Tughlaq A Play In Thirteen Scenes by Girish Karnad
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I am not surprised that Tughlaq is one of the best loved plays of Girish Karnad . Despite being a translation, it's well written and captures the details of politics and diplomacy with an ease no other author could have managed. Karnad shows the evolution of Tughlaq from an idealist to a tyrant lusty for power and fame, something anyone, any Indian for that matter can relate to easily especially people who are familiar with the Nehruvian Era of Indian politics.

Though according to most people, Tughlaq essentially is an allegory for Jawaharlal Nehru's tenure as the Prime Minister, I personally feel, the play can be easily associated with Indira Gandhi whose idealism and eventual tyranny was in no way different from Muhammad Tughlaq's. The character of Aziz can be, more or less, associated with Jarnail Bhindranwale, who just like in the case of Indira Gandhi, was a result of Tughlaq's own ambitious schemes to retain power.

Reading Tughlaq was both enjoyable and enlightening for me as I could chalk out many similarities that the play resembles to the modern Indian politic scenario as well. The language was fluid, simple and yet powerful but something about it does not make it a very fast-paced and engrossing read at least upto the first thirty pages. Nevertheless, Tughlaq is one play which is sure to leave an imprint upon the Indian English Literature.

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