Vijay Tendulkar : A New Horizon in Indian English Drama

Abstract

Vijay Tendulkar is avant-garde Marathi playwright. He portrays the theme of isolation and alienation
of an individual and his perpetual struggle with the hostile surrounding. In spite of having his roots in
Marathi regional theatre, Tendulkar has emerged as a new voice in Indian theatre to explore the volcanic
dimensions of resentment and discontent hidden within the invisible terrains of human consciousness.
Tendulkar, a sensitive artist and a versatile genius, with his passion for freedom and the boldness of a
journalist gave a new direction to his dramatic creed. His plays deal with the controversial issues like gender
prejudice, corruption in politics, Lesbian relationship, Caste discrimination and the commercialization of
Press and Personal Relationship. Besides of these thematic concerns, each play has been investigated to
explore Tendulkar’s dexterity in mingling Western dramatic theories and strategies.
My paper is focused on how Vijay Tendulkar becomes the most controversial personality into the
field of Indian Writing in English and opens a new horizon in Indian English Drama by his ceaseless
experimentation with theatre and unconventional portrayal of characters in his plays. His works created
storms not only in literary circles but also saw strong social reactions stemming from the charge of obscenity
and hurting the sensitivities of certain classes. Tendulkar’s plays unfailingly challenged the accepted
concepts and norms pertaining to morality in society and brought to the fore the hidden cruelty and lust in
the human psyche, exposing hypocrisy that covered it.
Hope the research paper would be helpful to those who are pursuing their research on Vijay
Tendulkar.