Ritwik Ghatak’s Jwalanta (Ablaze): A Post-Partition Drama of Violence, Lawlessness and Identity Crisis
| Author |
| Tilok Naskar |
| Date of Publication: June, 2026 |
| Volume: XXIII |
| DOI:10.65734/tgi.ssei.avp.ijcsss.ti.23.6 |
| Abstract |
| Ritwik Ghatak is best known as an individual committed to the art of cinema, as a film-maker, director and scriptwriter of extraordinary talent and rare genius. Much less known however is his contribution to the world of theatre, as an actor, playwright and dramaturge. What is distinctive about Ghatak’s plays is then emphasis on social issues. The two historical events which affected him most deeply and contributed most significantly to his worldview was the partition of India and the forced displacement of millions of Bengalis from their homes in the erstwhile East Pakistan which later became Bangladesh. Displacement and the trauma of upheaval and alienation were feelings and concerns which he confronted squarely. And coupled with this was his disillusionment with post-Independence governments which he saw as having failed to provide for the most basic needs of people. As a socially committed thinker and as an acute observer of society, Ghatak depicted in his plays the lives and the actions of common people, most often middle-class educated Bengalis who had been affected by sociopolitical forces beyond their control. An attempt will be made here at anexamination of one of Ghatak’s later dramatic compositions, the play called Jwalanta (Ablaze in English translation) which was first performed in the famous Academy of Fine Arts hall in Kolkata on 24th August 1975. It is well to remember that Jwalanta is a call to action, for while Ghatak wrote this play in the 1970s, the issues it raises remain relevant even today as the rape and murder of women are everyday occurrences in our nation. |
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