Summary and analysis of the play Purpose by T.P Kailasam

 

                              Purpose

                                          

T.P Kailasam

Tyagaraja Paramasiva Kailasam, playwright and writer of Kannada Literature was born in a Tamil family on 29th July 1884 in Bangalore, Karnataka.

Supported by Maharaja of Mysore, he studied geology in Royal College of Science, London.

Dedicate his life in writing an ten years in a place he called Nook and produced many plays in there. He is considered as “the Father of Modern Kannada Drama”

He earned the title “Kannadakke Obbane Kailasam”.  Died in the year 1946.

About the play:

                 Story is based on a Adiparva of Mahabharatha.  Indicated the purpose of Arjuna and Eklavya to become a great archer in the world.  Attempts to bring the marginalized character to the limelight.  The play is divided in to two acts.  Expresses the loyalty to the guru.  Class discrimination and its influence on society like class consciousness and hierarchy is exposed.

Characters of the play:

·      Bheesma – the patriarch of Kuru clan or kingdom

·      Arjuna     -  Grand child of Bheesma

·      Nakula    -   Grand child of Bheesma (brother of Arjuna)

·      Sahadev  -  One of the Grand Child of Bheesma

·      Dronacharya- Preceptor to the princes

·      Eklavya       -  A Nishadha (Non-Aryan) boy

Summary of the Play:

             The story is based on the great epic Mahabharatha.  Extracted from the AadiParva episode in Mahabharatha.  The first act takes place in the royal athletic ground in the Hastinapuram.  Dronacharya is giving training to Sahadeva and Nakula.

              Nakula is trying horse ride for the past eleven days.  Dronacharya asks them to perform in the next poornima.  Bheesma enters and inquires about the training.  He meets Arjuna and asks him to be strong without breathing hard because of the practice.Arjuna is training himself to be the best archer in the world.  Bheesma advices Arjuna to be perfect and to respect the guru and obey him.  Arjuna askes guru Dronacharya why he is getting tired.

        Guru replied that the aim and the purpose of the archer is the prominent thing in training.   Eklavya is watching the practice which is going on in the royal atheletic ground.  He loves to train himself as an archer.  He thinks how he will approach Dronaacharya and ask him to train himself as a good archer.

       Then he slowly moved to the Guru and called him as Great Dronaacharya as him mother asked him to address.  Guru turned to him and asked about his whereabouts.    Eklavya stated that he is from the forest and reached there by walking three days and three nights.

       He said that his mother has told him about the guru and want himself to be trined as a good archer by the guru.  He said that his father Hiranya Dhanus, the chief of Nishaadas was killed and he lives with his mother in the forest,  In the forest the wolves kill the deer and he wants to protect the innocent living beings.  The nearby hermitage in the forest is guarded by Rishi.  He states that only Dronaacharya can help him to become a good archer as his mother wished him to be.

       The guru doubts him that he might tale revenge on the murders of his father and said that he has many trainings to be finished.  Eklavya told that his training won’t finish soon indicating the heels of Arjuna which is not in the right position while shooting the arrow.  Guru noted that and accepted it.

       Arjuna was distracted and had argument with Eklavya.  He was proud of his caste and blamed and criticised eklavya and told that a non-aryan cannot be a good arher.  The argument was heavy regarding the case and the mentality of Arjuna was also blamed by Eklavya.  Ekalavya pleases for the willingness of Guru to train him as it is one of the elements in the training.  Arjuna almost like a command told Dronaacharya that he has promised to make Arjuna the world’s best archer.

       The next act takes place in a glade in the forest after six years of the first act.  Arjuna and Dronaacharya walking and having conversation.  Suddenly a wild beast wolf was attacked and killed with arrows and they were amazed of the skill of the archer.  Arjuna was shocked to see another person who is killed than him and they both inquired the person.  It is Ekalavya and he told to them thath the guru has trained him in archery to kill the wolves which attack the deers.  He took them to a place and showed the clay image of Dronaacharya and said that it is his guru. 

       Arjuna blamed Dronaacharya for not keeping his promise and making Eklavya  a good archer.  Eklavya on seeing his guru being blamed by Arjuna told that hereafter he will never touch the bow.  Arjuna was not convinced and said every time when he took his bow he will think another person in there as his competitor in archery. 

       Eklavya was not able to tolerat his guru being criticised and blamed by  Arjuna.  Suddenly Ekalavya moved near the clay image and cut his right thump and placed near the foot of Dronaacharya.  He state that this is the dhakshina he can give to his guru.  Arjuna and Dronaacharya left the place. 

       Eklavya in his soliloquy questions what he has done and apologies the deers for not keeping the purpose of learning the skill of archery.   

      

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