Darkness at the Roots: Generation of Life and the Birth of Stories Amidst Darkness in Karnad’s Naga-Mandala

Abstract

Karnad’s Naga-Mandala is replete with darkness. Darkness is all around— in the “sanctum of a ruined temple” (1), in the homes from where the flames and the narrators of stories arrive, the darkness is in the locked room of Rani, in the streets of the villages at night, in Kurudavva’s blind eyes, in the anthill and in the darkness of the storyteller’s heart awaiting the birth of a story. Everywhere that darkness prevails in the different corners of the play, whether in the sanctum or the cemetery, everywhere is a ground that swells with the prognostication of a story. The Naga’s transformation into a lover and Rani’s transformation into a mother are all magical spells of the darkness. The darkness breeds stories and holds the potential of making them real. The transmigration from Rani’s dreams to the reality of her existence is studied in this article as the mystery of her life make her a deity and her realization of sexuality give her a realization of her identity.