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Social Conflict In Shantata ! The Court Is In Session

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Shantata! Court Chalu Ahe (Silence! The Court is in Session, 1967) was his first play in which he marked out as a rebel against the established values of the society. This play combines social criticism with the tragedy of an individual victimized by society. The play represents the mental conflict of the protagonist, Miss Leela Benare who appears during the mock-trial as an accused. The plot of the play revolves round the trial of Miss Benare. Her role eclipses the roles of her male-counterparts. In love, she is cheated twice; first by her maternal uncle and later by Prof. Damle, her loving–companion. However, in the first event, the guilt passes unnoticed and hence, unpunished. But, in the other one, she is caught in a trap, through the cruel …show more content…

Here Tendulkar develops a dramatic situation through unconventional ways of the protagonist. Sakharam, the protagonist, exploits women in the play. Tendulkar through Sakharam tries to establish a more dynamic and flexible vision of personal relationship in which socio–economic security is not the ultimate destination. The honest and unconventional relationship adopted by Sakharam seems to be a more desirable option to resolve the conflict born out of gender discrimination. Sakharm’s thesis of life presents a very vital argument that double dealing in the name of morality is more dangerous than the open display of the meanness existing in the human …show more content…

He belongs not only to the late 18th century Peshwa regime but can be seen in any period of human history and in any corner of the globe. His rise and growth to power from Savaldas to the most controversial Kotwal of Poona is symbolic of the magnitude of corruption in our society. So, the incident in the play is historical but the way in which it is treated renders it universal. According to Girish Karnad, “…in Ghashiram Kotwal, Tendulkar uses Dashavatara a traditional semi–classical form,”11 and likens Ghashiram to the legendary giant Bhasmasura, who threatens to destroy his own creator.

In A Friend’s Story (1981), Tendulkar uses his pen to investigate the crisis of the community of homosexuals who are treated as sick and immoral in a society that only accepts and permits sex relationship among the heteros. The play A Friend’s Story is based on Tendulkar’s story Mitra that was written in the mid-50s. It was based on the life of a girl who lived in Pune. Tendulkar, in this play, for the first time introduces the homosexual relationship. In the framework of this unusual mode of relationship, Tendulkar explores
“violence, sensuality, wickedness that resides in human nature.” (Wadikar: 54)

The play focuses upon the struggle of a young girl Sumitra who defies the traditional feminine roles and maintains masculine ways of living. She suffers from

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