Critical Analysis Of Yayati

YAYATI Godugunuri Prasad
Girish Karnad is perhaps the most popular media personality in contemporary India. He is India’s great leading playwright and an adroit practitioner of the performing arts. At the age of twenty two, Girish Karnad was published his first play, Yayati in 1961. He presented this play on his own interpretation. It made him reputation as a dramatist in Kannada literature and won Mysore State Award in 1962. This play has been translated not only into many Indian languages but also performed all over the country. Yayati translated into English by Priya Adarkar. But

Devayani had made her feel comfortable in her company and had manifested no discrimination on the matter of Sura-Asura differences. Gradually Sharmistha had forgotten the differences of class and caste and had become close to Devayani in friendship. They had become inseparable companions: Sharmistha guarded her friendship zealously and did not allow any other Asura girl to come close to Devayani. One Day, the two of them had gone to the lake for a swim. They frolicked around in the water till they were exhausted and lay on the bank to dry their hair. Sharmistha felt utterly blissful as she lay with her eyes closed, contemplating their perfect friendship. Suddenly she heard Devayani complaining agitatedly that their cholis had got exchanged. Her spell broken, Sharmistha was very disturbed and told Devayani that the beautiful dream of eternal friendship was spoilt. Perhaps Devayani misunderstood Sharmistha’s disappointment because she immediately

Swarnalatha responds to Chitralekha’s friendship and unburdens the story of her past. She had been the only child of her parents. Though her father was not rich to give her proper education, he did arrange to feed a poor Brahmin boy if he agrees to help Swarnalatha read and write. This arrangement continued for some years. When Swarna grew up, she was married to a suitable boy of her own caste. The couple lived happily for several years till the husband came to know that a Brahmin boy used to visit her before her marriage. A suspicion grew in the husband’s mind and tormented him. Swarnalatha tried her best to explain and prove her innocence. But her efforts were futile. Her husband began to spend sleepless nights, tortured by the thought of his wife’s infidelity. Unable to watch his anguished state any longer, Swarnalatha decides to give him peace of mind by telling him that the Brahmin boy had indeed sullied her. Her husband was free of his dilemma but the next morning he went away and never returned. Swarnalatha started working in the palace as the queen’s