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Girish Karnad’s Tughlaq began as a Kannada play in 1964; its English version is Karnad’s own translation, made in 1970 at theatre producer Alyque Padamsee’s request. The play turns to fourteenth-century ruler Muhammad bin Tughlaq to explore the gulf between political ambition and its consequences. Its historical setting has also invited modern political readings, including interpretations shaped by disillusionment after the Nehru era.
What is Girish Karnad’s Tughlaq about?
The play centres on Muhammad bin Tughlaq, the fourteenth-century Sultan of Delhi. Oxford University Press describes its central paradox as a ruler remembered for both exceptional brilliance and spectacular failure. That tension gives the historical subject its dramatic force: political vision and the results of political decisions are held together rather than treated as separate stories.
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Tughlaq is a historical play, but it has also been read as political allegory. Netaji Subhas Open University study material situates the 1964 work amid disillusionment following the Nehru era. This is a critical context for interpretation, not proof that Karnad’s Sultan is a direct stand-in for a particular modern politician. Oxford University Press notes the play’s continuing political relevance and the range of interpretations it has received in regional theatres.
How the play moved from Kannada to English
Karnad wrote Tughlaq originally in Kannada in 1964. In his author note, quoted in the university study material, he explains: “I was persuaded to translate it into English by Alyque Padamsee, who later produced it for the Theatre Group, Bombay.” The English version was therefore Karnad’s translation, not the language in which the play was first composed.
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The university study material dates the first staging of that English production to the Bhulabhai Auditorium in Bombay in August 1970. Oxford University Press says the play had been staged since 1966; that broader reference to the play’s stage history is distinct from the documented 1970 Bombay production of its English version.
Notable productions and changing interpretations
A National School of Drama Repertory production followed around 1979–1980, directed by Ebrahim Alkazi. Manohar Singh played Tughlaq and Uttara Baokar played the Stepmother. The university study material says the production was staged at Purana Qila in New Delhi before touring.
The play’s continued life in regional theatres matters to its political reputation: different audiences and theatre-makers have brought different interpretations to its historical material. Oxford University Press’s 2012 edition includes Karnad’s account of the play’s genesis and regional interpretations, as well as discussion of its textual and cultural ramifications.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Where can I read the full play?
Oxford University Press India lists the complete play in its Oxford India Perennials paperback, ISBN 9780198077138. The edition is 144 pages and was published on 16 April 2012. OUP describes it as including material on the play’s origins, regional interpretations, and textual-cultural ramifications. Its publisher page links to Amazon India; retailer price, stock, and availability may vary by location and over time.
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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallOUP also lists an earlier paperback edition, ISBN 9780195602265, with 100 pages and an introduction by U. R. Ananthamurthy. For readers deciding between these print editions, the 2012 listing provides more extensive contextual material, while the earlier edition is shorter. Check the publisher and retailer listings for current availability.
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