The myths and traditions in Girish Karnad’s Nagamandala- A study

Abstract

Girish Karnad was an Indian actor, film director, Kanada writer, playwright and a Rhodes Scholar who predominantly worked in South Indian cinema and Bollywood. He was a recipient of the 1998 Jnanpith award, the highest literary honour conferred in India.Nagamandala is a spell binding play that combined myth and folklore to question beliefs and values. India and myth are inseparable and Karnad has tactfully placed the myths into his play to depict the social evils that prevailed in India. According to Karnad, mythology is never a dead past. He makes it relevant in the modern context. The story of Nagamandala draws its concept from the snake stories deeply rooted in myths. Karnads play reflects upon the contemporary Indian cultural and social life using mythical and traditional elements. The tradition of accusing a woman for adultery though her husband is infidel is portrayed in this play. In Indian tradition marriage is not a bond but a bondage from which a woman cannot free herself.