Five Plays

Vijay Tendulkar has been in the vanguard of Indian theatre for almost forty years. This prolific writer has 28 full-length plays to his credit, many of which have been published in major Indian languages besides Marathi. This anthology contains five of Tendulkar's most significant plays. All the plays highlight the complexity of human relationships; all contain a latent critique of modern Indian society, mainly middle-class and lower middle-class; and in all of them women play significant roles in the plot. Yet, each play has its own distinct character and message. 'Kamala' in an indictment of the success-oriented male society in which women find themselves mere stepping stones in men's achievements. 'Silence!...' combines social criticism with the tragedy of an individual victimized by society. 'Sakharam Binder' explores with great objectivity the complications of human nature, two necessary components of which are sex and violence; and 'The Vultures' depicts, with a strange mixture of ruthlessness and compassion, the economic and moral degeneration of a family. 'Ecounter in Umbugland' is essentially a political satire, though not bereft of human dimensions.
Tendulkar's plays reflect his multi-faceted creative genius, his keen sense of humour and his compassion. One of his greatest qualities is his ability to be involved with his creation and, at the same time, distance himself from it. He enters into the minds of his characters but neither condemns nor judges them or their actions. Tendulkar's plays have been inspired by just about everything around him: real life experiences, hearsay, news items, films, other plays and literature in general. But, as he puts it, "the basic urge has always been to let out my concerns vis-a-vis my reality: the human condition as I perceive it". The translations in this volume are competent and sensitive, preserving the flavour and power of the Marathi originals