References to other Cultural Products
Kālidāsa and Bhavabhūti:
Shudraka's work is often compared to that of these two Indian writers, they are all thought of highly in the world of Indian drama due to their creative contributions to the craft. Kālidāsa is often referred to as the "Shakespeare of India" due to his widely-known play, Shakuntalā and poetry. Bhavabhūti is known for his more serious tone in his writing, eloquence with words. These three amazing writers are all compared not because they are similar, but because they are all so vastly different from each other.
Shakespeare:
This play is so well-revered because it does not follow all of the same rules that a Sanskrit play normally would. The reasons for that being, the writing is considered to be more detailed, the characterization was well-rounded (as were there a lot of characters), the play easily goes from being a comedy to a tragedy to drama, and because of how full of variety the plot is.
Mythology:
There are a lot of mythological and religious references in this play, mostly in relation to Gods and Goddesses. This is not unfamiliar in Sanskrit literature.
An example of this is seen when the Brahman denounces the Gods, by essentially saying he does not believe in worshiping them because he can see through religion.
The Toy Cart and other translations:
The English translation of the play was first done by Horace Hayman Wilson in 1826. It was adapted for Horace's audience, and was not entirely the same production.
In 1905, Arthur Ryder translated the play to English once again. This version of the play, which was arguably more popular, was reenacted several times. It as performed in New York, Los Angeles, and Berkeley.
Mitti ki Gaadi:
This play was written by an Indian-playright, Habib Tanvir in 1958. It was inspired by Shudraka's work on this play. Mitti ki Gaadi went on to become life-changing for Tanvir and became his first important production. It eventually led to the founding of his theatre, Naya Theatre.
Movie Adaptions:
Ustav (1984)- An award-winning Hindi Bollywood adaption of Shudraka's work, it was directed by Girish Karnad.
Vasentena (1941)-An Indian Kannada film. Directed by Ramaier Shirur.
Mricchakatika (Vasantsena) (1931)- The first silent film of the Indian Kannada film industry and also notable because it starred Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay who was a famous freedom activist. She contributed to the Indian Independence Movement.
Caste System:
Although not necessarily a cultural writing, it is a product of a culture. This system has a lot to do with the main plot of the play, and is still in place today. Understanding this can provide more insight as to why it was difficult for Chrudatta and Vasantasen to be together.
Works Cited:
(n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.svabhinava.org/abhinava/SuntharMrcchakatika/MrcchakatikaDigest-2-frame.php.
Indian Cinema. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://uiowa.edu/indiancinema/utsav.
Kumar, A. (2017, January 3). How the ancient 'Mrcchakatika' time-travelled to become 'Utsav'. Retrieved from https://scroll.in/article/763166/how-the-ancient-mrcchakatika-time-travelled-to-become-utsav.
Online Library of Liberty. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/shudraka-the-little-clay-cart.
Outlook. (2009, June 8). Habib Tanvir (1923-2009). Retrieved from https://www.outlookindia.com/newswire/story/habib-tanvir-1923-2009/660963.
The Mrichchakati; or, The toy cart : a drama : Wilson, H. H. (Horace Hayman), 1786-1860, tr : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming. (1970, January 1). Retrieved from https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_wZ0-AAAAcAAJ/page/n209.
Shudraka's work is often compared to that of these two Indian writers, they are all thought of highly in the world of Indian drama due to their creative contributions to the craft. Kālidāsa is often referred to as the "Shakespeare of India" due to his widely-known play, Shakuntalā and poetry. Bhavabhūti is known for his more serious tone in his writing, eloquence with words. These three amazing writers are all compared not because they are similar, but because they are all so vastly different from each other.
Shakespeare:
This play is so well-revered because it does not follow all of the same rules that a Sanskrit play normally would. The reasons for that being, the writing is considered to be more detailed, the characterization was well-rounded (as were there a lot of characters), the play easily goes from being a comedy to a tragedy to drama, and because of how full of variety the plot is.
Mythology:
There are a lot of mythological and religious references in this play, mostly in relation to Gods and Goddesses. This is not unfamiliar in Sanskrit literature.
An example of this is seen when the Brahman denounces the Gods, by essentially saying he does not believe in worshiping them because he can see through religion.
The Toy Cart and other translations:
The English translation of the play was first done by Horace Hayman Wilson in 1826. It was adapted for Horace's audience, and was not entirely the same production.
In 1905, Arthur Ryder translated the play to English once again. This version of the play, which was arguably more popular, was reenacted several times. It as performed in New York, Los Angeles, and Berkeley.
Mitti ki Gaadi:
This play was written by an Indian-playright, Habib Tanvir in 1958. It was inspired by Shudraka's work on this play. Mitti ki Gaadi went on to become life-changing for Tanvir and became his first important production. It eventually led to the founding of his theatre, Naya Theatre.
Movie Adaptions:
Ustav (1984)- An award-winning Hindi Bollywood adaption of Shudraka's work, it was directed by Girish Karnad.
Vasentena (1941)-An Indian Kannada film. Directed by Ramaier Shirur.
Mricchakatika (Vasantsena) (1931)- The first silent film of the Indian Kannada film industry and also notable because it starred Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay who was a famous freedom activist. She contributed to the Indian Independence Movement.
Caste System:
Although not necessarily a cultural writing, it is a product of a culture. This system has a lot to do with the main plot of the play, and is still in place today. Understanding this can provide more insight as to why it was difficult for Chrudatta and Vasantasen to be together.
Works Cited:
(n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.svabhinava.org/abhinava/SuntharMrcchakatika/MrcchakatikaDigest-2-frame.php.
Indian Cinema. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://uiowa.edu/indiancinema/utsav.
Kumar, A. (2017, January 3). How the ancient 'Mrcchakatika' time-travelled to become 'Utsav'. Retrieved from https://scroll.in/article/763166/how-the-ancient-mrcchakatika-time-travelled-to-become-utsav.
Online Library of Liberty. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/shudraka-the-little-clay-cart.
Outlook. (2009, June 8). Habib Tanvir (1923-2009). Retrieved from https://www.outlookindia.com/newswire/story/habib-tanvir-1923-2009/660963.
The Mrichchakati; or, The toy cart : a drama : Wilson, H. H. (Horace Hayman), 1786-1860, tr : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming. (1970, January 1). Retrieved from https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_wZ0-AAAAcAAJ/page/n209.
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