained from them is precious to me and I value their friendship. I am fortunate to be able include the work of pathbreaking playwrights who passed away, like Swarnakumari Devi, Malatibai Bedekar, Mukta Dikshit, and Rasheed Jahan. I thank the Viswa Bharati University for making available the manuscript of Swamakumari Devi's play for translation. I thank Sujit and Meenakshi Mukherjee for their affection and encouragement and for drawing my attention to the work of Swarnakumari Devi. Some of the playwrights are active theatre persons and have also given their time to answer questions about their work. I also thank Kirti Jain and Anuradha Kapur of the National School of Drama, New Delhi, and G. P. Deshpande for talking at length about various aspects of theatre practice. I thank Vmay Verma of Sutradhar Theatre Group, Hyderabad, and Purnachandra Rao of Ethnic Arts Centre, Hyderabad, for their valuable insights. I thank all the translators for their interest and deep involvement in the project and the way they prioritized this work to enable the finalization of the manuscript. Thanks are also due to Khalid Qadri and Manikyamba of Osmania University for their useful advice.

Digitize This is the best time to hold on to Rama. (To Rama) Rama, you bring your child here today and keep him with

KETAKI:

you. You need not go to any other house or institute. You can stay with me. Just see that the housework is not disturbed. RAMA: (Emotionally, with folded hands) What more do I need? Education would be difficult for me, anyhow, at this age. KETAKJ: (Opening her cupboard) Take these sarees. I kept these for you. Now I have to go out But first I must coax and cajole my motherin-law out of her temper or else there will be a tandava at home after he comes. Look here, lock the cupboard and keep the keys with you. (Leaves)

No, no. Please wait. I don't want this responsibility. It might create problems for me later on.

RAMA:

ACT III, SCENE 1 (Ketaki's room. Ketaki lies in bed and Jeeja massages her, talking all the while.) He's like that and things have become worse with Sasu bai filling his ears with stories. IEEJA: All mothers-in-law are like this. But I must tell you that your mother-in-law and Rama bai are whispering all the time. KETAXJ: What do they talk about? JEEJA: (Stops the massage.) What do I know? They stop talking when they see me. KETAKI:

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Prey

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Is that so? No one else would have allowed Rama to stay in the house with her child. You don't stop your massage, now. JEEJA: (Massages.) Who is there to look after them? These days no one wants to take any extra burden. KETAKJ: That's it. And when someone does, others are quick to find fault. JEEJA: The other day Janki bai came to meet her. They spoke for a long time. KETAKI: She'll be disturbed again. That old woman is shameless. How many times I have snubbed her but she continues to come here. JEEJA: They were talking about advocate and money and so on. (Stops the massage.) KETAKJ: But no one told me anything. Go on, don't stop your work. JEEJA: The other day she was asking Saheb also. KETAKJ: Who, Rama? She was talking to Saheb? JEEJA: And your mother-in-law was talking in between. KETAKJ: How is it that I don't know any of this? JEEJA: When are you at home? (Stops the massage.) KETAKJ: I should have some free time for myself. Look, a woman represents the honour of the house. When I go out to functions and meet people, they get to know us and visit us. When they learn that I am his wife, the prestige of the family is enhanced. Don't stop the massage. JEEJA: Yes, you are right. (Voice calling 'Rama ba~ Rama bai'. ) Saheb is calling Rama bai. KETAKJ: He doesn't call me these days. JEEJA: I was going to say that too. J