Reimagined Mythology in Girish Karnad’s Fire and the Rain and Nagamandala: Challenges, Cultural and Patriarchal Hegemony through Subversive Narratives

Abstract

This paper is premised on the adaptation and retelling of myth in Girish Karnad’s Fire and the Rain and Nagamandala and how the narrative challenges socio-cultural norms. It deals with the scrutiny and derision faced by women under the pretext of divine order or sexual ethics perpetuated by hegemonic masculinity. This study delves into the ideals and societal image of women in Indian society, highlighting the pressures that often compel them to suppress their whole being. Karnad's narrative establishes a structural link between Fire and the Rain and the Mahabharata’s Yavakri Myth. His unique approach to mythology provides a lens through which the intersections of tradition, gender dynamics, and power structures in contemporary India can be examined. This paper also analyses the religious and cultural tension observed throughout the play and the struggle it causes between characters from different communities. The dramatization of the deep-rooted androcentric ideas resonates with the issues in the contemporary world and reinterprets the essence of Indian heritage. The playwright’s use of elements of Indian folk culture and reimagined mythology open up discussions on the evolution of Indian society and the relevance of its traditions in the modern era while challenging cultural and patriarchal hegemony.