Karnad has gone significantly back to Indian tradition and culture to write his plays. He has recreated the rich and dynamic picture of Indian society, culture and its people. He often takes a theme, a historical event of Indian history and presents it in a modernized way. Majority of his play employ the narratives of myth, history and folklore to evoke an ancient or pre-modern world that resonates in contemporary context because of his uncanny ability to remake the past in the image of present. He has also adopted the oral tale of the people and presents in dramatized way. He feels that they are very much relevant today, and hence, seeks to adopt myths and folk forms in his plays. Thus he creates a synthesis between the ancient and the modern to serve his purpose of using the past to illuminate the present. Most of the playwrights in India have either written in such a traditional manner that it lost relevance to their urban existence or they have written in such an urbanized manner that it lost its relevance to the traditional part of their personality. In this regard Karnad comments “we keep acerbating between the traditional and the modern, perhaps we could not hit upon a form which could balance both.” He attempts to balance both in his plays. He does not takes myths in their entirely, but he takes them only in parts that are useful to him and the rest he supplements with his imagination. Basically he has given a new interpretation to the historical, oral and mythical tales.
From the given options, select the option that is correct according to the passage:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Most of the Indian playwrights have failed to bring out the relevance of our past, our culture and tradition to our current or urban life and audience.
The passage says most playwrights in India have written either in such a traditional manner that it lost relevance to their urban existence, or in such an urbanized manner that it lost its link with the traditional side. In other words, they failed to connect the past and tradition with present-day urban life, which is what Karnad manages to do.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 2: Most of the playwrights are only concerned with science. — Incorrect. Not mentioned: science is not mentioned; the passage is about tradition and modern life.
Option 3: Most of the playwrights in India are concerned with the problems of village panchayats. — Incorrect. Not mentioned: the passage says nothing about village councils.
Option 4: Most of the playwrights in India are illiterate and ignorant. — Incorrect. Wrong link: the passage criticises their manner of writing, not their education; a writer of plays cannot be illiterate.