My view about the theme of power in Ghashiram Kotwal

                                          

Introduction

        Vijay Tendulkar (7 January 1928-19 May 2008) was a leading Indian playwright, movie and television writer, literary essayist, political journalist and social commentator primarily in Marathi. “Ghashiram Kotwal” is a one of his famous play and he presents a power of politics and how a man does anything for lust for a power. 

 Vijay Tendulkar

                        The play is a political satire, written as historical drama. Based on the life of Nana Phadnavis, one of the prominent ministers in the court of peshwa of pune. It was first performed on 16 December, by the progressive drama association in pune. This play caused a lot of controversy because some people believed that it hurt the feeling of the chipavan Brahmin community and showed the Nana Phadnavis in a bad n light. Hence it was temporarily banned in the state. The basic theme of the play is how men in power give rise to ideologist aerve their purpose and later destroy them when they become useless. Tendulkar has examined the relationship between religion, caste, sexuality and violence to expose the structure of power as the main status quo. Tendulkar is concerned about the politics of power and its various implications.

                According to samik Bandhopadhayay in his introduction to the play, he says that “In Ghashiram, power is defined ‘horizontally’, in term of individuals against individuals; from humiliation, to revenge in assertion, to eventual victimization…. Onstrategies of power.”  On one level it does seem that one individual is pitied against the other but at another level it remains very clear the force of state and society remain supreme even after individual spirit. For instance, Ghashiram an innocence newcomer to the poonaBrahmin community is in justly treated and falsely accused of stealing. He is humiliated and beaten up by the Poona Brahmins. This incident causes Ghashiram to vow revenge against the Poona Brahmins and the corrupt city of Poona itself. When he is thrown out of the city he declares that 

“you mad me an animal; I will be a devil inside. I will come back like a boar and I will make pigs of all of you. I will make this poona a kingdom of pigs.” 

 

                It is interesting to note that Ghashiram himself a Brahmin turn against this other brethren. The opportunity to get even with the poonaBrahmins presents itself in front of Ghashi when the lecherous chief minister of the peshwa, the ageing nana Phadnavis desires his beautiful daughter Gauri.  There are made a pawn and sacrificed to the Nana’s lust. In return Ghashiram is made the Kotwal of Poona. This serves two purposes, one it gives Ghashiram the opportunity to take his revenge andunlesh a reign of terror on the people of Poona and second, it allows the Nana to have his cake and eat it too. The Nana has Gauri on the one hand and on the other his own misdeeds and tyranny are obscured by Ghashiram crudity.  

            The opportunity comes in the shape of Ghashiram and that incisors peach is at hand to be devoured by Nana. Excellent! Yes, Ghashya, be Kotwal. This nana blesses you. It is clear that even at this stage the deal is an unfair one and the only one that benefits out of it is Nana. When he loses Lalita Gauri and his game has come to end does he realize his error and the reality of his position? It is the Nana’s misdeeds that have been “credited to his account.”  It then seems that power conceals itself behind agents and continues to thrive unchallenged. The king or the peshwa in this case has the power by virtue of the divine right. His position is maintained by various state apparatus like the army, the police, religion and social institutions ets. Thus, we get to see a whole hierarchy of power positions. It seems then that an individual is against an individual. The state itself functions according to a certain ideology. At asubtle level, it functions through such social attitudes that help in maintaining hierarchies and hiding the real source of power which is delegated in agents like Ghashiram was also victims of that same power.

               Religion and sexuality are also used us the strategies of power. While the army police are used by the state to maintain control within the society, there are other subtler strategies that are also used. The play begins with religious hymns and popular gods dancing on stage. This sets the context against which the drama unfolds itself. The Brahmins go to Bavannakhani to see the dance of Gulabi and say that they are going “to the temple” to give asermon on “vishmamitra and meneka”.They justify their decadence by comparing Bavannakhani to the holy Mathura. The “Abhanga” is often sung with the “Lavani” or the love song in the play. Scence of violence and cruelty are alternated with devotional songs. When nana tries toreduce Gauri in front of the statue of the holy Ganpati, then he simply dismisses her fears saying
“That all holy Ganpati? The maker of good? Look, he has two wives. One on this side, one on that side.” 

Further on in the play when  Gauri is dead and the distraught Ghashiconfronts Nana and accuses him of his daughter’s death, the latter reassures him: 

“He is the omnipresent- he makes everything happen… we are merely instruments him instruments” 
he then urges him to forget what’s happened. All merges into Ganga. Thou shalt not grieve over what is gone. The Vedas have said that. Religion then begins an alibi to cover up ones misdeeds. By invoking religion, all kinds of evils are glossed and even sanctified. Rituals areencourged to fill the pockets of the greedy Brahmins. Moreover, their position as the twice-born is reining forced by the prevalence of the caste system. Tendulkar has depicted the hypocrisy of the Brahmins, their arrogance, authoritarianism and their debauched and adulterous noble behavior. Rather than being identifiable by their good deeds and noble behavior the Brahmins are identified by their “haven head”, “holy thread” and pious looks. It is the pious looks which hide their petty deeds. The Nana himself a Brahmin is marrying for the seventh time not a mention his lust for numerous young girls, Lalita Gauri among them. Ghashiram though full of revenge and hatred for the Brahmin is himself. His conduct for barreling his daughter’s virtue for the dubious distinction of becoming the Kotwal of Poona hardly be justified and speaks of his in human opportunism and total lack of paternal sentiments and sensitivity. The total picture of the Brahmins that emerges from the play is one of hypocrisy, double standards, self-indulgence and moral degradation.

               It exposes the rottenness of the cast system that privileges a person on the basis of birth rather than merit and maintains the rigid hierarchy of control and suppresses persons. Women too as we have seen become a pawn in the power game. In fact there is a close nexus between sexuality and power. A man’s identity, self image and machismo is only definable only, it seem in relation to the conquest and oppression of women. There is a close connection between sexuality and religion as “Lavanis” and “Abhangas” are sungat the revelries in Bavannakhani which is likened to Mathura and the rotic dance to Krishna’s Raas leelaa. The garb of religion helps to justify and white wash the debaucheries of the Brahmin men. Gulabi’s stantalizing dances, the nana’s lustful pursuit of Gauri, the clandestine meeting of the Brahmin wife a Maratha lover all serve to create an underlying strain of eroticism throughout the play. In this play we can see that Tendulkar provides us with a blueprint forgettable the trical experience by satirizing the utterdecadence of feudal society and the various power structures that function in the feudal society.