Symbolism and Parallelism in Girish Karnad’s Tughlaq

Abstract

The writer Girish Karnad deals with the most important phases of life of the medieval Indian ruler
Muhammad bin Tughlaq in his play Tughlaq. The writer was fascinated by the character which fitted
accurately in his play as according to him Tughlaq was a fantastic and unique character to be portrayed
in his plays. The character of Tughlaq has been portrayed with adequate insight and is revealed in the
theme of the plot. In the play Tughlaq is presented beautifully expressing his idealism, policies and
frustrations when his plans are not materialized. There is Parallelism between reign of Tughlaq and India
of the sixties. The play is basically a historic play of the reign of Muhammad Bin Tughlaq but the writer
makes it more relevant in the modern context of Indian politics. Karnad uses symbols to make the play
relevant and highlight the hidden meaning.
Keywords: Idealism. Policies, frustration parallelism, symbol