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'''''Mithyabhiman''''' (English: False Pride) is an 1870 [[Gujarati language|Gujarati]] play by Indian writer [[Dalpatram]]. |
'''''Mithyabhiman''''' (English: False Pride) is an 1870 [[Gujarati language|Gujarati]] play by Indian writer [[Dalpatram]]. Considered to be a milestone in [[Gujarati literature]], it holds an important place among the comic plays in the history of [[Gujarati theatre|Gujarati drama]].<ref name="Datta1988">{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://books.google.com/?id=29f0ugEACAAJ|title=Mithyabhiman |encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature: K to Navalram|last=Jani|first=Balvant|publisher=[[Sahitya Akademi]]|year=1987|isbn=978-0-8364-2423-2|editor=Datta|editor-first=Amaresh|volume=VIII|location=New Delhi|page=2713}}</ref> |
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==Characters== |
==Characters== |
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The so-called thief is then brought to the court in a cot and the truth is revealed. Jivaram Bhatt is at the point of dying. And in the final Act he is brought home and treated by a physician-cum-astrologer. But there is no chance of recovery. At the end Jivaram Bhatt repents his unseemly behavior. He asks his relatives to erect a marble pillar in his memory and inscribe therein 12 stanzas which exhort people to abstain from the vices of pride, vanity and hypocrisy.<ref name="KMGeorge1997"/> |
The so-called thief is then brought to the court in a cot and the truth is revealed. Jivaram Bhatt is at the point of dying. And in the final Act he is brought home and treated by a physician-cum-astrologer. But there is no chance of recovery. At the end Jivaram Bhatt repents his unseemly behavior. He asks his relatives to erect a marble pillar in his memory and inscribe therein 12 stanzas which exhort people to abstain from the vices of pride, vanity and hypocrisy.<ref name="KMGeorge1997"/> |
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==Reception== |
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The play is considered to be a milestone in the development of drama in Gujarati literature.<ref name="Gujarat2007">{{cite book|editor1-last=Thaker|editor1-first=Dhirubhai|editor1-link=Dhirubhai Thaker|editor2-last=Desai|editor2-first=Kumarpal|editor2-link=Kumarpal Desai|title=Gujarat|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g4oMAQAAMAAJ|year=2007|publisher=Smt. Hiralaxmi Navanitbhai Shah Dhanya Gurjari Kendra, Gujarat Vishvakosh Trust|location=Ahmedabad|page=78|chapter=Social Reforms in Gujarat|oclc=680480939}}</ref> |
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==References== |
==References== |
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Revision as of 17:14, 15 May 2020
Mithyabhiman (English: False Pride) is an 1870 Gujarati play by Indian writer Dalpatram. Considered to be a milestone in Gujarati literature, it holds an important place among the comic plays in the history of Gujarati drama.[1]
Characters
The main characters of the play are:[2]
- Jivram Bhatt – a patient of nyctalopia
- Raghunath – father-in-law of Jivram Bhatt
- Sutradhar
- Ranglo (jester)
Plot
After the introduction of the play through a delightful dialogue between Sūtradhār (who introduces the story of the drama to the audience) and Ranglo (jester), Jivram Bhatt, the hero of the play enters walking in a forest on his way to his father-in-law's house in Manaspuri. But, being a patient of nyctalopia (night blindness), he is not able to decide which way he should go. He conceals his disability by pretending to see everything and rejects the helping hand offered by two shepherds related to his father-in-law's family. Ultimately he tries to reach the destination by holding the tail of his father-in-law's baby buffalo who drags him into a ditch beside the road.[2]
The second Act opens in the house of Jivaram Bhatt's father-in-law, Raghunath, who, as an orthodox brahmin, believes that the Vedas have mysterious meaning which God alone knows. Ranglo informs him of the arrival of his son in-law on the outskirts of Manaspuri. Incidentally the shepherd, Bijal, also in forms him that Jivaram Bhatt was approaching the village led by the buffalo's tail.[2]
But, not finding Jivaram Bhatt with the buffalo, Raghunath and his son set out in search of him. They find him lying in a ditch. They request Jivaram Bhatt to accompany them home, but he, being unable to see at night, declines to go with them, on the pretext that his mother-in-law called him ‘night-blind' on a previous occasion. After a lot of persuasion, Jivaram Bhatt agrees to accompany them on the condition that none in the village would call him night-blind. Raghunath requests the prince of the place to issue an order asking all the residents of the village not to call Jivaram Bhatt a night-blind. The prince issues such an order.[2]
The members of Raghunath's family ask Jivaram Bhatt questions regarding his achievements. Jivaram Bhatt boasts of his greatness in the matters of knowledge, creativity, worship, etc. As a result of night-blindness, he bungles at every step. When he takes bath, instead of clean water, he pours potfull of animals' urine on his body. While sitting for dinner, he faces the wall and when his mother in-law serves him lapshi (a sweet dish made of wheat flour), the young buffalo eats it away! And when the lady comes to serve the sweet again, Jivaram Bhatt gives her severe beating, taking her to be the buffalo. Devbai cries and curses him. On all these occasions, Jivaram Bhatt tries to justify his behavior stupidly and shamelessly, exhibiting utter vanity and hypocrisy.[2]
Jivaram Bhatt gets up at midnight to ease himself; but, being night-blind, he ties his turban to the cot and goes to the urinal with the other end of the turban in his hand. But again the baby buffalo chews away the middle portion of the turban! Jivaram Bhatt is baffled in the dark and tumbles on his mother-in-law who gets up screaming 'thief, thief.' Raghunath and Somnath get up and taking Jivaram Bhatt for a thief, start beating him severely. The police arrives and ar rests Jivaram Bhatt in the dark. Nobody listens to Jivaram Bhatt's voice in the din. In the police custody also, Jivaram gets heavy hammering to force him to confess the crime. Raghunath and others believe that Jivaram Bhatt is kidnapped. Raghunath's statement that they won't be able to replace the stolen 'thing'even by paying Rs. 2,000 adds to the confusion.[2]
The so-called thief is then brought to the court in a cot and the truth is revealed. Jivaram Bhatt is at the point of dying. And in the final Act he is brought home and treated by a physician-cum-astrologer. But there is no chance of recovery. At the end Jivaram Bhatt repents his unseemly behavior. He asks his relatives to erect a marble pillar in his memory and inscribe therein 12 stanzas which exhort people to abstain from the vices of pride, vanity and hypocrisy.[2]
Reception
The play is considered to be a milestone in the development of drama in Gujarati literature.[3]
References
- ^ Jani, Balvant (1987). "Mithyabhiman". In Datta, Amaresh (ed.). Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature: K to Navalram. Vol. VIII. New Delhi: Sahitya Akademi. p. 2713. ISBN 978-0-8364-2423-2.
- ^ a b c d e f g Thaker, Dhirubhai (1997). "Mithyabhiman (False Pride)". In George, K. M. (ed.). Masterpieces of Indian Literature. Vol. 1. New Delhi: National Book Trust. p. 328–330. ISBN 81-237-1978-7.
- ^ Thaker, Dhirubhai; Desai, Kumarpal, eds. (2007). "Social Reforms in Gujarat". Gujarat. Ahmedabad: Smt. Hiralaxmi Navanitbhai Shah Dhanya Gurjari Kendra, Gujarat Vishvakosh Trust. p. 78. OCLC 680480939.
External links
Gujarati Wikisource has original text related to this article: મિથ્યાભિમાન- Mithyabhiman at the Internet Archive
Category:1870 plays Category:Gujarati-language plays Category:Literature about blindness