Phedra

Author: Sayan Dey

The book Decolonial Existence and Urban Sensibility: A Study on Mahesh Elkunchwar meticulously reflects upon some of the selected translated plays of Marathi playwright Mahesh Elkunchwar. It revolves around the themes of decolonial existence and urban sensibility in contemporary India as portrayed in his plays with respect to post-independent urban existence, socio-cultural existence and gender. The book also looks forward to establish a counterargument against the idealized and totalitarian definitions of West-centric existentialist philosophy, and establish indigenous dimensions of decolonial existence within specific contexts. It dismantles the colonially structured existing binaries of urban/rural, ethical/unethical and high culture/low culture through the diverse portrayal of human relationships in contemporary India and broadly addresses two inter-mingled perspectives. Firstly, it outlines the thematic and dramatic perspectives of the selected plays of Mahesh Elkunchwar and secondly, it explores the multi-dimensional philosophical perspectives that encapsulate the theoretical latitude of decoloniality and urban sensibility.

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Author: Kumudini Arvind Mehta Editor: Sharmishta Saha

Theatre in Mumbai or colonial Bombay emerged at a time when the city was still finding its own contours and taking shape. “Theatre” in the sense of the art form and the word that we know today, which has been comfortably incorporated in almost all Indian languages also took shape during this early period. Kumudini Arvind Mehta’s doctoral dissertation, submitted to the University of Bombay, now known as University of Mumbai is being published in the form of this book. It navigates the journey of “theatre” starting with the early “amateur theatre” at Bombay Green in the late eighteenth century. Today we know this area as the Horniman Circle in Mumbai. She traces the origins of professional theatre in colonial Bombay to the amateur exercises of the English inhabitants, the Parsi businessmen and the English educated local inhabitants of the city. She painstakingly goes through newspaper articles and announcements, old journals, property papers, old maps etc., to weave the narrative of “theatre” that shapes the legacy of the art form that was either inherited or rejected by later artists. Mehta’s work is significant not only for the study of “theatre” but also to understand colonial sociability and the role of the English language in this regard. Sharmistha Saha, the editor of the book has given it its present shape. She has primarily updated citations, incorporated information on current research as also images of the erstwhile theatre districts wherever applicable.

Interested readers may write to us at mup@manipal.edu about purchasing the book.

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