Hayavadana

Hayavadana

            My review of the novel ‘Hayavadana’. Hayavadan is a play written by play write, actor and director Girish Karnad which drew thematic influences from Thomas Mann’s 1940 novella ‘The Transposed Heads.’ Karnad has skillfully adapted the thematic plot to the Indian legends, the Kathasaritsagara. In the play of Hayavadana we find some major characters as like, Kapila, Devadatta and Padmini.

        In Hayavadana play we can find two plots. The first level, which forms the ‘exterior’ plot, is that of Hayavadana’s story. Hayavadana, a man with a horse’s head, is trying to seek ‘completeness’ by fully emerging as a man. Hayavadana thereby becomes symbolic of a fragmented identity, which is very relevant today. Karnad explores existentialism by intensifying the motif of incompleteness by a broken task and a cracked belly-whichever way you look at him he is the embodiment of imperfection of in completion.

           On the second level, which is the primary plot, is that of two friends, Kapila and Devadatta, who dreams despondently of Padmini. Karnad also depicts the caste restrictions that one has and how one is confined to the so-called ‘caste occupations.’ Devadatta is a learned Brahmin, writing poetry and is physically unfit, whereas Kapila, a Kshatriya, is a wrestler and is physically stonger. Although Kapila is attracted to Padmini when he meets her, he nonetheless arranges the marriage between Devdatta and Padmini. The plot eventually thickens to when Padmini starts to 'Fall' for Kapila merely for the physical strength that she finds laking in her husband, Devadatta. In the play Hayavadana we are treated to a fascinating love triangle love replete with a melange of romance, insecurity, jealousy, sacrifice, opportunism and deception. When Devadatta and Kapila's heards are transposed to each other's body.

           This couses the identity comflict to became more immense for both. as kapila  retreats to the forest unable to confront the problem logically. The  importance that one places body over the mind his explicitly expressed by Devadatta , who now  has Kapila's body "I'd alwasy thought one had to use one's brain while wrestling or fancing. but this body does not wait for thoughts, it acts."
           
             In the play Hayavadana we can see that Padmini imphasizes the physicality of the body. Eventually she finds herself in intense euphoria when she combines the had of Devadatta and the body of Kapila there by according  herself  a high degree of sexual freedom. the play is an interesting read , with humour interjected at the appropriate places to lighten the mood as when Kali wakes up from a long sleep. Hayavadana is able  to engage the reader  through  out the play and is an easy read .