Dattani's Depicting the Morals and Problems of Urban Middle Class:
Mahesh Dattani has so far written, besides Tara four plays - Where There's a Will, Dance Like a Man, Bravely Fought the Queen, Final Solutions. On a Muggy Night in Bombay is his latest play after Tara. Dattani is a living play - wright and so he will write and direct more plays in time to come. His plays depict the morals and problems of urban middle class. His plays describe the tensions and power play amongst various characters in a middle class family. Tara has for its themes gender identity, revelation of past, disability and its impact, patriarchy, decision making in a family, pressures of past values, sexual world and the development of youth in the defective and oppressive environment which does not allow free and natural development of an individual.
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| Dominant Themes in the Play Tara by Mahesh Dattani |
Gender Identity - Major Theme:
Gender identity - major theme Gender identity is Dattani's major theme in Dance Like a Man and Bravely Fought the Queen and Tara is, in fact, his final word on gender issue. Gender discrimination between a male and female is most visible and common issue in India, but it is linked with other themes in the play. It is linked with other prejudices of class, patriarchy and power, harmony and science as well as disability and how society accepts it. Dattani feels that in our society due to patriarchal system, normal healthy relations amongst people are not possible. So in the end only spirits of Dan and Tara unite and Dan's apology is, Forgive me Tara. Forgive me for making it my tragedy.
The patriarchy takes the primary theme:
More than the gender prejudice the patriarchy takes the primary theme. It determines the real power - play in the family or the society at large. Both Chandan and Tara are born Siamese twins. Dr. Thakkar separates the two infants and as an expert knows that the third leg with Tara's blood could survive with Tara and so Tara could lead a normal life. But Chandan; the male child could survive with only with natural disability. It is not necessary for the doctor, as a specialist to seek the advice of Bharati or her politically powerful father to perform the operation. But he is bribed by Bharati and her influential father to give the leg to the male - child. The gender prejudice forces a doctor to perform an unethical operation to give the leg to the male child. The result is disastrous for all in the family. Both the children grow up as invalids, and cause concern to the parents and society. The relation between Bharati and Patel suffer. The guilty conscience makes Bharati abnormal and she tries to cover her guilt by her over - zealousness for Tara's well-being. Roopa represents the social angle.
Patel - a victim of patriarchal system:
The revelation in the end again brings out the role of patriarchy in the system. Patel knew that Bharati and her father are making a wrong unnatural decision on gender prejudice. Dr. Thakkar is making an unethical and un scientific operation to give the leg to the male - child, but he is too weak, to protest or suggest to the doctor to follow the right course. He is also a victim to patriarchal system. Even in life he shows no regrets for the wrong, though Bharati suffers abnormality due to guilty conscience. Tara alone in the play is a rebel. She suffers and protests. Audience sympathise with her tragedy. Chandan escapes to a far off place and fights his battle in withdrawal. Only - their spirits bring to - gather the two children in love as they were once in their mother's womb. Society, culture, class and power play in a family in patriarchal system make free instinctive union of two souls - male and female -artificial. So the play is a tragedy of common people in urban middle class.