Dreams on fire

Tughlaq is about the dream of a <g data-gr-id="58">sanki</g> sultan to find an everlasting empire fashioned after his vision in order to transform humanity which, according to him, was no better than cattle. Directed by K <g data-gr-id="59">Madavane</g> and written by Girish Karnad, the <g data-gr-id="60">spell binding</g> act was staged at Sri Ram Centre on June 3.

The play revolves around the mass exodus of people from Delhi to Daulatabad and back again, five years later, to Delhi — a movement that both futile as it is ridiculous, covering enormous distances, overcoming insurmountable obstacles and suffering untold misery. 

Blinded by his <g data-gr-id="65">vision,Tughlaq</g> isolates himself from his people, as he securely wraps himself in his cocoon. His intolerance and rigidity, coupled with his maniacal desire to transform the world without understanding it, lead to a self-imposed solitary confinement. This only reinforces the vertical and unilateral relationship between him and his people. The real tragedy of Tughlaq, and of his subjects, is that he believes he is the sole arbiter of truth. Tughlaq orders <g data-gr-id="63">complete</g> evacuation of Delhi. No light should be seen in the windows in Delhi neither a wisp of smoke should rise from its chimneys.

By uprooting the population from Delhi, Tughlaq unwittingly forces his subjects to be detached from his kingdom causing irreparable damage.

Characters  in the play dubbed ‘white’ people, even though they say nothing in the play, are often visually aggressive. Sometimes they dissolve into the shadows of the dead bodies that they help to move. In their suffering, misfortune and anger, they support the crowd throughout the play.

The chief operating officer, Veena Soorma said: “The play has been earlier staged at Epicentre, Gurgaon and in Chandigarh Heritage Festival.”

Director K <g data-gr-id="61">Madavane</g> said: “Tughlaq is a <g data-gr-id="55">much misunderstood</g> ruler as shown in the character because every politician wants to do so many things for the people practically keeping them in the dark. All the people who were befooled are like those in Tughlaq’s times. And that is the most contemporary message I’m hoping to convey through this play.”

“This is the second time I am doing the play Tughlaq after 1983,” he added.

“Second half was amazing, I was gripped. I have seen Tughlaq so many times”, said Megha, a spectator. 

Another viewer said: “I saw Tughlaq 30 years back, and even after 30 years the relevance was same, the <g data-gr-id="48">artistes</g> played their part with same energy”.

The play ended with a smooth question-answer session. On being asked what the significance of the ‘white characters’ in the play was, the director said: “The answer is within you. These images appeared in my mind when I started this work. And this is God’s message to us that enslavement is a sin”.

The play demonstrates the chilling fact that there is a bit of Tughlaq, and the gullibility of those mute masses whom he so ruthlessly manipulated in all of us. 

Every one of us has, at some time or the other, felt an overpowering desire to shape the world around us according to our ideas. More often than not, however, we end up among those faceless people, trudging eternally from Delhi to Daulatabad.