Communal Tension and Gender Bias in Mahesh Dattani's Finally Solution

COMMUNAL TENSION AND GENDER BIAS IN MAHESH DATTANI’S PLAY FINAL
SOLUTIONS
SUCHISMITA BHATTACHARYA
Ph.D Research Scholar
Department of English
VISTAS (Vels University)
Chennai,Tamil Nadu.
koel4u2009@gmail.com
DR P. SURESH
Research Supervisor & Associate Professor
Department of English
VISTAS (Vels University)
Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
drsureshponnurangam@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
India is the country of varied heritage and culture. It is one such country where all the religions are
followed and respected as well. The great saints of India have already preached the people that God
is one and the same. The paths of all the religions, lead us to the same destination, the God. Though
God is worshipped and addressed differently in all the religions, mankind must realize and
understand that the Supreme Being is one and the same. In India people especially the Muslims and
the Hindus fight with each other and in the result, communal tension takes place. The reason of the
fight is trivial and flimsy most of the times. India is known as a secular nation and such type of
communal tension and communal riots that often take place, spoils the peace of the minds and lives
of people. Final Solutions is one such play, where the playwright Mahesh Dattani, has portrayed the
picture of India during the communal riots. The play speaks about the sufferings of both the Hindus
and the Muslims. The play also talks about male dominance in the life of a woman in the Indian
family.
KEY WORDS: Communal Tension, Communal Riot, God, Hindus,Muslims, Male Dominance, Gender Bias, Sufferings
of Women.
INTRODUCTION
Communal tension and communal harmonyare such terms which are familiar to everyone in
India.Communal harmony is seen sometimes in many things between a Hindu and a Muslim but
sometimes it shows its absence. Mahesh Dattani, has mentioned about both communal tension and
harmony beautifully in his play Final Solutions. The plays of Dattaniemerged as the fresh arrival in
the field of Indian Drama in English at the end of the twentieth century and they have won the hearts
of the people not only in India but throughout the world. The plays of Dattani deal with the
contemporary issues of the Indian Society and they are wriiten in such a manner that they can be
staged anywhere in the world as they have a universal appeal.
Mahesh Dattani won the SahityaAkademiaward for his play Final Solutions in the year 1998. This
particular play is considered as the magnum opus of Dattani out of all the other plays.Dattani has
mainly shown certain things in the play which can be considered as the themes of the play and they
are selfishness, weakness of a human, patriarchal dominance, fear and hatred. The playwright in the
play talks about the problems of both the minority and the majority communities, where the minority
is the Muslims and the majority is the Hindus. The play is not confined only to the problems of
minority and majority, but it also talks about patriarchal hegemony in an Indian family. Dattani
deserves appreciation for his immense courage because the particular play was written after the
demolition of the Babri Masjid.
International Journal of Pure and Applied Mathematics
Volume 119 No. 16 2018, 2447-2455
ISSN: 1314-3395 (on-line version)
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The play talks about the sufferings of both the Hindus and the Muslims. The Hindus had to suffer in
the hands of the Muslims and the Muslims had to suffer in the hands of the Hindus. Hardika or
Daksha (both the names are of the same person) symbolizes the majority whereas Javed symbolizes
the minority. The mob mentioned in the play symbolizes the hatred of each and every individual.
The play at one side speaks about the communal tension and on the other side it speaks about
friendly relations as well.
The plot of the play moves from the past to the present and vice versa. The story revolves around the
lives of people in a Gujarati family, where the characters speak about three generations. Hardika the
grandmother who is known as Daksha as well (in the past), Ramnik, son of Hardika and Smita,
grand-daughter of Hardika. Memory plays a vital role in the play as Hardika is often seen
recollecting her past memories. In the play the mob or the chorussymbolizes the communal hatred of
the minority and the majority.
COMMUNAL TENSION IN THE PLAY
Communal riot is such a war which is actually not fought between two different nations, rather it
takes place between two different religious groups. Dattani focuses mainly on the communal
disharmony between the Hindus and the Muslims. The play talks about the condition of India during
the post partition riots.
The play is about a Gujrati family where the head of the family is Hardika, who has a strong hatred
for the Muslims because her father was killedby the minority people. She protests against her son
when he gives refuge to two Muslim boys Javed and Bobby in her house.
Hardika: How could he let these people into my house?
Hardika: They killed his grandfather! (Collected Plays, 179)
The above quote shows the hatred of Hardika which she had in her heart for the Muslims. She says
those things to her son Ramnik when he allows the Muslim boys Javed and Bobby to stay in their
house.
The story of the play moves between the past and the present and vice versa. Hardika symbolizes the
present whereas Daksha, (another name of Hardika) symbolizes the past. Ramnik, son of Hardika, is
a very liberal minded person and he doesn’t support the hatred of his mother towards the Muslims
because he knew the truth which his mother was unaware of. Hardika had the hatred for the Muslims
because they killed her father but she did not know that her husband and father in law ruined the life
of Zarine who was her friend when she was young. Hardika’s father in law and husband had set the
shop of Zarine’s father on fire and Ramnik knew this truth but he did not reveal this to his mother
because he did not want his mother to suffer more. He just tried to atone the sins committed by his
father and grandfather and hence proves himself to be a true secularist.Ramnik even thinks of giving
a job to Javed so that he can earn his livelihood and in this way he can get rid of the guilt.
And we burnt it. Your husband. My father. And his father. They had burnt it in the name of communal hatred.
Because we wanted a shop. Also they learnt that . . . those people were planning to start a mill like our own. I
can’t take it any longer. I don’t think I will be able to step into that shop again . . . When those boys came here,
I thought I would . . . I hoped I would be able to. . . set things right. I-I wanted to tell them that they are not the
only ones who have destroyed. I just couldn’t. I don’t think I have the face to tell anyone. (Collected Plays, 226)
Final Solutions can be considered as a problem play as it speaks about the communal tension and
communal riot. Dr. Deepti Agrawal, talks about the Hindu Muslim communal riot in her book and
she also discusses about Final Solutions in one of the chapters. She says that,
International Journal of Pure and Applied Mathematics Special Issue
2448

The very insightful and sharp analysis of the nationalist conceptualization of India’s Islamic legacy is taken up
by Dattani in his well performed play Final Solutions. In this play, Dattani bemoaned the takeover of the
symbols of his religion, by proponents of Hindutva. (The Plays of Mahesh Dattani, A Study InThemtaic
Diversity And Dramatic Technique,237)
Dr. Deepti also says that the play has presented different shades of the communalist attitude which
were/are prevalent among the Hindus and the Muslims in the attempt to underline the stereotypes
and the cliches that influence the collective sensibility of one community against another. The writer
discusses about the plot of the play as well where she says it(the play) is about aa simple Hindu
family who are suddenly faced with lots of questions when two Muslim miscreants seek refuge in
their house during the communal riots.
Dr.Beena Agarwal dicusses about the play in her book. She says that,
Dattani represents two communities through the change of masks. This device of changing the mask is quite
significant. Behind the mask each member of the chorus is a human being and here lies the roots of dramatic
tension in the play Final Solution. The mob frenzy of Muslims, is vitalized in the second appearance of
mob/chorus. Sacrificing their humanity and religious faiths, they make a mockery of Gods and Goddesses.
(Mahesh Dattani’s Plays, A New Horizon in Indian Theatre, 47)
Dr.Beena expresses her thoughts about the plays in her book and she says that in the play, anger is
not an expression of aggression but a method of self defense. She says with reference to Final
Solutions that Javed, the Muslim boy offers his services to Aruna and tries to help her by filling the
bucket of water but it was of no avail.
Aruna, wife of Ramnik, is a typical Indian house wife and a Godfearing woman as well. She tries to
maintain balance with her modesty when the two Muslim boys take refuge in the house. She did
have sympathy for the boys but at one point of time, it becomes difficult for her to compromise with
them. Javed tries to help her out in her work but she says,
We don’t allow anyone to fill our drinking water. No outsiders. (Collected Plays, 209)
Dr.Bipinkumar Parmar talks about the play in one of the chapters in his book and he says that,
The play is bifurcated into three acts for the presentation of the events in a systematic way. Structurally, they
can be considered as the exposition, climax, and denouement or solution. The first act introduces the situation
and people involved in it showing communal riots as the background of the play. There is a gradual
development of action leading to the climax in second act. The third act is very important from structurally and
philosophically. The dramatist presents cross examination Javed and Bobby for arriving at final solution of the
communal hatred. (Dramatic World of Mahesh Dattani, Voices and Visions, 87-88)
Dr Pramod Kumar Singh discusses the play Final Solutions in the second chapter of his book. He
says that the particular play is the true representative play of the observations of Dattani and the
observations deal with the burning issue of communal riot. Dr Singh says that Dattani shows in the
play how the seed of riot is sowed and some vested groups reap its fruit.
Dr Singh also says that,
Mahesh Dattani is the true observer of society and he writes only what he sees and not what should be. All his
plays are filled with matter and manner which he observes. Each and every play of Dattani raises some
prominent issues concerning the various maladies contaminating the healthy tissues of the society and in doing
so he is never seen didactic in his attitude. (Social Maladies in the Works of Mahesh Dattani, A Critical
Assessment, 59)
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Dr. Singh dicusses further and says that Dattani is a different kind of writer who shows the reality of
the society directly through his play. He says that the older generation in the play had borne the
burnt of communal violence and they are not ready to accept any solution but the younger generation
in the play they have a different perspective. They think the same issue in a different way and they
kind of want a solution for all this.
Dr. Singh also says that the basic reason of communal riot is not always because of religion but
sometimes the reason is socio-economic as well which prevails in tha matter. He says there are some
vested groups who always search opportunities and utilise it fo their own interest as Ramnik’s father
does in the play. Dr Singh says that the class struggle is also one of the causes of such type of
violence which is misinterpreted most of the time by the groups.
HARDIKA
Hardika is the mother of Ramnik. She is also known as Daksha in the play when the play revolves
around the past. Daksha writes down everything in her diary because diary is her best friend. Right
from her first day at her in laws house to making a new Muslim friend namely Zarine, she writes
down everything in her diary. The diary symbolizes the past and the present. Daksha as a young girl
in the past writes down everything on the pages of her diary and Hardika in the present, teaches
things to her family about the past, from her diary.
Hardika, known as Daksha at her young age, had a Muslim friend whose name was Zarine. Zarine’s
house was the only place for Daksha where she could found some solace and freedom. Daksha was
fond of the Noor Jehan songs and she could hear the songs only at Zarine’s place. Zarine and
Daksha were good friends, but their friendship was not meant to be last forever. Daksha’s father was
killed by the Muslims in a riot and from then onwards Daksha started to hate the minority people.
Infact she lost all her faith from her Lord Krishna as well.Hardika or Daksha is a such a character
who symbolizes the majority or the Hindus and their sufferings as well.
JAVED
Javed is a Muslim boy in the play. He is a young baffled boy who becomes a victim and a terrorist.
The politicians exploit him in the name of Jehad, the Holy War. Javed takes training for the terrorist
activities. He goes rather he is sent to a street where the Hindus live. The street is also known as
Mohalla. The Rath Yatra procession comes on to the street and there comes many people who join in
the procession.
Javed feels happy as he comes there to work for the holy war. He throws a stone at first to the
procession to create a chaos. He had the responsibilty of murdering the pujari or the priest of the
Ratha Yatra. Javed moves towards the pujari with a knife in his hand, he gets mingled in the crowd.
Though Javed has the responsibility to kill the pujari, he fails to do so. The knife fails down from his
hand and he feels nauseous and thinks in his mind that what is he doing in the procession. This state
of mind of Javed clearly shows that, though he is a terrorist, he has heart of a human being as well.
Moreover he doesn’t have the courage to kill a person who is innocent. Javed is not the actual
murderer of the pujari, infact the knife fails down from his hand and he clearly beholds that someone
else takes up the knife from the ground and kills the pujari. He becomes the victim of his fate. The
charge of the murder comes on him though he did not murder.
I moved to the chariot, pushing people away. And I saw him. I saw the pujari ringing a bell. There was chaos all
around. I saw the poojari’s frightened face as he turned away. And . . . I was in a carnival again on that giant
wheel, screaming with pleasure. And I came crashing down, down. I wanted to get off but I couldn’t! The
poojari backed away, his last words were his god’s name. He looked up at the knife in my hand as I lifted it
2450

above the heads around me. He begged for me mercy but I couldn’t hear him at all! There were screams all
around and I was screaming too, but no longer with joy as fear came faster and faster confusing me! I got
nauseous and I cried, ‘why am I here? What am I doing here?’ Get me off… The knife fell down to the ground,
the joyride was over.
I couldn’t hear noises anymore. I watched men, fighting, distorted faces not making a sound. And I watched
someone pick up the knife and pierce the poojari . I watched while people removed a part of the chariot as
planned. The poojarifell to the ground. The carnival continued. (CP, 207-208)
Javed talks about the police department who never arrest the main culprits when it is necessary to do
so. He says that police always harass the innocent and common people and that is the reason the
victims lose their faith from them. Mahesh Dattani through the character Javed, bringsforth the true
nature of the police department who show negligence to the work.
Arrest me? When they have been looking the other way all along. How do you think we got into the street? In
their vans. They will arrest me. Don’t worry. To please people like you. And a few innocent Muslims to please
everyone. (CP,204)
SMITA
Smita is a girl who believes in liberal ideology. She does help her mom in her pooja work because
she loves her mom but she doesn’t personally support all the things from heart. Rather at one point
of time she gets tired of her mother’s prejudices and conveys her feelings to her mother.
Please, mummy, don’t try so hard! You are breaking me. Ever since I was small, you have been at me to go to
the temple, make garlands, listen to you reading from the Gita. I love you, mummy, that’s why I did that. I
listened to u and I obeyed you. I tolerated your prejudices only because you are my mother. Maybe I should
have told you earlier, but I’m telling you now, I can’t bear it! Please don’t burden me anymore! I can’t take it!
(CP, 213)
BOBBY
Bobby whose original name is Babban, is a friend of Javed. Though he is also a Muslim like Javed,
he doesn’t want to show that off to the world and that is the reason he changes his name from
Babban to Bobby when he goes to college. Unlike Javed , Bobby has a control over his temper and
he doesn’t react angrily in all the situations. He is the one who saves Javed from the Ratha Yatra
procession and takes refuge in the house of Ramnik Gandhi.
Bobby is the one who makes Aruna, wife of Ramnik, to understand that God doesn’t differentiate
between people. To Him all are equal. This is evident from the following quote,
See, Javed! He doesn’t humiliate you. He doesn’t cringe from my touch. He welcomes the warmth of my hand.
He feels me. And he welcomes it! I told Him who is sacred to them, but I do not commit sacrilege. (To Aruna)
You can bathe Him day and night, you can splash holy waters on Him but you cannot remove my touch from
His form. You cannot remove my smell with sandal paste and attars and fragrant flowers because it belongs to a
human being who believes, and tolerates, and respects what other human beings believe. This is the strongest
fragrance in the world! (CP, 224-225)
Bobby also believes in believing one another. He feels and says that if people believe in one another,
then nothing can be destroyed.
RAMNIK
Ramnik Gandhi, son of Hardika, is a very liberal minded man and he doesn’t support the communal
hatred. He even gives refuge to the two Muslim guys in his house because he wanted to atone the sin
committed by his father and grandfather in the past. He even thinks of helping Javed by giving him a
job in the shop, so that he can earn his livelihood in an honest and peaceful way.
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ARUNA
Aruna, wife of Ramnik Gandhi, is a typical Indian house wife who is a Godfearing person as well.
She has spent her whole life in pooja path and she doesn’t like to compromise with anything that is
related to her God. She also believes that everybody has their own way to woeship God. She
strongly dislikes the decision of her husband, the decision of allowing the Muslim boys to stay with
them under the same roof. Aruna did have sympathy for the two boys, but at the same time she was
scared of them as well. Infact, when Javed tries to help her out by filling up the drinking water, she
clearly tells him that outsiders are not allowed to fetch or fill water in their house.
WOMEN IN THE PLAY
Dattani has always given importance to women in his plays. The women in his plays are sometimes
meek, submissive, calm and cool in nature. Whereas sometimes they are intelligent, brave,
courageous and protest when required. In this particular play Dattani talks about three different
women who represent three different generations. Hardika represents the first generation, Aruna
represents the second generation and Smita represents the third generation. Hardika,is also known as
Daksha in the play, who has seen the partition of India and the communal tension as well. Hardika
even talks about her father’s dream of an independent India. Hardika is such a woman who did love
the Muslims until they killed her father in a communal riot.
Aruna, daughter in law of Hardika is a typical Indian house wife who is seen busy in doing pooja
and household chores most of the time in the play. She even teaches her daughter to learn the works
of God and the household chores as well. Aruna is very particular about her God and she can never
really compromise with anything when it comes to her God. Smita, daughter of Aruna and grand
daughter of Hardika is a girl of modern period. She believes in liberal ideology and she doesn’t
support her mother’s activities from heart, though she helps her in all the household chores and work
of her God. She loves her mother but at one point of time she feels stifled and expresses her feelings
to Aruna. She requests her mother not to bind her with prejudices any more. She even did not have
hatred for the Muslims as her close friend is a Muslim girl whose name is Tasneem.
PATRIARCHY AND GENDER BIAS IN THE PLAY
Patriarchy is such a term which can never be removed from the history of India. Patriarchy is
inseparable from the Indian society. Almost all the families in the Indian society are run by the male
members of the family and hence they dominate on the family as well. The head of the family
usually holds immense power and he exercises certain rules and regulations in the family. The rules
must be followed by each and every member of the family especially the female members of the
family are bound to obey all the rules.The freedom of choice is hardly given to the members of the
family especially to the female members. The head of the family usually takes all the important and
trivial decisions in the family and he expects everyone to obey his decision.
Mahesh Dattani mainly speaks about gender bias in almost all his plays.Final Solutionsis one such
play that not only speaks about the communal tension but it showcases the patriarchal hegemony and
sufferings of a woman as well. Daksha also known as Hardika in the play, gets married to a guy
namely Hari at a very tender age. Daksha’s name is also changed after she comes to her in laws
house. Hardikais the new given to her which matches with the name of her husband. Daksha is not
allowed to take education, she is not allowed to listen to her favourite Noor Jehansongs. She
becomes a typical Indian housewife after her marriage who is not allowed to step out of the house
without covering her head.
Daksha writes everything in her diary. Diary acts as a symbol throughout the play as it is present in
Daksha and Hardika’s life from the past till the present. Diary is not just an object or entity in her
2452

life, but it is her best friend where she writes down each and everyting that happens in her life. She
shares all those things which she cant share with anyone else as she did not have any friends in her
new house. She feels bad as all her dreams are shattered after marriage. She says,
All my dreams have been shatterd . . . I can never be a singer, like Noor Jehan. Hari’s family is against my
singing film songs. His parents heard me humming a love song to Hari last night. And this morning they told
him to tell me . . . (CP, 166)
Mahesh Dattani has made use of irony in the play. The setting of the play is during the time when
India received its independence. Daskha exactly got married with Hari at that period. Dattani has
tried to show here in the play, that, at one side independence or freedom is achieved by India but on
the other side Daksha loses her freedom. She loses her freedom of singing, humming songs to her
husband and she even loses the freedom of dreaming in life. She leads her life like a bird in the cage
with shackles in the legs.
Daksha gets befriended with a Muslim girl whose name is Zarine. She did visit Zarine’s house as
well because there she could get some freedom; freedom to breath properly, freedom to talk and she
even did listen to her favourite Noor Jehan songs which she is not allowed to listen to her in laws
house, but unfortunately, her destiny did not allow her to have this freedom also anymore. She was
deprived from going to Zarine’s house as her in laws accused her of eating together with Zarineand
her family.
The accuasation is totally fake which Daksha understands well. They just wanted her to stop going
to her friends house somehow. Hari, her husband, hits her for meeting Zarine at her house as she is a
Muslim girl. He also shows his anger because she did not take his permission before going to her
Muslim friend’s house.
Daksha protests with anger and asks her husband not to hit her. She even says that she has not taken
food with Zarine but her husband doesn’t believe to her words. She pleads him to leave her alone
and also promises him that she would not to go to Zarine’s house again in life.
Ah! Don’t hit me! (Angrily.) Don’t do that! I swear I didn’t eat anything! Aah! Stop that! Stop it! All right. I
won’t go there again. Please leave me alone. (Crying.) Please! Stop! (Lies on the floor sobbing.) (Collected
Plays,222)
Daksha had a tough living after this incident. She could not match anymore with her husband Hari,
the only thing that did match are the two names Hardikaand Hari. Daksha becomes the victim of
male dominance and she represents a woman who is imprisoned or tied with shackles inside the
house in an independent country like India.
CONCLUSION
Mahesh Dattani’sFinal Solutions is a problem play that talks about the socio-political aspects of a
society in India. Two different types of community live in India, one is the majority and the other
one is the minority. Each of the communities has hatred for each other and the reason of the hatred is
actually silly and baseless. God is one and the same but people do fight on God and each and
everyone claims that God is mine, God is ours, whereas God loves everyone like parents love all the
children, if there is more than one child in a family. Dattani, the playwright, has shown the true
colours of the politicians and the police department very well through his play. The politicians force
the innocent people to work for them in the name of religion. Javed in the play, has been shown as
such a character who works for the politicians who did brainwash him in the name of Jehad, The
2453

Holy War. Like Javed, there are many people who become the puppets in the hands of the politicians
and later suffer like anything as they become the victims.
Dr. Dipti Agrawal says that Dattani has made use of the mob or the chorus as a stylistic device to
enhance the presentation of Hindu and Muslim people in the play. She also says that Daksha’s diary
ascertains the history of division, the sense of us and them, the one and other by linking personal
experience with the political and social hatred. We all must understand each other and must stop
hating each other as well. It is the responsibility of people of India, to make it a secular country in
the true and real sense. The conflict of the minds must be stopped first, then only the conflict or the
fight that takes place outside can be stopped.
Dattani also focusses on patriarchal hegemony and gender bias, which is the other side of the play.
He has tried to show with the help of the character Daksha, that, gender bias and sufferings of
women have not totally swept away from India. Though India has got its independence or freedom,
the Indian women in most of the families, still live like caged birds with shackles in the legs. India
shall receive its true independence or freedom only on the day when women will be receiveing their
due respect and freedom. Also, the people must start loving and accepting each other, rather than
hating and misunderstanding.
WORK CITED
1. Collected Plays, Penguin Books India,2000, New Delhi.
2. Dr. Agarwal Beena, Mahesh Dattani’s Plays, A New Horizon in Indian Theatre, Book Enclave, Jaipur, India.
3. Dr. Singh Kumar Pramod, Social Maladies in the Works of Mahesh Dattani, A Critical Assessment, Sarup Book
Publishers Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi.
4. Dr. Parmar Bipinkumar, Dramatic World of Mahesh Dattani : Voices and Visions, Aadi Publications, Jaipur,
India.
5. Dr. Agrawal Dipti, The Plays of Mahesh Dattani, A Study In Thematic Diversity And Dramatic Technique,
Discovery Publishing House Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi-110 002.
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