www.ijells.com
2278 0742
R. K. Narayan as an Un-Known Playwright A. Phaniraja Kumar & Dr. P. Satyanarayana Introduction R. K. Narayan is one or three leading figures of early Indian Literature in English, along with Mulk Raj Anand and Raja Rao. He is credited with bringing Indian literature in English to the reset of the world and is regarded as one of the India’s greatest English fictionists. He was an author of series of books- Fifteen novels, five collections of short stories, two collections of Prose essays and two travelogues. They are about people and their interactions in an imagined town in India called Malgudi. Narayan rarely wrote plays and one such play is his One-Act Play, Watchman of the Lake. Before studying this one-act play, it is necessary for us to know the basics about one-act play. One-Act Play The One-Act play is to drama what the short story is to novel. Short story is not an abridged novel; similarly one-act play is not an abridged fine act drama. It has its own definition and laws. The one-act play has a single plot; it is either pure comedy or pure tragedy. The action is confined to a single place and the number of characters is limited. Simplicity and brevity characterise one-act play. It aims at simplicity of plot and concentration of action. It treats the problem of everyday life. The language is very simple without any strain. It makes the dialogue more interesting and at the same time it is short and sharp. It deals with any subject under the scene but attempts to produce the maximum of result by concentrating on action. Watchman of the Lake It is one-act play by R.K.Narayan. He presents the theme that Nature is both protective and destructive. It is the story of a shrine which is dedicated to Mara, a Watchman of a Lake, ‘Ayyankera’, four miles from the town of ‘Sakkrepatna’ that was the capital of a king called Rukmangada. It is on the eastern base of Bababudan Hills, in Karnataka state. As a token of his love and dedication for his job, the King ordered a shrine to be built dedicated to Mara. Ayyankera preserves the waters of the stream ‘Veda’. The tank was built on the command of Goddesses of the river who happened to come to Mara’s dream, so that the stream did not flow to faraway places out of the kingdom. Narayan has created an immortal character Mara. He tells about Mara’s sacrifice to save the lake. The man who is selfless and very noble, his great sacrifice raises him to the level of God. The play has Five Scenes and a few characters- a) Village Headman b) The King, c) Mara, The Watchman of the Lake, d) Ganga, Mara’s son, e) Son, Ganga’s son (Mara’s grandson), f) Bhīma, a road worker and others. Structure of the Play The First Scene is laid in a village at the foot of a hill. There were workers who were engaged in repairing the road because the king was to pass on that road on the next day. The village headman was supervising the work done by the labour class. Some workers were idle and he was blaming them, ordering them not to gossip with their neighbours. The road must be ready before the King arrived there. The workers worked faster but one timid worker complained about Mara Volume 3 Issue 2
July 2014
Page | 115