Indian Social Milieu Presented in Naga Mandala
Introduction:-
Literature is the reflection of society. Literature of any age presents the picture of the society drawn by a writer on a large scale. In Naga Mandala Girish Karnad has advocated discrimination and liberty of Indian women. Naga Mandala presents a sociological study of the Indian women. Women’s liberation movement is still a far cry for the women of India.
Appanna – an unguided and wayward Indian husband :-
The social atmosphere always affects the life of an individual. Appanna – the main male character of Naga –Mandala , is an unguided youth. His parents are dead. There is nobody to advise and control him.br/>
He has enough money to spend and spare. It is very easy for an unguided youth to be wayward. It is also very easy for such uncontrolled youth to spend money after adultery. Unfortunately, Indian society does not provide healthy ways to the youngsters to release their energy in positive ways. The youth like Appanna does not have healthy pastimes. As a result, Appanna diverts his youthful energy on a negative way and starts visiting a concubine who trap him in a body pleasure for money.
Here, the question arises who is responsible for this misconduct of an youth – Appanna himself or Indian society which does not provide healthy atmosphere for unguided or misguides youths. As a result, such misdirected youth become drunkards, gamblers, drug addicts, adulterers or criminals. The society does not care for them. G.B.Shaw’s Candida has similar case. Candida – The heroine saves the boy who has become a drug addict mainly because he is neglected by his family members. Appanna is not responsible for his misconduct because there is none in the society to guide him or even stop him from vices.
Rani - a sufferer due to social conditions and traditions:-
Rani’s suffering in Naga Mandala is because of typical Indian social conditions and traditions. She is brought up in an orthodox family which believes that a wife has to obey her husband’s order how so ever depraved he maybe and that marriage is not a kind of bond but it is bondage. On the very first day of her marriage life, Rani is told by her husband Appanna that he will come only once in a day for lunch and Rani has to keep his lunch ready. Appanna Said, “Well, then , I’ll be back tomorrow at noon. Keep my lunch ready. It shall eat and go”. Appanna further says, “Look, I don’t like idle chatter. Do as you are told, you understand. I’ll be back tomorrow for lunch. Thus Rani is left all alone in Appanna’s house. There is no one to care and to talk with her. Even she doesn’t have any liberty to question her husband. More than that Rani herself accepts this apathetic attitude of her husband considering it as a part of marriage life. It is just because she is brought up in a conservative society. Here also Indian society is responsible for such crucial condition of Indian woman. In an Indian society a woman is taught from her childhood that she has to obey the orders given by her husband. She hasn’t any individual identity especially after marriage.
In sharp contrast to Appanna, there are Rani’s parents. For them,Rani is not less than a ‘Queen’. They are very loving and caring and so Rani as a prisoner wife moans, “Oh Mother! Father” in her sleep. Mentally she is so upset that while cooking food she talks to herself – “Then Rani’s parents embrace her and cry.They kiss her and caress her. At night she sleeps between them, so she is not frightened any more. ‘Don’t worry’ they promise Rani, “We won’t let you go away again ever!” Rani is shattered between her dreams and reality of marriage life. Rani tries to fulfil the unfinished reality of her marriage life in her dreams, “ So Rani asks him ‘ where are you taking me ?’ And the eagle answers, “ Beyond the seven seas and seven isles. On the seventh island is a magic garden. And in the garden stands a tree of emeralds. Under that tree your parents wait for you.” Rani is like a prisoner confined under lock and key within the four walls of Appanna’s house. Rani accepts such tyrannies of her husband silently thinking that this is reality of marriage life.
A husband can enjoy liberty but his wife is not allowed to cross the threshold of his house. This Lakshaman –Rekha drawn by Indian husband for his wife is nothing but rigid Indian social customs and beliefs especially for a woman. A girl is always taught by her parents to accept her husband as God and she has to submit herself to him in any situation. Here, in Naga-Mandala the predicament of Rani (an innocent woman) is because of the rigid social atmosphere. Here the question arises ‘why an Indian woman can not enjoy liberty?’ Just because she is a woman? We have the examples of ‘Sita’ and ‘Ahlya’ in Indian tradition. Even today Indian women are waiting for the fair treatment from their in-laws. Male domination in Indian society is mainly responsible for the worst condition of Indian women.
The Role of Money in Match – Making:-
It is an attitude of Indian parents in general and Hindu parents in particular that they look for a rich bridegroom with a high status as a husband for their daughter. Without the consent of their daughter. Such mismatch results in miserable marriage life for a woman. Sometimes the rich bridegroom found poor in conduct like Appanna. Rani’s suffering is the result of such attitude of her parents. Indian society is too orthodox and reactionary to accept the ideas of women’s liberation. That is root cause responsible for Rani’s sufferings. Rani would have gone beyond seven seas and seven isles if she had been married to a man with high moral values.
Rani – a pure woman or guilty ?
Now the question arises before the Indian reader is – ‘Is Rani a pure woman inspite of having a child from her lover (cobra) ?’ Our religious bigots will criticise Rani as degraded. We have prudish society. Indian society does not rise above ready made ethical values. Thomas Hardy has tackled such situation wisely in his novel Tess of the D’Urbervilles. Rani is caught in the steel frame work of social ethics so strongly that she can not rise above the so called social values. It is naturally for an innocent woman like Rani in Indian society to suffer mental agony. Appanna is also suffering mental agony as he knows that his wife is pregnant because of illicit relations with someone.
Unhappy – Love Triangle:-
Girish Karnad gives the message with the help of ‘Love Triangle’ among Rani- Appanna & Naga that none of the three can be happy. As mentioned above the marriage life of Rani and Appanna is disturbed so they are not happy with each other. Naga- the lover snake is also unhappy to see his beloved Rani in the arms of Appanna. Naga’s mental agony is expressed when he says- “ Rani! my queen! The fragrance of my nights! The blossom of my dreams! In another man’s arms? In another man’s bed?”.
Well, we are the products of orthodox Indian society and we are not ready to accept an un-Indian social atmosphere in any case.
Reference :::
- Batliwala, Srilata. “Why do Women Oppress Women?” The Hindu. Sunday Magazine. May2, 1993. Print.
- Joshipura, Pranav, “Nagamandal Reconsidered.” In Dodia. Print.
- Kakar, Sudhir, the Inner World, rpt. The Indian Psyche. Oxford University Press, 1996. Print.
- Karnad, Girish. “Naga-Mandala ” Three Plays. New Delhi: Oxford, 2007. Print.
- Ramanujan, A.K. “Introduction.”Folktales from India. New Delhi: Viking, 1993. Print