PLAYS AND COUNTERPLAYS: AN INTERTEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF COMMUNIST AND ANTI-COMMUNIST PLAYS IN MALAYALAM THEATRE

Adakkaravayalil Y. Eldhose

Abstract


The current study, which is the first part of a larger project, undertakes how Communism, a political ideology with international ramifications, was represented through political theatre in the context of South India, especially, Kerala. This enquiry will look into both communist and anti-communist manifestations in Malayalam theatre. This project aims to shed some light on a rare series of political plays from Malayalam theatre which was moving parallel to the dominant political ideologies of the state. Sometimes Malayalam theatre favoured the communist movement while in some other cases it took anti-communist positions. This series of play texts includes Thoppil Bhasi’s Ningalenne Communistakki (You Made Me a Communist) (1952) as the source play and  Jnanippakkammoonishtavum (I Will Become a Communist Now) (1953) by Kesava Dev, Vishavriksham (Poisonous Tree) (1958) by C. J. Thomas, Ningalaare Communistakki (Whom Did You Make a Communist) (1995) by Civic Chandran,  Ningalenne Communistakki Indra Sadassil (You Made Me a Communist in Paradise) (2004) and  Enum Ente Thambranum (Me and My Lord) (2008)  by Thoppil Soman as counter plays.


Keywords


Play and counter play, Trans-discursive text, Intertextuality.

Full Text:

PDF

References


Allen, G. (2000). Intertextuality. Abingdon: Routledge.

Balakrishnan, E. (1998). History of the Communist Movement in Kerala. Calicut: Kurukshetra Prakasan.

Bhasi, T. (2009). Ningalenne Communistakki [You Made Me a Communist]. Trivandrum: Prabhath.

Bhatia, N. (2011). Modern Indian Theatre: A Reader. New Delhi: Oxford University Press.

Chandran, C. (2002). Ningalaare Communistakki [Whom Did You Make a Communist]. Calicut: Haritham Books.

Claes, P. (2011). Echo's Echoes. Nijmegen: Vantilt, 2011.

Culler, J. (1981). The Pursuit of Signs: Semiotics, Literature, Deconstruction. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.

Dev, P. K. (1953). Jnanippakkammoonishtavum [I Will Become a Communist Now]. Kottayam: Sahithya

Pravarthaka C. S.

Foucault, Michel. What Is an Author? In Vincent Leitch (Ed.). Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism. New York: Norton and Company, 1475-1490.

George, K. M. (1994). Modern Indian Literature, An Anthology: Plays and Prose. New Delhi: Sahitya Academy.

Kurup, K. K. N. (1996). Keralathile Karshaka Samarangal: 1946-52 [Peasant Struggles in Kerala: 1946-52]. Kottayam: National Book Stall.

Kurup, O. N. V. (2009a). Thoppil Bhasi: Onattukara Manninte Uppu [Thoppil Bhasi: The Salt of Onattukara’s Soil]. Trivandrum: Prabhath.

Kurup, O. N. V. (2009b). Janabhilashangalude Natakam [Drama of Mass Interest]. In Thoppil Bhasi: Onattukara Manninte Uppu [Thoppil Bhasi: The Salt of Onattukara’s Soil]. Trivandrum: Prabhath, 25-30.

Kurup, O. N. V. (2012, July 2). Telephone Interview.

Krishanapilla, P. (2001). Swathantryavum Varga Samarayum: Thiranjedutha Lekhanangal [Freedom and Class Struggle: Selected Essays]. Trivandrum: Chinta Publications.

Kristeva, J. (1941). Desire in Language: A Semiotic Approach to Literature and Art. New York: Columbia University Press.

Kristeva, J. (1984). Revolution in Poetic Language. New York: Columbia University Press.

Madhavan, O. (2000, September). KPA Cyude Balyam [The Infancy of KPAC]. Grandhalokam, 13-20.

Mathew, G. (1989). Communal Road to Secular Kerala. New Delhi: Ashok Kumar Mittal Concept Publishing Company.

Mohandas, V. (2002). KPAcyude Charithram [The History of KPAC]. Kayamkulam: Kerala People’s Arts Club.

Murali, P. (2007). Thoppil Bhasi: Nadakapadanangal [Thoppil Bhasi: Drama Studies]. In Panmana Ramachandran Nair (Ed.). Kottayam: Current Books.

Marciniak, V. (2008). Politics, Humor and the Counter Culture: Laughter in the age of decay. New York: Peter Lang Publishing.

Namboothirippad, E. M. S. (1981). Keralacharithravum Samskaravum: Oru Marxist Veekshanam [Kerala History and Culture: A Marxist Perspective]. Trivandrum: Chinta Publications.

Namboothiripad, E. M. S. (1943). A Short History of Peasant Movement in Kerala. Bombay: Peoples Publishing House.

Namboothiripad, E .M. S. (2010). A Short History of Peasant Movement in Kerala. In History, Society and Land Relations: Selected Essays. New Delhi: Left Word Books.

Nair, R. (1960). Nizhal Natakathil Ninnoru Thudakam [A Beginning from Shadow Drama]. Thoppil Bhasi Smaranika [Memoir on Thoppil Bhasi]. Kayamkulam: n.p.

Nossiter, T. J. (1982). Communism in Kerala: A Study in Political Adaptation. London: University of California Press.

Panikkar, G. N. (1993). Dev… Kesava Dev. Trivandrum: Prabhath Books.

Pickering, K., (Ed.). (2010). Key Concepts in Drama and Performance. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Rajamani, K. S. (1999). Olimangatha Ormakal [Un-faded Memories]. Kottayam: D. C. Books.

Rao, B. K. (1966). The Kuchipudi Dance Drama. Marg 19, 33-39.

Ravikumar, K. A. (2009, March 6). Dharmosmad Kuladaivatam.

Roth, M. E., (Ed.). (2008). Wertenbaker and Translations in Theatre. In International Dramaturgy: Translations and Transformations in the Theatre of Timberlake Wertenbaker. New York: Peter Lang, 14-24.

Sandstrom, D, et al. (2000, July 22). New Noise Lyrics. Retrieved from http://www.metrolyrics.com/-new-noise-lyrics-refused.html.

Soman, T. (2012, June 22). Personal Interview.

Soman, T. (2008). Enum Ente Thambranum [Me and My

Lord]. Alappuzha: Unma Publications.

Soman. T. (2004). Ningalenne Communistakki Indra Sadassil [You Made Me a Communist in Paradise]. Achan Kombathu [Father upon the Branch]. Comp. Thoppil Soman. Alappuzha: Unma Publications, 44-64.

Sreedharan, A. M. (2009). Folklore: Sameepanangalum Sadhyathakalum [Folklore: Approaches and Possibilities]. Thrissur: Malayala Padana Gaveshana Kendram [Malayalam Study and Research Centre].

Sreedharamenon, A. (2001). Punnappra Vayalarum Kerala Charithravum [Punnappra Vayalar and Kerala History]. Kottayam: D. C. Books.

Tanvir, H. (2005, September 26). Art is Always Anti-establishment. The Hindu Magazine. Interview by Shanta Gokhale.

Thomas, C. J. (2004). Vishavriksham [Poisonous Tree]. CJ yude Nadakangal Nadakavivarthanangal [Dramas and Drama Translations of CJ]. Thrissur: Kerala Sahithya Academy, 282-339.


Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Copyright (c) 2014 Adakkaravayalil Y. Eldhose

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Journal of South Asian Studies
ISSN: 2307-4000 (Online), 2308-7846 (Print)
© EScience Press. All Rights Reserved.