PPT for the PhD viva-voce. Keywords - Mahesh Dattani's Plays, social issues, How to prepare PPT for PhD viva.

1. CONTEMPORARY SOCIAL ISSUES IN THE PLAYS OF
MAHESH DATTANI
A
Thesis submitted to
Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University, Nagpur
For the Degree of
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
In English, under the Faculty of Arts
Research Scholar
Mr. Niraj Prabhakar Kendhe
Asst. Prof. (Eng.)
Arts, Commerce and Science College,
Arvi, Dist.-Wardha
Research Supervisor
Dr. Vivek V. Joshi
Associate. Professor
PGTD, Gondwana University,
Gadchiroli
Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University, Nagpur
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2. Contemporary Social Issues in the
Plays of Mahesh Dattani
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3. Dramatist
Versatile person
Award - Sahitya Akademi,
Sahitya Kala Parishad
Playpen Theater Group
Mahesh
Dattani
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4. ● Contemporary social issues addressed by
Mahesh Dattani- homosexuality, gender
discrimination, child sexual abuses, issues of
transgender, communalism
● Why Contemporary ?
● Research Methodology
● Outline of the thesis
● Review of Literature
● Place of Mahesh Dattani in Indian English
Literature
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5. Mahesh Dattani as Dramatist...
● Revolutionary Themes & threshold issues
● MD never discriminate human beings based on gender, sexuality, physical
inabilities and religious beliefs
● Never divides the world in East and West Philosophy
● He is spontaneously global
● Literature is a form of action – engagement with the problem of the time
● Always found the sound argument
● He undertakes the task of making things visible through his craftsmanship
● He has his unique theatrical techniques to follow Three Unities
● Mahesh Dattani as firm corroborator of Humanism
● He is not a reformer but encourages the Changes
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6. Chapter I
Introduction
● A brief survey of the historical course of Indian drama
● A survey of the criticism with special reference to social issues
in Indian English Drama.
● Contemporary themes in Indian English Drama
● Place of Mahesh Dattani
● Review of Literature
Basic Questions to be addressed in the thesis
@ Trace the origin and growth of the drama; Indian drama in brief with special
reference to the social issues and English drama in India, particularly.
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7. Chapter II
Sexuality & Homosexuality
Understanding the term Homosexuality
● Self realized Identity vs. customized identity
● Victim of dual identity (ID)
● These dilemma create hatred about themselves
Homosexuality in Indian Context
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8. Basic Questions to be addressed in the thesis...
● Can such love be regarded as sufficient in itself?
● Or has it to be an additional luxury for a heterosexually married
person?
● Should they love stealthy only?
● Should such relationships be recognized as legally valid?
● Could it be turned into a regular marriage?
● How does the hidden sexuality of an individual ruin the conjugal
life?
● Is marriage really necessary and important in an individual's life?
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9. Outcome of the chapter ...
● Mahesh Dattani gives us a glimpse into hidden gender issues that
exist in Indian society.
● Society consciously or unconsciously avoids the taboo issues like
homosexuality.
● Indian society considered homosexuality as a sexual perversion.
● These three plays help us to understand the problems of gay
communities.
● Minimize some sort of prejudices about gender issues.
● Homosexuals have to satisfy their natural urge in their secret
gatherings.
● Homosexuals have to conceal their relationship because it is an
offensive crime.
● In the Indian context, social straitjackets are more strict or rigid
which doesn’t allow an individual to live his life on one’s choice.
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10. Chapter III
Gender Discrimination
Basic Questions to be addressed in the thesis.
● How does MD unmask gender discrimination in Indian
families?
● How does MD negotiate with patriarchal hegemony?
● Why does man considere pathetic in the women's world?
● Is patriarchy an integral part of Indian society?
● Is taking up responsibility not itself cultural then?
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11. Gender discrimination as theme ...
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12. ● Discussion on Men- Women
● Discriminating against the man is an invisible issue
● Men also dominated by the patricidal will
● Men always judged through the lens of masculinity and heroic
qualities
● The play breaks the stereotype image that dance is or women
● In the play patriarchy wins over the love of arts.
● Double standard of Indian society
● Masculinity is judge on earning caliber of a person.
● Living one’s life according to other’s wish
● Power structure of political and religious ideology
● Care for daughter but no career plans for Her
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13. Chapter IV
Other Issues- Child Sexual Abuses, Issues of Eunuch &
Communalism
Child Sexual Abuses in the play- Thirty Days in September
The Term: Child Sexual Abuse
The issue became a public issue in the last few decades; however, it is present
throughout history.
The play helps us to understand the psychological instability of victims and shows the
dark side of the society.
Basic Questions to be addressed in the theses.
● How does MD unmask the issue of child sexual abuses in Indian families?
● What makes a person abuser of an offender?
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14. Issues of Eunuch in the play Seven Steps around the Fire
● The play is about the identity of the eunuch (transgender), their
constitutional rights and exploitation.
● Survey on eunuch communities in India.
● Mythological and historical references of the community.
● The play exposes the hypocrisy of Indian culture that opposes the Hijra
in the daylight but sexually exploits them in the dark night.
● Transgenders are not considered as human beings
● As society only knows to genders- male & female
● Society has confusion on how to address transgender
● Transgender does not have families.
● Transgenders are against the principle of feudalism- feudalism allows
only the blood relations as relatives.
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15. Basic question to be addressed –
● Why should society be so cruel to the transgender?
● Why should it object to a man marrying a hijra if it makes
both of them happy?
● Is anything in life more valuable than happiness which harms
no one?
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16. Issue of Communal Strife – Final solution
● The play explores the humanistic approach.
● Communalism is just like a war- war between different
ideologies- result – riot
● Reason for communal hatred is prejudiced about other
communities.
● Play gives the final solution that the virtues of sympathy and
rational thinking would offer the final solution to the communalism
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17. Chapter V
Conclusion
● Are the plays of Mahesh Dattani related to contemporary social issues?
How and what are those issues?
● Does Mahesh Dattani suggest remedies on the contemporary issues in his
plays?
- Mahesh Dattani’s plays have great contemporary values.
- He demands, the fair sexual relationship, revise the Indian morality, change the
prejudices, accepts the minority as a human being, preserves the individuals'
identity, etc.
- He is not a reformer but wants to demolish false prejudices and conventions.
- Impacts of patriarchy are ignored in Indian society.
- To present abstract issues or ideas into reality he uses a suitable stage setting
which makes him a complete dramatist.
- Undoubtedly, his dramatic art is unique and modern.
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18. Topics for future discussion ...
● The quest for identity within the categories of individual, the familial, the
religious and the social in Mahesh Dattani’s drama.
● Stagecraft: A distinct feature in the plays of Mahesh Dattani
● Locating the self within the mechanism of the family: social context of
the plays of Mahesh Dattani
● The socio-psychological aspects in the plays of Dattani.
● Satirizing stereotypes in the selected plays of Dattani
● Existentialism and the plays of Mahesh Dattani
● Mahesh Dattani as firm corroborator of Humanism
● The gendered self in Dattani’s work
● Humour in Dattani’s Play
● Queer Theory and the plays of Dattani
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19. Mr. Niraj Kendhe
Asst. Professor,
Arts, Commerce & Science
College, Arvi, Dist-Wardha.
nirajkendhe@gmail.com
Mobile No.- 9765630673
27th July 2020