• ISBN13: 9780198065494
• Binding: Hardcover
• Subject: English Literature
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publisher Imprint: Oxford UP
• Publication Date: November 21, 2009
• Pages: 172
• Original Price: INR 450.0
• Language: English
• Edition: N/A
• Item Weight: 377 grams
• BISAC Subject(s): Asian / General

Badal Sircar has written, acted in, directed, and produced some of the most influential and progressive plays of post-Independence India. The pioneer of an alternative people’s theatre movement in India––the ‘Third Theatre’––Sircar continues to work outside the conventional stage. This volume includes two of Sircar’s most important works: Indian History Made Easy (‘Sukhapathya Bharater Itihas’, first produced in 1976) and Life of Bagala (‘Bagalacharitmanas’, first produced in 1998). Indian History Made Easy is significant in forging a unique relationship between form and content. Using the form of classroom teaching––with teachers instructing students––the playwright covers more than three hundred years of British rule without developing a ‘story’. Life of Bagala revolves around Bagala, and how, through supernatural intervention, he finds himself and ultimately takes a stand against injustice. Once he has gained courage, Bagala decides to throw away magic and act all by himself. The play reminds us that no change can be brought about by magic; it is only through human will and action that something worthwhile can be achieved. The comprehensive Introduction by Subhendu Sarkar discusses the playwright’s major works, draws attention to the significance of the two plays, and emphasizes on Sircar’s contribution to theatre in India. An exclusive interview with Badal Sircar, production history of his plays, and a special photo section are valuable inclusions.

Badal Sircar is a renowned Bengali dramatist and trailblazer of contemporary Indian theatre. His first play, Evam Indrajit, published and premiered in 1965, attracted wide attention for its striking originality. Author of more than 50 plays, Sircar is widely known for having evolved his own brand of theatre-Third Theatre-characterized by flexibility, portability, and lost cost of production. Subhendu Sarkar is Senior Lecturer in English at Ranaghat College, West Bengal.