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<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{Infobox play <br />
| name = Andha Yug<br />
| image = [[File:Andha Yug at The Doon School.jpg|300px]]<br />
| image_size = <br />
| caption = A 2010 production of the play at [[The Doon School]], Dehradun<br />
| writer = [[Dharamvir Bharati]]<br />
| characters = [[Kaurava]]s <br/>[[Pandava]]s<br />[[Krishna]]<br />[[Ashwatthama]]<br />
| setting = Last day of the [[Mahabharat]] war<br />
| premiere = 1962, written 1954 <ref>[http://www.dharamvirbharati.com/prakashan..html Publications] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429020524/http://www.dharamvirbharati.com/prakashan..html |date=2011-04-29 }} ''[[Dharamvir Bharati]]'' Official website.</ref><br />
| place = [[Mumbai]] by Theatre Unit, theatre group<br />
| orig_lang = [[Hindi]]<br />
| subject = [[anti-war]]<br />
| genre = historical play<br />
| web =<br />
}}<br />
'''''Andha Yug''''' ([[Hindi]]: अंधा युग, ''The Age of Blindness'' or ''The Blind Age'') is a [[1954 in literature|1953]] [[verse play]] written in [[Hindi]], by renowned novelist, poet, and playwright [[Dharamvir Bharati]] (1926-1997). Set in the last day of the Great [[Mahabharat]] war, the five-act [[tragedy]] was written in the years following the 1947 [[partition of India]] atrocities, as [[allegory]] to its destruction of human lives and ethical values. It is a metaphoric meditation on the politics of violence and aggressive selfhood and that war dehumanized individuals and society. Thus both the victor and the vanquished lose eventually.<ref name=Ru195>[[#Ru|Rubin, p. 195]]</ref><br />
<br />
The [[anti-war]] play first created sensation as a radio play at [[Allahabad]] [[All India Radio]].<ref name=Ru182/> This led to its production by Mumbai-based theatre director, [[Satyadev Dubey]] (1962), and subsequent famous production by theatre doyen [[Ebrahim Alkazi]] against the backdrop of historical monuments in Delhi (like [[Feroz Shah Kotla]] and [[Purana Qila]]). It became "a national theatrical event"; his 1963 production was seen by then Prime Minister, [[Jawaharlal Nehru]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Remarkable resurgence |url=http://www.thehindu.com/arts/magazine/article600096.ece |newspaper=[[The Hindu]] |date=August 28, 2010 }}</ref> It was subsequently staged by numerous directors and in many Indian languages.<ref name=Ru182>[[#Ru|Rubin, p. 182]]</ref><br />
<br />
As part of the "theatre of the roots" movement which started in [[Indian theatre]] in the 1950s, which tried to look into Indian epics and myths for form, inspiration and content,<ref>{{cite news |title=Epic play: The back-to-roots movement in theatre has directors turning to myths for inspiration |url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050508/spectrum/main3.htm |newspaper=[[The Tribune (Chandigarh)|The Tribune]]|author=Chaman Ahuja |date=May 8, 2005 }}</ref> ''Andha Yug'' is today recognised as the "play that heralded a new era in Indian theatre" and standard repertoire of [[Hindi theatre]].<ref name=hin/> Dharamvir Bharati wrote one play during his career<ref name=Ru195/> and was awarded the [[Sangeet Natak Akademi Award]] in Playwriting (Hindi) in 1988, given by [[Sangeet Natak Akademi]], India's National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sangeetnatak.org/sna/awardeeslist.htm |title=SNA: List of Akademi Awardees |publisher=[[Sangeet Natak Akademi]] Official website |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727234019/http://www.sangeetnatak.org/sna/awardeeslist.htm |archive-date=2011-07-27 }}</ref><br />
<br />
==Overview==<br />
{{Quote box| width=20%|align=right|quote=<poem><br />
<br />
"When will this bloodbath end?<br />
<br />
Oh what a war which no one wins<br />
<br />
and loses both foe and friend.."<br />
<br />
</poem><br />
<br />
|source= —''Andha Yug''<ref>{{cite news |title=A gust of fresh air |url=http://www.hindu.com/fr/2009/08/14/stories/2009081450150300.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121109020225/http://www.hindu.com/fr/2009/08/14/stories/2009081450150300.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 9, 2012 |newspaper=[[The Hindu]] |date=August 14, 2009 }}</ref>|}}<br />
''Andha Yug'' is based on the ancient [[Sanskrit]] epic, ''Mahabharata'' written by [[Ved Vyasa]]. The play begins on the eighteenth and last day of the Great Mahabharata War, which devastated the kingdom of [[Kaurava]]s, the feuding cousins of [[Pandava]]s, their capital the once-magnificent [[Hastinapur]] lay burning, in ruins, the battlefield of [[Kurukshetra]] was strewn with corpses, and skies filled with vultures and death laments. Fatalities were on both sides as cousins killed each other. The survivors were left grieving and enraged as they continued to blame each other for the destruction. No one was willing to view it as a consequence of their own moral choices.<br />
<br />
[[Ashwatthama]], son of guru [[Dronacharya]], in one last-ditch act of revenge against the Pandavas, releases the ultimate weapon of destruction — the ''[[Brahmastra]]'', which promises to annihilate the world. No one comes forward to condemn it: Ethics and humanity have been the first casualties of the war.<br />
<br />
[[Krishna]] who mediated between the cousins before war, remains the moral centre of the play. Even in his failure he presents options that are ethical and just and reminds us that a higher or sacred way is always accessible to human beings even in the worst of times. The play ends with the death of Krishna.<ref name=Ru195/><ref name=George220>[[#Ge|George, p. 220]]</ref><br />
<br />
==Play structure==<br />
Bharati constructed the play using western drama tradition and early Indian drama, found in Sanskrit drama.<ref name=Ru195/><br />
<br />
* Prologue<br />
* Act One: The Kaurava Kingdom<br />
* Act Two: The Making of a Beast<br />
* Act Three: The Half-truth of Ashwatthama<br />
* Interlude: Feathers, Wheels and Bandages<br />
* Act Four: Gandhari's Curse<br />
* Act Five: Victory and a Series of Suicides<br />
* Epilogue: Death of the Lord<br />
<br />
==Themes==<br />
<br />
''Andha Yug'' highlights the perils of self-enchantment in an anti-war allegory. It explores human capacity for moral action, reconciliation, and goodness in times of atrocity and reveals what happens when individuals succumb to the cruelty and cynicism of a blind, dispirited age.<br />
<br />
When a ruler, epitomized by a blind [[Dhritarashtra]] (physically and also by his ambition for his son [[Duryodhana]]), in an equally blind society fail its own side and that of their loved ones. It elaborates on the consequences, when a society fails to stop a cycle of revenge and instead choose a redemptive path, which is always available even in worst of scenarios. This is shown by Krishna's presence amid the mindlessness of fellow human beings. It was only when they collectively reject the voice of wisdom that denigration of war step upon them, leading to wide-scale bloodshed.<br />
<br />
The story hints at the perils that await a society that turns away from its wisdom culture and instead succumb to the logic of the moment that can be easily swayed by emotions. Bharati uses the war of Mahabharat to make an anti-war statement and raises questions regarding moral uprightness in the wake of Partition-related atrocities, loss of faith and national identity.<ref name=Ru195/><ref name=Ru182/><br />
<br />
Some directors have used it to bring out contemporary issues like the role of diplomacy of the world.<ref>{{cite news |title=Small talk |url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/small-talk/398547/ |newspaper=Indian Express |date=December 15, 2008 }}</ref><br />
<br />
==History==<br />
{{Quote box| width=20%|align=right|quote=<poem><br />
I suddenly understood<br />
as if in a flash of revelation<br />
that when a man<br />
surrenders his selfhood<br />
and challenges history<br />
he can change the course<br />
of the stars.<br />
<br />
The lines of fate<br />
are not carved in stone.<br />
They can be drawn and redrawn<br />
at every moment of time<br />
by the will of man.<br />
<br />
</poem>|source= —excerpt from ''Andha Yug''|}}<br />
Dharamvir Bharati (1926–1997), was a renowned Hindi novelist, poet, and playwright. His novels, ''[[Gunahon Ka Devta (novel)|Gunahon Ka Devta]]'' (The God of Sins, 1949) and ''[[The Sun's seventh horse (novel)|Suraj Ka Satvan Ghoda]]'' (The Seventh Horse of the Sun, 1952), are classics of [[Hindi literature]]. The latter was adapted into [[Suraj Ka Satvan Ghoda|a film]] by [[Shyam Benegal]] in 1992.<br />
<br />
Originally written as a [[radio play]], the play was first broadcast by the [[All India Radio]] (public radio) and immediately drew attention.<ref name=Ru182/><br />
<br />
Playwright and theatre director [[Satyadev Dubey]] heard of the play and met Bharati when the latter had dropped in to see Dubey's Hindi adaptation of [[Albert Camus]]'s ''Cross Purposes'', as ''Sapne''. Recognizing its potential, Dubey walked around with the script for nearly 10 years trying to get it done.<ref>{{cite news |title=The Fury And The Ecstacy |url=http://www.tehelka.com/story_main40.asp?filename=hub151108the_fury.asp |publisher=[[Tehelka]] |date= November 15, 2008|volume= 5|issue = 45}}</ref> Dubey had been running 'Theatre Unit' (a theatre group started by [[Ebrahim Alkazi]] who moved to Delhi in 1962 as director of [[National School of Drama]], Delhi), After staging it himself in 1962, Dubey sent the script to Alkazi. Though many found the play lacking action, Alkazi believed, "action is not rushing around. It’s inward growth."<ref>{{cite news |title=Theatre is revelation (Interview) |url=http://www.hindu.com/mag/2008/02/24/stories/2008022450160500.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080302010357/http://www.hindu.com/mag/2008/02/24/stories/2008022450160500.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 2, 2008 |newspaper=[[The Hindu]] |date=February 24, 2008 }}</ref><br />
<br />
Alkazi's production made history in modern [[Indian theatre]], when he staged first ''Andha Yug'' in 1963, first amidst the backdrop of the ruins of [[Feroz Shah Kotla]], Delhi and then [[Purana Quila]]'s tiered steps in the 70s.<ref>{{cite news |title=A little peek into history |url=http://www.hindu.com/fr/2008/05/02/stories/2008050250120300.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121109020307/http://www.hindu.com/fr/2008/05/02/stories/2008050250120300.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 9, 2012|newspaper=[[The Hindu]] |date=May 2, 2008 }}</ref> It brought in a new paradigm in Indian theatres.<ref name=hin>[https://web.archive.org/web/20071206015036/http://www.hindu.com/mag/2007/11/25/stories/2007112550080200.htm Drama with a distinct vision] by [[Girish Karnad]], ''[[The Hindu]]'', 25 November 2007.</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Reaction matters to me|url=http://www.hindu.com/mag/2008/11/16/stories/2008111650040200.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100416053514/http://www.hindu.com/mag/2008/11/16/stories/2008111650040200.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 16, 2010 |newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=November 16, 2008 }}</ref> The music for this production was given by noted composer [[Vanraj Bhatia]].<ref>[http://www.internationalopus.com/cgi-bin/io.pl?mode=composer&composer=10 Vanraj Bhatia profile] ''internationalopus''.</ref><br />
<br />
In the coming years, the play attracted many directors and was staged across the country,<ref name=Ru195/> including [[Mohan Maharishi]], [[Ram Gopal Bajaj]], and [[Bhanu Bharti]]. [[M.K. Raina]] staged the play in Berlin and the Festival of India in the USSR in 1987, [[Ratan Thiyam]] staged it in an open-air performance in Tonga, Japan, on 5 August 1994, a day before the 49th anniversary of [[Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki|atomic bombing of Hiroshima]].<ref>[http://www.4to40.com/music/index.asp?p=Performance_Tradition_and_Modern_Theatre Modern Classics]{{Dead link|date=October 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Other noted productions have been by directors [[Arvind Gaur]], [[Girish Tiwari (Girda)]], and Bijon Mondal (2010), who gave it a contemporary twist, accompanied by fusion band.<ref>{{cite news |title=Andha Yug brings history alive|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/lifestyle/report_andha-yug-brings-history-alive_1353860 |newspaper=[[DNA (newspaper)|DNA]] |date=March 1, 2010}}</ref> A notable production in 2010 at Feroze Shah Kotla ruins included a cast of Ashish Vidyarthi (Ashwatthama), Uttara Baokar (Gandhari), Mohan Maharishi (Dhritrashtra), Vasant Josalkar (Vidur), Ravi Jhankal (Vriddha Yachak), Om Puri (Krishna), Govind Namdev (Vyas).<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.buzzintown.com/delhi/event--delhi-celebrates-andha-yug-play/id--259934.html |title=Delhi Celebrates! : Andha Yug - Play |access-date=2011-03-26 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120723000349/http://www.buzzintown.com/delhi/event--delhi-celebrates-andha-yug-play/id--259934.html |archive-date=2012-07-23 |url-status=dead }}</ref><br />
<br />
==Translations==<br />
<br />
* ''Andha Yug'' (English), by Dharamvir Bharati, Tr. Alok Bhalla. Oxford University Press, USA, 2010. {{ISBN|0-19-806522-1}}.<br />
* ''Andha Yug'' (Odia), by Dharamvir Bharati, Tr. Saudamini Nanda . Sahitya Akademi, 2001. {{ISBN|81-260-1233-1}}.<br />
* ''Andha Yug'' (English), by Dharamvir Bharati, Tr. Tripurari Sharma. National School of Drama. 2001<br />
* ''Andha Yug'' (English, by Dharamvir Bharati, Tr. Paul Jacob and Meena Williams, Enact, 1972.<br />
<br />
==Further reading==<br />
* [http://www.kavitakosh.org/kk/index.php?title=%E0%A4%85%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A7%E0%A4%BE_%E0%A4%AF%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%97_/_%E0%A4%A7%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%B5%E0%A5%80%E0%A4%B0_%E0%A4%AD%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%80 ''Andha Yug'', in Hindi]<br />
<br />
==See also==<br />
*[[List of plays with anti-war themes]]<br />
<br />
==Notes==<br />
{{Reflist|2}}<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
* {{cite book |title=Modern Indian Literature, an Anthology: Plays and prose|author= K. M. George|author2=Sahitya Akademi |publisher=Sahitya Akademi |year=1995|isbn=81-7201-783-9 |chapter=Andha Yug: Dharamvir Bharati|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eTXougCB-NMC&q=Andha+Yug&pg=PA220 |ref=Ge }}<br />
* {{cite book |title=Colonial narratives/cultural dialogues: "Discoveries" of India in the language of colonialism|author=Jyotsna G. Singh|publisher=Routledge|year=1996|isbn=0-415-08519-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CoS_O3X0a8UC&q=Andha+Yug&pg=PA176 |ref=Si }}<br />
* {{cite book |title=The World Encyclopedia of Contemporary Theatre: Asia|author=Don Rubin |publisher=Taylor & Francis|year=1998|isbn=0-415-05933-X |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-MUiXjMUl34C&q=hindi+theatre&pg=PA219 |ref=Ru }}<br />
* {{cite book |title=Theatres of independence: drama, theory, and urban performance in India since 1947 |chapter=Cosmo-Modernist History of Mankind: Dharamvir Bharati's Andha Yug|author=Aparna Bhargava Dharwadker|year=2005 |publisher=University of Iowa Press|isbn=0-87745-961-4 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mLQaz-12Eo8C&q=Andha+Yug&pg=PA186 |ref=Dh }}<br />
* {{cite book |title=The Encyclopaedia Of Indian Literature (Volume Two) (Devraj To Jyoti), Volume 2|chapter= Andha Yug (Hindi)|author=Amaresh Datta|publisher=Sahitya Akademi |year=2006|isbn=81-260-1194-7|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ObFCT5_taSgC&q=Andha+Yug&pg=PA170|page=170 |ref=Da }}<br />
* {{cite book |title=Contemporary Indian Theatre |author= Rajinder Paul |publisher=Sangeet Natak Akademi and Hope Publishers |year=2006 |chapter=An Interview with Dharamvir Bharati by Vasant Dev |pages=90–95 |isbn=81-7871-097-8}}<br />
<br />
==External links==<br />
* [http://www.geeta-kavita.com/hindi_sahitya.asp?id=70 ''Andha Yug'' (Excerpt I)], [http://www.geeta-kavita.com/images/andha_yug_2/title.gif 2] and [http://www.geeta-kavita.com/hindi_sahitya.asp?id=72 3]<br />
<br />
{{Works based on the Mahabharata |state=collapsed}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Indian plays]]<br />
[[Category:1954 plays]]<br />
[[Category:Plays set in antiquity]]<br />
[[Category:Plays set in India]]<br />
[[Category:Tragedy plays]]<br />
[[Category:Hindi-language literature]]<br />
[[Category:1950s debut plays]]<br />
[[Category:Anti-war plays]]<br />
[[Category:1954 radio dramas]]<br />
[[Category:Works based on the Mahabharata]]<br />
[[Category:Allegory]]<br />
[[Category:Hindi theatre]]</div>ImportMaster