William
Shakespeare, a born genius, myriad minded and skilled artist has a prominent
place not only in English Literature but also in Indian Art and Literature. He
has captured heart of all readers and in all ages. His plays have a special
appeal on us –the Indians and that is why we enjoy his plays before we actually
understand them.
It was 1775,
when during American war of independence many things came to India from England
and Shakespeare was one of them. It was he who touched the very heart and soul
of Indian writers and scholars. And since then he has been the source of
inspiration for countless writers, scholars, artists and film producers in
India.
Shakespearean
Literature has definitely crossed the limits of time and space and has been
reigning in the literary world of different countries and different languages
for centuries. In India the bard has become an inevitable part of the
curriculum for teaching English in various universities and school boards.
Critics feel that the striking peculiarity of Shakespeare’s mind was its
generic quality, its power to communicate with minds so that it contained a
universe of thought and feeling within itself. He
might be nothing in himself but he was all that others were or they could
become.
It is
generally believed that Richardson was the first who created literary taste for
Shakespearean drama in the minds of Indian audience and the students of Bangal
in the beginning of 19th century. Richardson was a teacher and he
used to teach his students how to recite and act the scenes of Shakespearean
plays. In 1837, first time some students from Bangal performed The Merchant of Venice in the house of
Governor. In 1853 students of Oriental Academy staged Othello. The same group of
students performed The Merchant of Venice in 1854 and Henry IV in 1855.
In 1868,
Oriental Theatrical Company came into existence in Mumbai. After that some
Parsi companies took over the task to play Shakespeare’s dramas in various
parts of India. Actually these companies or theatrical groups paved the way for
Shakespeare in Indian art and cinema. These
groups did a lot to popularise the bard in Indian society in local language. King Lear as Haar jeet in 1902, Twelfth
Night as Bhool Bhuliayan (1905) and
Anthony and Cleopatra as Kali Nagin are some of the translations
by Parsi companies. But later translations like Raja Lear in 1915 and Measure for Measure as Bagula Bhagat in 1923 are perhaps
better translations than the earlier ones. Translation of Shakespearean plays
was first published in a magazine named ‘Shakespeare’ brought out by Narayan
Parsad ‘Betab’ (1872–1945)
It is true that
Shakespeare has been quite papular through translation and adaptation on Indian
stage. Scholars and audience may have their own reasons for liking him; readers
of all generations are attracted towards him. His plays have been translated in
almost all Indian languages. In 1957-58 Rangeya Raghav translated fifteen plays
in Hindi. Great writers of Hindi Literature like Harivansh Rai Bachchan, Amrit
Rai and Raghuveer Sahey also tried their hands to translate the immortal plays
of Shakespeare. Recently Surjeet Hans, a retired professor from Punjabi
University, translated all plays of the bard in Punjabi.
Hindi writers
and playwrights like Jai Shankar Prasad and Upender Nath ‘Ashq’ adopted
Shakespearean plays in their different creations. These masters took hints from
the bard’s plays and used them in their own creations in a different manner. For
example some critics trace Lady Macbeth in the character of Anant Devi in the
famous play Skandgupta by Prasad, Chacha Beta of ‘Ashq’ resembles with King Lear, Sanjogita Swayamvar by Shreenivas Das has the antecedents of The Merchant of Venice. Our national leaders
like Pt. Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi were also influenced by Shakespeare. It is said
that Pt. Nehru culled an epigraph from Shakespeare’s sonnet in his book The
Discovery of India.
The themes of
Shakespearean drama are beautifully woven in the texture of Indian cinema.
Noted Bollywood director Vishal Bharadwaj quoted as saying: 'Shakespeare is the
greatest storyteller ever. His stories have layers of spectacular human drama.
I think they can be adapted anywhere and in any language. I can live my whole life
on Shakespeare.' Adapting Shakespeare's work to Indian ethos is the latest 'in'
thing. After critical acclaim for the 'Macbeth'-inspired
'Maqbool', director Vishal directed 'Omkara' - based on 'Othello' with the badlands of Uttar Pradesh as background and
Haider –based on Hamlet with the
background of Kashmir. Vishal is not the first to adapt Shakespeare. The
prolific writers have been adapting earlier in Bollywood productions. Some
Bollywood blockbusters, including 'Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak', were said to be
inspired by 'Romeo and Juliet'.
Likewise, Gulzar's acclaimed 'Angoor' was based on 'The Comedy of Errors'. Director
Sohrab Modi recreated Hamlet in his 1935 film, Khoon ka Khoon, with some
scenes even utilising a portrait of Shakespeare as a prop. And the list is very long.
Habib
Tanveer not only translated many plays of Shakespeare in Chhatisgarhi dialect
but also adopted the same style, prose and blank verse in his writing and made
the bard available in the remote area of rural India. The finest example is Kam Dev ka Apna Basant Ritu ka Sapna which
is the translation of Mid Summer Night
Dream.
Shakespeare is universal. It is his vision of
life and art that cross the boundaries of culture, space and time. In his own
words:
How many ages
hence
Shall this our
lofty scene be acted over
In states
unborn and culture unknown.
