Mahesh Dattani’s Tara: a Voice of Voiceless

The Indian English Drama has given voice to the unvoiced section of our society. It is a
medium to reflect the mean, ugly and unhappy aspects of life. Drama is considered to be
the most effective and powerful genre in the world literature. The birth of Indian drama
emphasizes that it is an integral part of our society and culture. Krishna Mohan Banerjee
presented the first light of drama in India in 1813 in “The Persecuted”. However, the real
journey of Indian drama started in 1871 with the emergence of Michel Madhusudan
Dutt’s “Is this Called Civilization”. Earlier the themes of drama were concentrated on the
religious convictions, philosophical approaches and the political changes of the country.
Later on there came the issues related to contemporary politics, social and economic
problems, art, human life etc. The modern Indian drama concentrates on the several
current issues and the real life problems. Some of the modern drama writers include
Badal Sircar, Mahesh Dattani and Manjula Padmanabhan etc. The topic of discussion
here is Mahesh Dattani’s “Tara”(1990). About Dattani’s wrting style, R.K.Dhawan says,
“Very recently Indian English Drama has shot into prominence. Younger writers like
Mahesh Dattani and Manjula Padmanabhan, have infused new life into this branch of
writing”.(24)

Mahesh Dattani is one of India's best and most serious contemporary playwrights, writing
in English. He is the first playwright in English to be honoured with the “Sahitya
Akademi Award”. A director, actor, dancer, teacher and writer, Mahesh Dattani was born
on August 7, 1958. Before entering the world of theater, he worked as a copywriter in an
advertising firm. In 1986, he wrote his first play ' Where There's a Will'. Since then he has
never looked back. There is a long chain of plays written by him as “Tara”, “Night
Queen”, “Final Solutions”, “Dance like a Man” and many more. These are the plays,
which embody many of the classic concerns of the drama world. His plays deal with the
social and contemporary issues. Apart from theater, he is also active in the field of
filmmaking. One of his films “Dance like a Man” has won the award for the best picture
in English awarded by the “National Panorama”. In the domain of Indian English Drama,
Mahesh Dattani’s plays have emerged as ‘fresh arrivals’. His plays present real problems
and sometimes cause controversy. Dattani’s plays are “about the marginalized sections of
our society: minorities, women, gays, and hijras (eunuch).” They expose the violence of
our private thoughts, and the hypocrisy of our public morals. His work expresses his
political beliefs without being instructive or revolting. His plays question all kinds of
discrimination, including religious prejudice, gender discrimination and homosexuality.
The subjects of recognition and power struggles, run right through all his plays. His plays
not only bring up gender issues and the space allotted to women in a patriarchal society,
but also they deal with gender biases and prejudices which still affect the lives of many
girl-children even amongst educated, urban families.

Here I have selected Dattani’s play “Tara” for the study of gender discrimination in our
society. “Tara” is not just the story of the protagonist of the play, but it is the story of
every girl child born in Indian family whether urban or rural. “Tara” is an enthralling play
that questions the role of a society that treats the children of the same womb in two
different ways. Tara is a girl who wants to twinkle and shine, just like her name. It is a
play about two children, joined together at the hip. Out of them, one is a boy and the
other is a girl, they can be separated only surgically. This surgery means the death of
either of the two. The partiality and injustice starts here. It proves true that a woman
herself is the worst enemy of other women. The mother prefers the male child and thus
strengthens the chain of injustice. The first thought behind selecting the male child is, he
will carry forward the family name, and on the contrary, the word girl is a synonym for
“dowry”. The situation becomes worse, if the girl is physically challenged or there is any
physical or mental deformity in her, then the dowry too will not work out. She will
remain unmarried and bring defame to family. It is a bitter example of child abuse
prevalent in the Indian society. Every girl child born in an Indian family suffers from
some kind of exploitation and if there is a boy child in the family, the mistreatment is
very much visible as consciously or unconsciously all the privileges are offered to the
son. Dattani as a playwright breaks the unity of place, time and action in the very
beginning of the play. After the soliloquy of Dan, when he is shown in London at the
lightening speed, then he appears in Mumbai from present to past. Here, he is able to
disregard the unities by the help of lighting along with the music effects. Dattani very
cleverly uses the lights to highlight the action wherever he wants, at any level without
any breaks for change of scene. It is the use of lights and music, which gives the play the
feeling of unity of action. Music is so well used that it creates and enhances the mood of
characters. Fade music for past and flash backs and different music when Tara is hurt or
fight between Bharti and her husband or when the secret is revealed. Dattani very
successfully uses all the resources of theatre. Like most of his plays, here also Dattani
forces the present to confront the past-a past that is dark, hidden, and shameful. Dattani
seems to suggest that unless we as individuals, families, and communities frankly tackle
our past, and sweep off the skeletons in our cupboards, we will not be able to exorcise the
ghosts of the past either in the present or in the future.

“Tara” is a play in two acts.It opens in London. The scene is that, Chandan, (Dan) now a
playwright is remembering his childhood days spent with his sister Tara. He is trying to
write a story about his own childhood but he has to write Tara’s story. As Tara and
Chandan are the two sides of the same self, rather than two separate entities. The play
revolves around these two Siemese twins. The operation at the time of birth to separate
them, leaves Tara crippled for life whereas Chandan is privileged one. Now he wants to
turn his anguish into drama by writing about his sister’s childhood. Even after their unfair
and manipulated division, which is done against the law of nature, they are emotionally
united. They share the same agony, which Dan tries to delineate by writing
autobiographical drama, though a futile attempt:

Dan: Give me a moment and the pain will subside. Then I can function again.[pause,
more controlled now] Yes. The material is there. But the craft is yet to come. Like the
amazing Dr. Thakkar, I must take something from Tara and give it myself. Make capital
of my trauma, my anguish, and make it my tragedy. …. Slowly, as if in a trance, picks up
the typed sheets and starts tearing them as he speaks). My progress so far, I must admit,
has been zero …. (379)

Throughout the play, she bears some kind of grudge against the society. She seems to
have some kind of hatred towards the outside world. Her world is compressed, it consists
of her parents and her brother whom she is very close to. Besides exposing the typical
Indian mindset and preference of a boy child to a girl child, the drama looks at the
triumphs and failures of an Indian family, comprising of father (Patel), mother (Bharati)
and two children ( Chandan and Tara). Tara is a lively girl, who does not get enough
opportunities as his brother gets, eventually wastes away, and dies. Chandan escapes from
the reality and settles in London; there he changes his name to ‘Dan’. Dattani has
presented the bizarre reality of women playing a secondary role to man. In this play, the
idea of female infanticide is presented. This filthy practice is still present in some places
of India. The drama also suggests Patel’s hegemonic patriarchy, when he insists that
proper division should be made in the gender roles. Tara, symbolizes the modern society,
which claims to be liberal and advanced but Infact it has a cripple mentality. It is a
society, where mothers are educated today, and women are considered ‘Devis’ like
‘Durga’, ‘Kali’, ‘Saraswati’etc. Still there are differences between male and female child.
All the promises of equality between male and female, equal opportunities to women in
all the fields are false. Mahesh Dattani reveals in one of his interviews with “Lakshmi
Subramanyam”, “I see Tara as a play about the male self and female self. The male self is
being preferred in all cultures. The play is about the separation of self and the resultant
angst”. [134].. Whereas the famous theatre director “Erin Mee” writes in the note of the
play that:

Tara centres on the emotional separation that grows between two conjoined twins
following the discovery that their physical separation was manipulated by their mother
and grandfather to favour the boy [ Chandan] over the girl [ Tara] . …Woven into the play
are issues of class and community , and the clash between traditional and modern
lifestyles and values. [319].

Tara’s parents are educated even then they had made such discrimination. Bharati’s father
can also be considered responsible for this mishap. Nevertheless, the question arises here
is, if Bharati had been influenced by her father’s decision then why didn’t Patel come
forward and stand against that? He was the father of both the children and he should be
strong enough to fight the discrimination. The relationship of Bharati and Tara becomes
weaker on the discovery of truth. Although she loves Tara a lot, but her subjugation to the
expectations of society and her preference for her son, makes her compassion for Tara
weak. When Chandan enquires, whether she has any plans for Tara, she says, “Yes! I
have plans for her happiness. I mean to give her all love and affection, which I can give.
It’s what she deserves.”( 9). Bharati is quite fearful about the future of her daughter; “It’s
all right while she is young. It is all very cute and comfortable when she makes witty
remarks. But let her grow up. Yes, Chandan the world will tolerate you. The world will
accept you- but not her! Oh! …….when she sees herself at eighteen or twenty, thirty is
unthinkable and what about forty and fifty! Oh God! (349). To shed her burden of guilt
and to assert her moral superiority over her husband, she shows extra maternal love and
concern towards her daughter. She also tries to expand her love by the act of donating her
kidney to Tara, which ultimately turns futile. Dattani establishes that mother and daughter
relationship proves secondary to the orders of patriarchy. Mr.Patel, Tara’s father is an
emblem of male chauvinism. He holds the absolute position in decision making about the
family. Bharati has to follow his wish. She is a pathetic victim of patriarchy. She
exceptionally cares for Tara, to overcome her own guilt. Tara represents the subaltern and
the subjugated. She does not have any choice, she has to accept whatever is given to her.
The suffering of Tara and Chandan is a symbolic validation to the perception that the
elegance of the relationship exists not in their separateness but in their moving in a
coordination or interdependence. Erin Mee says , “Dattani sees Tara as a play about the
gendered self, about coming to terms with the feminine side of oneself in a world that
always favours what is ‘male’, but many people in India see it as a play about the girl
child.” (320) P-atel’s attitude is always negative. He blames his wife and father- in- law
for the damage done earlier, but his position cannot be denied. He gives greater chances
to Chandan, plans for his education and future career, but nothing for Tara. She is a
victim of collective social system. Her father is not much different from her mother. She
had favoured Chandan at the time of operation and then onwards their father has been
preferring Chandan. When it is about education or other facilities, he only thinks of his
son. Patel makes Bharati responsible for everything and gets an escape from his
responsibilities. He says, “…Look at the way you treat Tara .As if she is made of glass.
You coddle her, you pet her, you spoil her, She’s grown up, .. feeling she doesn`t need
anyone but you.!

BHARATI: All right .You stay at home then! You stay at home and watch what they can
do and what they can`t .You remind them of what they can`t be. It’s easy for you to talk
about their future and your plans. But tell them what they should do now .This day, this
hour, this minute.Tell them! I want to hear.
Patel: Chandan is going to study further and he will go abroad for his higher studies.
Bharati: And Tara?
Patel: When have you ever allowed me to make any plans for her? (352).

Dr. Thakkar stands on the highest level throughout the play. He operates the two Simese
twins, but he has done an unfair and unequal operation under the pressure of Bharati’s
father. He was a wealthy man and very soon supposed to become Chief Minister. Dr.
Thakkar collaborates with them and gives the male child better chances physically-the
second leg to Chandan. Dr. Thakkar, the god-like, ‘life giver’ is aware that the third leg
would adhere better to the female half, and yet becomes party to the decision. Dan tries to
define his other half, the spirited Tara, “She never got a fair deal. Not even from nature.
Neither of us did. May be God never wanted us separated. Destiny desires strange
things-----But even God does not always get what he wants. Conflict is the crux of life.”
(330). The question remains, why was then Tara denied the privilege of the good leg.
Why? Is it only because she was a girl? Dattani aptly shows that in this society it is a
curse to be a girl. In this country so much partiality and differentiation is there for
women. However, a rich heritage we have and women are otherwise placed on the high
pedestals. Dr. Thakkar disproved his godly profession and let himself bribed by Bharati`s
father and became a co-conspirator in the bizarre act of severing the leg. He should have
endorsed his profession by disapproving the decision at his inception, whereas he in a
way took Tara`s life by severing the leg. His wise decision could have given Tara a safe,
secured and complete life. But Tara`s maternal grandfather had also cheated her. He was
in politics and came very close to becoming the Chief Minister. Dattani cleverly tears off
the mask from the faces of Indian politicians. On the one side they promise for women
security, education for girls and prevention of female feticide, and in their own family
they are partial enough. When it comes to a male grandson, Bharati’s father at once
chooses life for Chandan. Even he leaves all his property to Chandan and not a single
penny for Tara. Mr. Patel and Chandan are talking,

Patel: He [ grandfather] left you a lot of money.

When Tara comes to know that it was her mother who made such a decision, which she
trusted most, she cannot bear this truth and the shock takes away her life. She is not dead,
but she is killed by the society. Nevertheless, Tara could have made her boldness, her
strength and fight the society to engrave a place of her own. Even though she is more
intelligent, sharp and witty and would have performed much better than the male child
would, if only she had been given a chance. She is not deterred by the injustice done to
her, but she thinks that, “I will spend the rest of my life feeding and clothing those.
----starving naked millions everywhere. May be I can start an institution that will ---- do
all that. Or I could join Mother Teresa and sacrifice myself to a great cause. That may
give--- purpose to my ---existence.” (370). She is discouraged from the very first day of
her life. She was bubbly and energetic girl who had all the qualities of a normal girl. If
her parents had given her moral support, she might have shone like a star as her name
signifies. Her life was considered to be a burden on this earth. This made her lose interest
in life altogether. Further, she refuses to go to physiotherapy or fill forms for college. It is
noteworthy that discrimination with Tara continues, even after her death. Chandan, who
was always interested in writing a story, makes the story, he writes, his own tragedy. Dan
apologises to Tara for doing this, “Forgive me, Tara .Forgive me for making it my
tragedy.” (380).

Mahesh Dattani has very deftly revealed the theme of gender discrimination in this play.
The social norms, economic standards and cultural factors have been responsible for the
injustice against the girl child. All these factors combine to create the social system in
which the girl child has to live and die. Tara is killed by this social system, which controls
the minds and actions of the people. The trauma of coming to know the role her mother
had played in her life, and the discrimination becomes too much for her. Tara`s
potentiality was sacrificed at the altar of gender. Identity crisis becomes a chain with
which a female is bound when the question of choice between male and female comes up.
If we think, why is she killed? The answer is crystal clear that Tara is not wanted, because
she is a girl. In our society, “Girls” are not wanted. For a moment, if we imagine that
Tara’s mother had preferred her at the time of operation instead of Chandan. Would she
have forgiven? No, Never! Because she also is a Woman. Here women are not made to
think or decide but are made to submit to the wishes of man. This man can be a father,
husband, brother or son, who ever he is; at the end, they have an identity. But a mother, a
wife, a sister and a daughter at last turn out to be only “women, submitting to their wills
and losing their own identity.”