| Pub. Date | : Dec, 2019 |
|---|---|
| Product Name | : The IUP Journal of English Studies |
| Product Type | : Article |
| Product Code | : IJES51912 |
| Author Name | : Ankita Paul and Dipankar Sukul |
| Availability | : YES |
| Subject/Domain | : Arts & Humanities |
| Download Format | : PDF Format |
| No. of Pages | : 09 |
During the 1960s, Badal Sircar, one of post-independent India’s most prominent playwrights, wrote some serious plays which reflected the sociopolitical turmoil of the contemporary period, emphasizing on the need for a social change. This paper analyzes four plays of Sircar, namely, Evam Indrajit (And Indrajit), Baki Itihas (That Other History), Tringsha Shatabdi (Thirtieth Century), and Shesh Nei (There’s No End), in the context of the references made to the prevailing sociopolitical problems of that era and examines how Sircar throws light on the fact that man alone is responsible for bringing destruction to the world and inviting disharmony in his life. It further attempts to establish the fact that through his plays, Sircar intensifies the guilt in man and urges him to take responsibility for the occurrences around him. A study of the selected plays helps understand the emphasis that Sircar puts on the need for a social reformation, which can happen only through the collective efforts of mankind.
Badal Sircar (1925-2011) was one of the most prominent theatre practitioners of postindependence India. He started his theatrical journey in the proscenium theatres of Calcutta with light comedies in the 1950s, but in the 1960s, he changed track to focus on the serious issues that needed the immediate attention of readers and spectators. The plays written during this period reflect the sociopolitical conditions of the contemporary period and emphasize on the need for social change. To Sircar (2009a, 75), man “is a product of a particular society in a particular period, but he can influence the change of that society by every single choice he makes, every single action he takes. He is not alone. The choices made, the actions taken by many people like him ultimately change the world, for better or for worse.” Sircar believed that a change needs to be brought about by man through his own choices in life so that humanity as a whole benefits.