The Playwright as Social Architect: Decoding Social Responsibility in Modern Indian English Drama

Drama as a literary genre has been evolving through the ages. The playwrights go on setting the trend and making drama alive. For centuries, playwrights have been experimenting with drama by introducing various elements that enhance the aesthetic nature of the drama. The playwrights deal with various topics: social, economic, political, socio-political, socio-economic, gender discrimination, poverty, class differentiation, juvenile delinquency, etc. Thus, the playwright is assumed to be a social architect who reflects the social problems in the play and, with it, awakens the people in society to understand their moral duties. Modern Indian English Drama, which arose in the mid-20th century, dealt with the topics mentioned above. The post-independence literature dealt with the concerns that were rooted in Indian Society. The realisation of patriotism in the minds of people awakened them to understand their moral duties and rights. This realisation helped the people to raise their voice against injustice, and this was reflected in the plays by the playwrights. Thus, the playwright acted as a social architect by introducing the social concerns and giving a voice to their problems in his plays. This chapter explores the themes of social injustice, oppression, identity crisis, alienation, tradition vs modernity, gender issues and feminism, politics, corruption & power, existentialism and psychological conflict in the selected plays of Girish Karnad, Vijay Tendulkar, & Mahesh Dattani. Modern Indian English drama sets a good example of a playwright as a social architect. Plays like Silence! The Court Is in Session by Vijay Tendulkar or Final Solutions by Mahesh Dattani are examples in which the playwright has not just entertained the masses but also grabbed their attention towards the social problems that were penetrating and hollowing the Indian society. Thus, the chapter argues that modern Indian English Drama serves not just for aesthetic purposes but also reflects the social concerns and raises a voice for marginalised sections of society.