GIRISH KARNAD'S PLAYS: MYTHOLOGY VERSUS REALITY

Abstract

The roles and duties of men and women are taken stereotypically, generally throughout the world and specifically in the Indian Subcontinent. The observed roles of a woman are to stay confined at home, raise the parish of the man, and complete the house chores. Whereas men are perceived to go out for earning concerns, stand guard over the women, and give a peaceful environment to their families. Over time, transition into a society continued and caused improvement in some of the neglected and rigid areas. This article aims to discover how Girish Karnad, an Indian, portrays women's status in a male-dominated society through different incidents extracted from Indian mythology. The Indian society is depicted through some mythological stories which reflect India during the 21st century. Karnad, by exploring mythological stories, unwraps how miserably the women of 21st century India are living in the same ways as the women of ages ago used to live. After reading Karnad's plays, the reader instantly catches the variations in power that the creator of the characters has given to his female characters. An indirect comparison of the possession of power is part of his writing. Thus, the thought-provoking pieces of literature; which give space to a reader's critical approach and are also the key concern of this article are the plays Naga-Mandala (1988), Yayati (1961), and Hayavadana (1972).