Book Description

Collected Plays of Mahesh Elkunchwar, Volume II brings together eight critically acclaimed plays--Holi, Flower of Blood, God Son, As One Discardeth Old Clothes, Autobiography, Party, Pond, and Apocalypse--by the noted Marathi playwright. 'Holi', the first play in the collection, is about a group of restless, directionless, and disillusioned youngsters on the campus, who finally vent their frustrations on a gullible victim, ending in a gruesome tragedy. 'Flower of Blood' is about the trauma of an aging woman and her daughter's discovery of her sexuality. 'God Son' is a study of emotional and physical abuse inflicted in the name of 'scientific' upbringing. 'As One Discardeth Old Clothes' delves into the mind of a man who is waiting to discard his mortal shackles and join the Supreme One. 'Autobiography' is about an old writer trying to write his autobiography and coming to terms with a lifetime of lies and deceit. 'Party' is a vignette of city sophisticates and urban artists and their vacuous, masked lives. 'Pond' and 'Apocalypse' are part of the Wada trilogy. While 'Pond' tries to portray the changing values of Dharangaonkar Deshpandes, the younger generation taking over and succumbing to the materialistic lifestyle that spells doom for them as well as others, 'Apocalypse' is indicative of a futuristic picture of India, her villages denuded of everything and turning them into a vast desert: environmental, economic, cultural, social, and spiritual. Translated by Shanta Gokhale, Supantha Bhattacharya, Irawati Karnik, and Ashish Rajadhyaksha, this volume includes a Foreword by Vijaya Mehta and an introduction by Ananda Lal. The volume also includes detailed notes on production of each of the eight plays and photographs of the staging of the plays.