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Distinguished writers-critics and social activists like U.R. Ananthanmurthy, C.N. Ramachandran, D.A. Shankar, G. Ramakrishna and Lingadevaru Halemane have written introductory notes to these plays. Besides, Maavinakuli through the forewords offers lengthy explanations about the motivations behind the writing of the plays. Hence, the book is loaded with explanations and opinions, which are difficult to disagree.

The three plays together exhibit an extreme sense of ideological commitment. Secularism seems to be the major concern in “Akabara”. In the other two plays, “Mahayatre” and “Roopaantara”, issues of women are taken up in a big way. The playwright, while being empathetic to the problem of celibacy of the religious heads in Mahayatre, depicts corruption of all kinds in the contemporary social political context. The conspicuous theme in Roopaantara (metamorphosis) is a critique of organised and institutionalised religion. While “Akabara” and “Roopaantara” are drawn from history, “Mahayatre” is rooted in the contemporary decadent political milieu.

The author’s commitment to the social and political issues deserves our appreciation. But, one cannot be sure if political correctness alone can make a play artistically appealing. If that were so, Master Hirannayya’s popular plays (like “Lanchavatara”) could have been called classics. The idealism of Akbar in Akabara appears to be more an aberration rather than a positive reaction to the unending conflicts of the human society.

The political corruption in “Mahayatre” seems to be a humorous rendering of intellectually, morally and emotionally degenerated caricatures rather than inevitable reactions of participants in the present social political system. In “Roopaantara”, we find the husbands becoming monks in order to escape from their material problems. And subsequently they spend all their time in viharas and thus become lazy. This is taken as one of the main problems of Buddhism. The criticism of Hinduism in contrast to Buddhism is also naïve.

Rhetorical interrogatives of Akbar in “Akabara”, Kamalamma in “Roopantara” and Yashodhara in “Mahayatre” can only reveal the deep commitment of the author to their issues, rather than the insightful understanding of contemporary history. In other words, the playwright does not seem to explore the society through his characters.

However, except the politicians who are presented in a bad light, - they are manipulators, drunkards, corrupt and do not have any intellectual background, the playwright is rightly convinced of futility of a straight jacket reformation. Hindu – Muslim unity cannot be forced through inter-religious marriages. Similarly, any religion like Buddhism, however mighty it may appear, has limitations. There are ironies in every issue taken up, be it secularism or spiritualism or even feminism. A small observation about the narrative technique adopted in the plays: Sutradhara presents the issues in a perspective in Mahayatre.

The play begins and ends with Sutradhara’s words. But, in “Roopaantara” the play begins with the words of Sutradhara, but in the end, it is Yashodara who has the last word. In “Akabara”, the playwright does not employ this technique.

It is intriguing to note the way in which the collection is brought out. In spite of the left leanings demonstrated in the plays, the book looks like a good marketable commodity with the distinguished critics talking about the plays, a good-looking wrapper and forewords by the playwright. Should the plays be read in the background of these?

K. SUNDARA RAJ

What is the role prescribed for every human being in this world? How should we face the ups and downs? Why is God not visible for the ordinary souls? These and many other vital questions get an answer from this work. A good read. In some cases the paragraphs are very lengthy; they could have been broken into smaller ones.

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