Published Online:June 2026
Product Name:The IUP Journal of English Studies
Product Type:Article
Product Code:IJES090626
DOI:10.71329/IUPJES/2026.21.2.99-109
Author Name:Manu Mohan and Smriti Singh
Availability:YES
Subject/Domain:Arts and Humanities
Download Format:PDF
Pages:99-109
This paper delves into G. Sankara Pillai’s natakam1, Karutha Daivathe Thedi (In Search of the Black God), positioning it within the generic framework of the Theater of the Absurd. The narrative follows the Pandavas as they undertake a profound quest in search of an enigmatic God. This pursuit is marked by existential undertones, immersing the characters in a world characterized by uncertainty, absurdity, and a ceaseless pursuit of meaning and truth. The five brothers’ search for God, their act of sacrifice, and the subsequent revelation underscore the existential quandaries that have preoccupied the genre of Theater of the Absurd. By catapulting Karutha Daivathe Thedi into the generic framework of Theater of the Absurd, this analysis offers a comprehensive exploration of G Sankara Pillai’s natakam, shedding light on the characters’ existential struggles and their confrontation with the absurd. The paper invites reflection on the fundamental nature of human existence, and the pursuit of the ineffable, thereby challenging the audience to grapple with the enigma of their own existence in the presence of the unknown.
The Theater of the Absurd is a genre of drama that emerged in the late 1940s and early 1950s (Bennett, 2011, p. 21) primarily associated with playwrights such as Samuel Beckett, Eugene Ionesco, Jean Genet, Harold Pinter, and Albert Camus (Bennett, 2011, p. 22).