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only through the motions of individual actors and the endless grouping and regrouping of a singing and dancing chorus, a human wall. The human wall, symbolic of the mechanism of secrecy, selectively shields and reveals the vision of decadence and intrigue enacted before us. This chorus sometimes acts as a barrier and sometimes opens up like a door to provide glimpses of the action within. The unique use of technique accentuates the impact of this production. At one point the human barrier chants the names of revered saints and gods while inside an innocent man is tortured. An atmosphere of tension is achieved through the insistent drumming and steady chanting of holy mantras which continues throughout the play. □

Source Ghashiram Kotwal is a blend of historical fact and dramatic fiction, set in the last years of the 18th Century. Pune; the Capital of the Maratha Empire, then on its last legs, w'as dominated by the Brahmins, a small community of intellectuals and priests. Nana Phadnavis, the Chancellor, a towering Machiavellian figure. ran the empire; w'hile the Peshwa. the hereditary Prime Minister w'as just a figure-head. Intrigue, deceit, moral decadence and lust eroded the very foundations of the empire which, within a few years from the setting of the story, passed into vassalage under the British. This is the story of some episodes of that tumultuous, lusty, controversial era, the principals being Nana Phadnavis, - Chancellor to the Peshwa and Ghashiram the Kotwal - Chief of Police - Nana’s creation, о

Plot Ghashiram Kotwal is a scathing depiction of the machinations of power; it is a tale of the corrupt beings that

greed produces, and of the perversions of religion and love that power lust induces. Ghashiram, a penniless Brahmin from North India, voyages to the city of Pune in search of his fortune. Hungry, he tries to attend a feast for Brahmins but is harshly refused entrance. Later he is accused of stealing and throwm into prison. Eventually an embittered Ghashiram is released; humiliated and abused, he shouts you’ve made me an animal: I’ll be a devil inside... I’ll make pigs of all of you. I'll make this Pune a kingdom of pigs. When his opportunity for vengeance arises, Ghashiram seizes it, using his lovely young daughter. Ghashiram sacrifices Lalitagauri to the lecherous old Nana Phadnavis. Chancellor of Peshwa, in return for the prestigious Kotwali, office of Chief of Police. Now Ghashiram as the Kotwal unleashes a reign of terror, full of ruthless and arbitrary injustice. With the support of Nana behind him Ghashiram fills the prisons while all of Pune trembles. Later the lustful old Nana, tired of Gauri, marries again for the seventh time. Ghashiram seeks his dishonoured daughter only to find that she has died unwed in childbirth. Furious, he confronts Nana but is cowed by the Chancellor’s authoritative manner and quietly agrees to preserve silence. Eventually the bloodthirsty Ghashiram imprisons Brahmins for a petty crime in an overcrowded cell where they die of suffocation. Finally

an enraged mob demands Ghashiram’s death, and Nana willingli agrees to dispose of the monster he created. Life continues, full of decadence, because Nana utilized Ghashiram to keep his own reputation unsullied. This controversial play deals with a universal theme, for power's corrupting influence transcends national boundaries. The ironic juxtaposition of religion and decadence is a sharp commentary on human perversion of the holy, for the seduction of Gauri takes place before the sacred image of Lord Ganesh, the elephantheaded God. Even sexuality becomes a tool in the power-game, as w'hen Ghashiram sacrifices his daughter to'gain the office of Kotw'al. The final irony is the ultimate illusion that corruption ends when Ghashiram is stoned to death, for Ghashiram himself is only a plaything in the hands of the wily Nana. □

Author’s Note This is not a historical play. It is a story, in prose, verse, music and dance set in a historical era. Ghashirams are creations of

sociopolitical forces, w'hich know no barriers of time and place. Although based on a historical legend. I have no intention of commenting on the morals, or lack of them, of the Peshw'a. Nana Phadnavis or Ghashiram. The moral of this story, if there is any, may be looked for elsewhere. Author of the controversial play Ghashiram Kotwal, the brilliant piayw'right Vijay Tendulkar has written many other plays including Shanatata Court Chaloo Aahe (Silence! The Court is in session) which received the Kamaladevi Chattopadhyaya Award 1969. He was also awarded a Nehru Fellowship in 1970 and the Padmabhushan aw'ard in 1984. A member of many prestigious theatrical societies, Tendulkar’s new screenplays include Kamala and Ardhasatya Bom in 1928, he, his wife Meena, and his children reside in Bombay, о

Jabbar Patel Director Bom in Pandharpur, State of Maharashtra in 1941. After graduating in Medicine from B. J. Medical College, Pune he did his diploma in Paediatric Medicine from the same college. Now he has his private consulting rooms and hospital in Dhond, District of Pune. Initiated to theatre very early in his school days, Jabbar developed a serious interest in it while studying Medicine. Today he is considered one of the best directors in Indian Theatre. He was honoured by the Sangeet Natak Academy New Delhi in 1979, for his contribution to theatre and was also awarded the title Padmashree. In 1975 he directed his first feature film Saamna (The Confrontation) w'hich was India’s official entry to the International Film Festival, Berlin in 1976. All three films directed by him have won President’s Awards. □