The dreams of Tipu Sultan ; Bali : the sacrifice : two plays / by Girish Karnad.

The dreams of Tipu Sultan
Bali : the sacrifice.

"This book contains two new plays by Girish Karnad, one of India's foremost dramatists and actors. The first play deals with the world of dreams secretly recorded by one of India's most famous warriors, while the second explores the existential dilemmas of passion and violence posed by an ancient Jain myth." "The figure of Tipu Sultan has continued to dominate Indian and British imagination for over two centuries, as the endless flow of scholarly works, ballads, plays and novels about his tempestuous life and tragic end testifies. What, however, is less well known is that this man, who spent a large part of his life on horseback, maintained a record of his dreams, which he kept concealed from his nearest associates. The Dreams of Tipu Sultan examines the inner life of this warrior, political visionary, and dreamer. It was commissioned by the BBC and broadcast in Britain on the fiftieth anniversary of Indian Independence." "Bali: The Sacrifice was commissioned and first presented by the Haymarket Theatre, Leicester, UK. The King is devastated to discover that his queen is involved with an elephant-keeper. In order to avert the evil consequences of her infidelity, he is forced to sacrifice a cockerel to the gods. But he is a Jain, and non-violence is the fundamental principle of Jain faith. In desperation, he substitutes a bird made of dough, which in turn has unexpected results. The myth is less concerned with actual violence than with the morality of substitution, which permits violence a wider and more subtle play by masking its true nature."--BOOK JACKET.