“Tughlaq” - Girish Karnad

“Tughlaq” 

 - Girish Karnad

“Tughlaq” is written by Girish Karnad. “Tughlaq” play based on the life of true historical character Mohammad Bin Tughlaq. Tughlaq - te play divided into thirteen scenes. It is about the turbulent rule of Mohammad Bin Tughlaq. 

 

The reign of Mohammad Bin Tughlaq stated in Delhi. At the very beginning Tughlaq wants to be king of Delhi but he cannot so he killed his brother and got the reign. The reign cannot rule without conspiracy and the reign of Tughlaq is best example of that. The intention of Tughlaq behind ruling the kingdom was good. The protagonist, Mohammad Bin Tughlaq, known for his reformist, ‘ahead of his times’ ideas had a grand vision, but his reign was an abject failure. He started his rule with great ideals of a unified India. Yet in 20 years his reign had degenerated into anarchy and his kingdom had become a “kitchen of death”. He wants to make city good at every level. He wants to make city growing and also wants to make his city people’s life better from the present situation. In that era he wants to make city global and fertile but the downfall of his ideal city. The situation totally opposite from what he thinks of the Delhi. In a way city is not growing but it’s become a “Kitchen of Death”. 

The play Tughlaq explores the series of events that led to the downfall of one of the most fascinating kings to occupy the throne in Delhi. The vision of Tughlaq to unify India and keep religion out of politics cost him dearly. Tughlaq wants to keep religion far beyond to political matters. But the play highlights how religion can be misused to bring in the common man into a foul play because many murders done by Tughlaq in between the time of prayer. It is holy place but when the time came he used it for his own purpose to keep kingdom in his own hand. 

Likewise, he was familiar to Hindu citizen and also wants to keep close relationship with Hindu. Due to this he put forth reformist ideas to bring about trust in his Hindu citizens like scrapping the “jijia” tax on Hindus. One of his ideas was shifting the capital from Delhi to Daulatabad in order to have the capital that is not only the centre of his province but also a Hindu dominated area. The reason behind this is that the Hindu community known as business class and he wants to make his city global but on the other side it’s make negative effect on his own people. His own people’s life disturbed because of his nonsensical idea to shift Delhi to Daulatabad because shifting city is not the normal work. In which they provide all facilities to his people. In this matter he become weak that he was not able to provide facilities because his most of the people are died for starvation, lack of medicine and what not. So the idea totally goes in vain. Moreover the play dramatically highlights that how the business class of the country always tried to influence the decisions of the Ruler.

The play covers the consequences that followed this decision. The protagonist, Tughlaq described as a strict yet respected ruler. The two characters Aziz and Azam, represented a section of people who are clever enough to identify and misuse the loop holes and in every law to enrich them.

The intelligence of both characters that reader can saw that time while Tughlaq pass decision that all the money or golden coins translated into silver coins. They both are understood that it is foolish decision that his king passed. So they both are made silver coins and collected golden coins from people with the intension that one day good king came that time that collected golden coins are made them rich. Through this reader can understand that instead of king, his people of kingdom are very cleaver and intelligent also. In short all the decision which is taken from king Tughlaq is in vain. It is not making his city how he dreams.

The play outlines his clever plots to eliminate his opponents and ends with scenes of utter chaos and misery in the kingdom, and Tughlaq being left alone, having been abandoned by those who survived him. The play intends at capturing the helplessness of a great ruler, his downfall no matter how big the plays and the vision in the hands of the religion and business class. Ultimately he left by his best friend and he also lost his family. He got nothing and also not able to giving something to his people instead of pain. This play seems on the outlook as a historical play, but is appropriate to the contemporary politics of any era, especially in the current global scenario. In history he was capture with the nick name “Mohammad as a Mad”. 

Instead of that there are some good decisions that Tughlaq taken like he wants to capture two different religion people like Hindu and Muslim and he also wants that they mush up with each other. Another thing is that Karnad wrote this play in 1964 was the time of Indian independence. The thought of Gandhian flow everywhere but the Gandhian principles was still hopelessly locked in sectarian violence and communal hatred, the very elements that Karnad’s Tughlaq desire to overcome in the play.