G. Kalyana Rao: The origins of Telugu drama that one does not wish to see

Abstract

G. Kalyana Rao, a novelist, short story writer, essayist and playwright is an active member of Virasam, the Revolutionary Writers Association and combines the Dalit and revolutionary perspectives in his writings. The essay in this chapter titled “The Origins of Telugu Drama That One Does Not Wish to See” attempts to establish the contribution of Dalits to the growth of drama as a genre in Telugu. Most of the common people’s art forms are performative and narrative in nature, be it caste puranas or origin stories. In the case of marginalised communities, such performances help them construct a counter public sphere since they are not allowed to be part of the public. These art forms based on the subversions of the classical stories are fluid to the maximum extent as they keep on changing and adding their experiences based on the contemporary developments. Kalyana Rao refers to the classical Sanskrit drama, classical Telugu and modern Telugu drama, and the western literary contexts in order to problematise his argument. He refers to Arthur Miller’s classification of writers to say that there is a third category of writers in India that Arthur Miller does not know of. It is the one who writes from the outskirts of society, and it is the one who is an heir to the weaving culture like the writer himself. Between the ancient and the modern, there is people’s art and people’s art forms that belong to the marginalised. The chapter focuses on this unrecognised and undiscussed treasure of art forms.