GOVERNMENT VIDARBHA INSTITUTE OF

SCIENCE AND HUMANITIES, AMRAVATI

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH

Critical study of women characters

in the plays of Vijay Tendulkar
( SILENCE ! THE COURT IS IN SESSION AND KAMALA )

SUBMITTED BY
MS. CHAITALI CHHOTELAL YADAV
( MA PART 2 SEMESTER 4 )

FOR THE ACADEMIC YEAR

2023-2024

GUIDED BY
Dr. Pradnyashailee Sawai

CRITICAL STUDY OF WOMEN

CHARACTERS IN THE PLAYS OF
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 VIJAY TENDULKAR
INTRODUCTION:
Vijay Tendulkar (1928-2008), India’s prolific playwright, wrote over seventy works which include 32 full-length
plays, seven one-act and six children plays. Nobel Laureate V.S. Naipaul described him as India’s best
playwright. Tendulkar’s plays, though originally written in the author’s native Marathi, have been translated
and performed in English.
The philosophy behind Tendulkar’s writing is based upon his perception of society and its values — his life
experiences, and observing what he had seen in others around him:

“I did not attempt to simplify matters and issues for the audience, though it would have been easier to do so
through such a medium. Sometimes my plays jolted the society and I was punished…I was adamant as it is an

old habit with me to do what I am asked not to. ”

 On characterization in his plays, in his Sri Ram Memorial Lecture, The Play is the Thing, he states,

“My characters are not card-board characters; they do not speak my language; rather I do not speak my
language through them; they are not my mouth-pieces; but each of them has his or her own separate existence
and expression. This is felt more in the original versions of my plays because of the nuances and variations in

speech I attribute to my characters. ” 

Essentially, Vijay Tendulkar’s multi-faceted work deals with social and moral questions in a male-dominated
Indian society. The basic urge to write for him has been to express his concerns vis. a vis. the social reality
surrounding him. Silence! The court is in Session (1968), Sakharam Binder (1972), Ghasiram
Kotwal (1972), Baby (1975), Kamala (1982), Kanyadaan (1983), Safar / The Cyclist (1999), and His Fifth
Woman (2005) are some of his significant plays. 
Women characters have a central role in these writings, the lives of the characters determined by their location
in a particular social space, mainly the lower strata of society and urban middle class. You see these characters
as a housewife, a teacher, a mistress, a daughter, a film extra, a bonded slave, a kept woman, a servant etc. It is
not just their social place but the broad spectrum of emotions which they bring to these characters – “from the
unbelievably gullible to the clever, from the malleable to the stubborn, from the conservative to the rebellious,
from the self-sacrificing to the grasping”

HYPOTHESIS:
The women characters in Vijay Tendulkar's plays are portrayed as marginalized, oppressed,
and subjugated, reflecting the patriarchal society of India.

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  Vijay Tendulkar's plays are known for their exploration of social issues in India, particularly those related
to gender and class. Through his female characters, Tendulkar highlights the struggles and challenges
faced by women in a patriarchal society.
 His female characters are often depicted as victims of oppression and marginalization, subjected to
violence and discrimination.
 The hypothesis assumes that Tendulkar's portrayal of women characters in his plays reflects the reality
of Indian society, where women are often treated as second-class citizens and denied equal rights and
opportunities.
 The hypothesis further suggests that Tendulkar's plays are a critique of the patriarchal system and a call
for social change, advocating for gender equality and empowerment of women.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY:

Aim:
The aim of this research is to analyse the portrayal of women characters in Vijay Tendulkar's plays and how
they challenge traditional gender norms and highlight the societal issues faced by women in India.
Objectives:

 To examine the representation of female characters in Vijay Tendulkar's plays and identify the ways in
which they challenge traditional gender roles and norms.
 To explore the societal issues faced by women in India, such as domestic violence, sexual harassment,
and discrimination in the workplace, as portrayed in Tendulkar's plays.
 To analyse the impact of Tendulkar's female characters on Indian society and their contribution to
feminist discourse.
 To compare and contrast the portrayal of female characters in Tendulkar's plays with those in other
Indian plays and literature.
 To provide recommendations for future research on gender issues in Indian theatre and literature.

REVIEW OF LITERATURE:

 Silence! the Court is in Session, the lively school teacher Leela Benare who loves to recite fanciful
poetry and participate in community theatre, realises that staging of the play-rehearsal as a mock-trial is
in fact aimed at humiliating her. The trial accuses Benare of an illicit relationship she has had with a
colleague Professor Damle and the illegitimate child she is carrying.  Benare’s reaction is immediate. She
recoils into herself wanting to shelter her privacy (and right as an individual). Responding to the court’s
charade, there is a stern silence on her part. In one crucial scene towards the end, Benare is unable to
restrain herself from expressing her innermost thought.
 Kamala, Sarita’s self- esteem is threatened when the illiterate bonded-girl that her journalist husband
has bought in an auction asks Sarita if she too is a slave in the household, and how much did her owner
pay for her? This innocent query triggers in Sarita’s mind a series of questions requiring her to look at

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 her marriage in a new light. The way her husband Jaisingh takes her for granted is not much different
from the bonded slave Kamala.

RESEARCH GAP:
While there has been significant research on Vijay Tendulkar's plays, particularly on his portrayal of women
characters, there are still several gaps in the existing research. Some of the research gaps related to the
hypothesis that women characters in Vijay Tendulkar's plays challenge traditional gender norms and highlight
the societal issues faced by women in India are:

 Limited focus on specific plays: Most of the existing research on Tendulkar's plays has focused on a few
select plays, such as Sakharam Binder or Silence! The Court is in Session. There is a need for more
extensive research that includes a broader range of Tendulkar's plays, particularly those that feature
women characters.
 Lack of intersectional analysis: The existing research has primarily focused on gender issues and has not
adequately explored the intersection of gender with other social categories such as class, caste, and
religion. There is a need for research that examines how the portrayal of women characters in
Tendulkar's plays reflects the intersectionality of these social categories.
 Lack of comparative analysis: While there have been some comparative analyses of Tendulkar's plays
with those of other Indian playwrights, there is a need for more extensive comparative analysis to
understand the distinctiveness of Tendulkar's portrayal of women characters in Indian theatre.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY:

The following are some of the potential contributions of this study:

 Understanding the portrayal of women characters in Indian theatre: The study will provide insight into
how women characters are portrayed in Indian theater and their contribution to feminist discourse. This
will help in understanding the representation of women in Indian culture and society.
 Challenging traditional gender norms: By highlighting the ways in which women characters in
Tendulkar's plays challenge traditional gender norms, the study will contribute to the ongoing discourse
on gender issues and the need to challenge patriarchal structures in Indian society.
 Raising awareness about the challenges faced by women in India: The study will bring attention to the
societal issues faced by women in India, such as domestic violence, sexual harassment, and
discrimination in the workplace. This will help in raising awareness about these issues and promoting
social change.
 Providing recommendations for future research: The study will provide recommendations for future
research on gender issues in Indian theater and literature, contributing to the ongoing discourse on
gender and feminism in India.
 Enhancing global understanding: The study will contribute to the global understanding of gender issues
and the representation of women in theater and literature. This will help in promoting a more nuanced
and informed perspective on gender issues, particularly in the context of India.

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 TENTATIVE PLAN FOR THE RESEARCH:

1) CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
2) CHAPTER 2: CRITICAL STUDY OF THE PLAY “SILENCE! THE COURT IS IN SESSION”
3) CHAPTER 3: CRITICAL STUDY OF THE PLAY “KAMALA”
4) CHAPTER 4: CONCLUSION

REFERENCES:
 Silence! The court is in session- Vijay Tendulkar (1967) Translated (Marathi to English)
 Kamala- Vijay Tendulkar
 Menon, N. (2012). Vijay Tendulkar: Writing against patriarchal norms. Indian Literature, 56(4), 159-166.
 Patil, V. V. (2014). Vijay Tendulkar's portrayal of women: A feminist reading. Language in India, 14(11),
91-99.
 Singh, S. (2019). Women in Vijay Tendulkar's plays. International Journal of Humanities and Social
Science Research, 7(2), 1-8.