Political and Racial Violence in Asif Currimbhoy’s Selected Plays

Pages:173-175
Amit (Assistant Professor, Gaur Brahman Degree College, Rohtak)

Asif Currimbhoy’s plays are full of political and racial violence. Although, socio political consciousness is his major theme but the aesthetics of violence is not less important theme. His two plays, Goa and Inquilab, have elements of political and racial violence. Goa manifests racial violence while Inquilab manifests political violence. Violence as method of control and dominance over those who are deemed to be inferior and powerless is practiced in many cultures, societies and countries of the world. At the domestic level, it is used against women, children and other vulnerable members of the family. At the national and international level, poor people, asylum seekers, refugees, blacks and ethnic minorities are occasionally subjected to or threatened with violence by the state or the institutions that uphold violence in the name of peace, order and national security. Racial violence, a major theme in Goa, can be defined as a form of violence which is perpetuated on the grounds of color, ethnicity and nationality. It differs from other forms of violence in that the root causes are to do with the assumption of superiority and dislike of other people who are deemed to be inferior because of their appearance and physical characteristics such as color, language and dress. Racial violence manifests itself in many ways. In its mildest form, it can be pushing, spitting, name-calling, teasing or practical jokes. In more serious case it involves physical assault, arson, stabbing, rape, murder massacre and genocide. Goa is full of these types of treatment, so it shows racial violence in full spectrum. Currimbhoy’s another play Inquilab shows political violence which can be defined as a means used by the people and governments around the world to achieve political goals. Many groups and individuals believe that their political system will never respond to their political demands. As a result they believe that violence is not only justified but also necessary in order to achieve their political objectives. Similarly, many governments around the world believe that they need to use violence in order to intimidate their populace into acquiescence. Government also uses force in order to defend their country from outside invasion or other threats of force and coerce other governments to conquer territory. Political violence can take a number of forms like genocide, human rights violation, war, police brutality, counterinsurgency, torture and capital punishment etc. In Inquilab, political violence is shown through tribal insurgency in which, the minority people or the naxalites stir the whole country for their demands. So it seems that Currimbhoy’s dramas depict violence at a broader and higher level unlike Tendulker’s drama which shows violence at a narrow level. Currimbhoy’s canvas of violence is considered ‘broad’ as he takes up the issues popular at national level. His plays reflect an influence of major political events, like Bangladesh war, Chinese invasion and freedom of Goa in 1961, which took place soon after the independence of India.