The present anthology entitled Mahesh Dattani: Themes Techniques and Issues is an assortment of scholarly research papers on fresh perspectives and explorations from the texts of Dattani. Mahesh Dattani is a renowned name in the history of contemporary Indian English drama. He observes complicacies of human life with optimism and gives energy to his audiences/readers with expected solution instead of leaving them confused and bewildered.
The book covers Dattani’s Tara, Final Solution, Morning Raga, Seven Steps around the Fire, Thirty Days in September, Do the Needful, The Big Fat City and Brief Candle, and pinpoints the smoldering issues like gender bias, child sexual abuse, incest, communal conflicts, suppression of sexual desires, marginalization of the third sex, humiliation of the homosexuals and lesbians, deterioration at the cost of metropolis lifestyle, and hatred towards music and dance, woven in Dattani’s plays with a bold attempt but without hurting anyone’s faith and culture.
The major themes incorporated in the book are fascination for a male child, the female and the male selves of man, the power of optimism in life, exploitation of children for one’s own sexual pleasure, imposition of heterosexuality, value of dance and music in life, fascination for metropolitan lifestyle, and centrification of the de-centered. The volume has also included papers tracing a variety of techniques such as postmodernist, aside, etc. adding the tremendous texture in the plays of Dattani.
Dr. Bishun Kumar shares his academic pursuits of knowledge and thoughts as Assistant Professor in the Department of English, Babu Banarasi Das University, Lucknow with a Doctoral degree on Mulk Raj Anand from University of Lucknow. Besides editing the present anthology, he has also edited Major Voices in New Literatures in English (in collaboration with Dr. Neha Arora), published from Atlantic Publishers & Distributors (P) Ltd., and Discursive Passages: An Anthology of Diaspora Criticism, Volume I & II (in collaboration with Dr. Ajay K. Chaubey, Asst. Professor, NIT Uttarakhand), published from Yking Books, Jaipur.
Dr. Bishun Kumar is also Assistant Editor of The SPIEL, a Society for the Promotion of Indian English Literature and is a member of many research and academic bodies. He has published many research papers and critical essays in reputed international journals and anthologies.
Dr. Neha Arora shares her knowledge as Assistant Professor in the Department of English, Central University of Rajasthan, Ajmer. She has achieved her Doctoral degree on Dalit Literature from University of Lucknow. Besides editing the present volume, she has also co-edited Major Voices in New Literatures in English, and has published papers on varied themes, ranging from Dalit Literature to African and Indian English Literature in reputed national and international journals. Dr. Neha Arora is also Associate Editor of The Expression: An International Bi-Monthly Multidisciplinary e-Journal and member of Editorial Boards of many academic bodies such as Indian Journal of Comparative Literature and Translation Studies and Alchemist Journal of Humanities.
