Ghashiram Kotwal by Vijay Tendulkar

Ghashiram Kotwal by Vijay Tendulkar  

 

     Ghashiram Kotwal is a Marathi play written by playwright Vijay Tendulkar in 1972 as a response to the rise of a local political party, Shiv Sena, in Maharashtra.The play is a political satire, written as historical drama. It is based on the life of Nana Phadnavis one of the prominent ministers in the court of the Peshwa of Pune. Its theme is how men in power give rise to ideologies to serve their purposes, and later destroy them when they become useless.

    The play “ghashiram kotwal” simply brings out decadent morality in blind pursuit of power.it’s a powerful comment on the 'society' irrelevant of the time or an era. tendulkar’s courage lies in the fact that he had the grit to show this mirror to the charlatan society knowing fully well that they would cringe. the play also demonstrates that if‘nana’ was bad ‘ghashiram’ was no different if not worse when given the opportunity. the play, if read carefully, makes subtle comments on criminal jurisprudence as a whole too.

  This is not a historical play .It is a story, in prose,verse,music,and dance set in a historicalra.Ghashirams are creations of socio-political forces which know no barriers of time and place.Although based on a historical legend, I have no intention of commenting on the morals or lack of them, of the Peshwa, Nana Phadnavis or Ghashiram. The moral of this story, if there is any,may be looked for elsewhere.