Character Sketch of Padmini : ( Hayavadhana)

•  Character Sketch of Padmini : ( Hayavadhana)

·       Introduction:- 

                              “Hayavadana” is a play written by Girish Karnard. It was written in 1971 and was awarded Natya Sangh Award in 1972. The play is written in two acts, which can be divided as Prologue and Epilogue.

 

“Hayavadana” is the story of a woman Padmini who marries a great scholar poet, Devdatta A close and intimate friend of Devdatta is the strong and muscular bodied Kapila. He suspects that he loves his wife Padmini. The play is made further interesting with the introduction of a body with horse’s head.

 

·       About Author:-

                     

                               Girish Karnard born on 19 May 1938 and died on 10 June 2019 was an Indian actor, film director, Kannada writer, playwright and a Rhodes Scholar, who predominantly worked in South Indian Cinema and Bollywood. Irish Karnard was born in Matheran, in present day Maharashtra, 1938. He belonged from a poor family. Girish Karnard’s initial schooling was in Marathi. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics and Statistics from Karnataka Arts College, in 1958. He served as Director of the Film and Television Institute of India in 1974 till 1975 and Chairman of the Sangeet Natak Academi, The National Academy of the performing arts (1988-93).  Girish Karnard won Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan by the Government of India and won from Flimfare Awards, of which three are Flimfare Award for Best Director Kannada and the fourth a FLimfare Best Screenplay Awards.

 

·       Works:-

 

§  Hayavadana (1972)

 

§  Tughlaq (1964)

 

§  Yayati (1961)

 

§  Wedding Album (2009)

 

 

·       Character Sketch of Padmini:-

 

1.   Daughter Of Leading Merchant:-

                                                 Padmini is the Central Character of the play around whom the whole play revolves. Padmini is portrayed as a beautiful woman and is described as a – Yakshi, Shakuntala, Urvashi, Indumati – all rolled in one. Padmini is the daughter of the leading and rich merchant in Dharampura. In her house, the Goddess of Wealth lives and In Devdatta’s house the goddess of learning is the maid.

 

2.   Married with Devdatta:-                      

                                      The families are brought together by marriage and Padmini becomes the wife of Devdatta and he does not forget his debt to Kapila. Padmini is now pregnant and they decide to go to trip. Also Devdatta does not like Kapila visiting and staying in their house when he is away. When Devdatta shows his concern, she agrees to postpone the trip. But then Kapila comes and learn about the cancellation he becomes sad. The Padmini insists on the trip. And they went.

 

 When on the way, Kapila brings to her flowers from Fortunate Lady’s flower tree; she admires his strength, ability and courage and feels that no woman can resist his strong, muscular body. They reach on the bank of the river Bhargavi, when Padmini and Kapila go to the temple of Rudra. Devdatta remains with the cart. Then he goes to the temple of Kali and remembering his, he cuts his head with the sword and offers it to kali. Kapila and Padmini returns to cart and cannot find Devdatta. Kapila goes to the temple of Kali, where he find Devdatta’s severed head and becomes so sad that he also cut his head.

3.   Padmini wants Devdatta’s clever head and Kapila’s strong body:-

                                                Padmini also comes to the temple of Kali and seeing both of them dead, she decided to kill herself. When she puts the sword to her breast, she hears Kali’s order to put down the sword and ask her for a vardan. Padmini asks to revive the two. Kali asks her to put each head on its body, press the sword on the neck and then, they would be alive again. Accordingly, Padmini puts the heads together on the respective bodies. But due to excitement and because of dim light, she puts Devdatta’s head on Kapila’s body and Kapila’s head on Devdatta’s body. She then presses the sword on their necks and shuts her eyes. The goddess vanishes; the dead bodies sit up slowly and become alive.

But now the real problem is who should own Padmini?

As per Bhagvata’s information the tree go to a great Rishi in search of their solution.  The rishi answers, “A the heavenly Kalpa Vriksha is supreme among trees, so is the head among human limbs. Therefore, the man with Devdatta’s head is indeed Devdatta and he is the rightful husband of Padmini.”

After that Kapila’s head with Devdatta’s body becomes broken hearted and goes into the forest never to come back to city again. And now Devdatta’s head and Kapila’s body and Padmini come back to Dharampura. Padmini in due time gives birth to a son. Devdatta’s brings a pair of dolls for his son. Without regular exercise, Devdatta’s head – Kapila’s body becomes soft, like Devdatta’s former body. The child tears the dolls, and Padmini asks her husband to bring a pair of new dolls. He goes to the Ujjain fair for it.

Now Padmini takes her child for a picnic and losing her way comes to the forest. There she meets Kapila with Devdatta’s body and becomes very unhappy, Kapila is also very unhappy and complains, “Why should one tolerate the mad dance of incompleteness?”

 

4.   Padmini becomes Sati:-

                                                    At that time Devdatta with Kapila’s body comes with a sword in his hand. Devdatta admits to Kapila that solution to live like Pandavas and Draupadi, but Kapila disagrees and Devdatta says that is why he has brought a sword, saying: “What can’t end must be cut.”  They kill each other. Padmini blaming herself for the death of two friends, requests Bhagwati to take care of the child, who is sleeping in the hut, to give the child to hunters and tell them that he is Kapila’s son. Then she asks Bhagwati to put the child when in care of Vidyasagar and tell him that the child is Devdatta’s Son. She ends her life by sitting in the pyre and becoming Sati.

·       Conclusion:-

                     The problem ends with selection of proper husband. Padmini is a selfish woman as she wanted to enjoy the best of both the worlds. She wanted to enjoy the best of both the worlds. She wanted the intellectual head of Devdatta, the poet, and the strong body of Kapila, the master wrestler. She intermixed the head of Devdatta to the body of Kapila and lived with Devdatta. Her attempt to unite the head and body failed. Thus, the fate of the transported head comes to a tragic end.