S. Govindappa
The story of Nagamandala is uprooted from Kannada folklore which Karnad had himself heard from the poet and academic, A.K. Ramanujan. It reflects Karnad’s respect for the technical elements of theatrical art and also for the Indian tradition of storytelling although he innovates and experiments by sharing twentieth century views. Karnad states that,“Drama is a means of self-expression for me. Drama can be the production of meaning also. I did not create the story of Nagamandala. It was already there and the play simply creates devices for telling that story.”The summary of this personified story goes like this. The young bride Rani is married to indifferent man Appanna who always ill-treats her. Rani being always locked inside the house by her husband whenever he goes out, feels depressed for not having any freedom. Appanna treats his wife as a servant and meanwhile he keeps and uses a concubine. The other two characters in the play, the blind woman – Kurudavva and her son Kappanna, play an influential role by helping Rani, the protagonist of the story in fulfilling her needs and aspirations.
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