Taledanda

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Taledanda (Kannada: ತಲೆದಂಡ, Hindi: रक्त कल्याण, literally: Death by Beheading) is a 1990 Kannada-language play written by Girish Karnad, an eminent person in Kannada literature, about the rise of the radical protest and reform movement, Lingaytism, in 12th century Karnataka. He was awarded the Karnataka Sahitya Academy Award (1993) and the Sahitya Akademi Award in Kannada language for the play in 1994, and later awarded the Jnanpith Award for his literature work in 1998.[1][2]

About the play

Written in 1989 in the backdrop of

Bhakti Movement
. Eight hundred years ago in the city of
Basavanna assembled a congregation of poets, mystics, social revolutionaries and philosophers, unmatched for their creativity and social commitment in the history of Karnataka, even perhaps of India
itself.

They opposed idolatry, rejected temple worship, upheld equality of sexes, and condemned the caste system. Basavanna was leading the movement to remove gender inequality and caste system. But the event took a violent turn when they acted on their beliefs and a Brahmin girl married a cobbler's son, so called a 'low caste' boy. The movement ended in bloodshed so does the hopes of Basavanna died in despair. People too forgot the movement.

Rakt Kalyan (Tale-Danda) deals with few weeks during which a vibrant, prosperous society plunged into anarchy and terror. In

Theater[3]
Telugu translation of the play, by Bhargavi Rao won her the Sahitya Akademi Award Translation Award in 1995, given by Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters.[4]

Further reading

  • Collected Plays: Taledanda, the Fire and the Rain, the Dreams of Tipu Sultan, Flowers and Images: Two Dramatic Monologues Volume 2, by Girish Karnad. Oxford University Press, USA. .

Translations

References

  1. ^ "Sahitya Akademi Awards listings". Sahitya Akademi, Official website.
  2. ^ "The multi-faceted playwright". www.frontline.in. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  3. ^ Drama critics. "Girish Karnad's Tale-Danda(Rakt Kalyan)". Retrieved 6 January 2009.
  4. ^ "Sahitya Akademi Awards". Sahitya Akademi. Archived from the original on 20 April 2008.