Emerging Trends in Indian English Drama

Pages:14-16
Ashish Sangwan (Department of English, Govt. Polytechnic, Lisana, Rewari, Haryana)

India has the longest and the richest tradition in drama. The origin of Indian drama can be traced back to the Vedic Period. As a manifestation of our national sensibility Indian drama came into existence as a means of exploring and communicating the truth of things and was popularly pailed as the “fifth Veda” (K. Venkata reddy, R.K. Dhawan:7) During the age of the Vedic Aryans, drama was performed in a simple way. Different episodes from the Ramayana, the Mahabharta, and the Bhagavad-Gita were enacted out in front of people. Such type of performance is still very popular in India during the time of dussehra. Bharata’s natyashastra in Sanskrit is the most pioneering work on Indian dance & drama. It displays consciousness of all major aspects of drama, namely stage-setting, music, plot construction, characterization, dialogue and acting. According to legend when the world passed from golden age to silver age, people started getting addicted to sensual pleasure and jealous, anger, and desire. Then Gods, demons, yakshas, rakshas, nagas inhabited the whole world. At that moment, Lord Indra requested God Brahma :