Charumitra is a Hindi language historical play in one act by Ram Kumar Verma (b. 1905); a well known Hindi poet, playwright, critic, and historian.[1][2] Sources give conflicting accounts to its date, with some sources giving the year as 1941 and others as 1942.[2][1] Widely recognized as a masterpiece of modern Hindi theatre, an excerpt from the play was included in Modern Indian Literature, an Anthology: Plays and prose (1992).[1][2] [3] Ram Kumar Verma adapted the work into the English language, organizing the play in three acts and publishing it in 1957.[3][4] The English translation of the play was acquired by the Library of Congress in 1978.[5]
The play is titled after the fictional character of Charumitra who is a maid servant to the historical figure of Tishyaraksha, the last wife of the third Mauryan emperor Ashoka (emperor of Magadha).[1] The play takes place in the thirteenth year of Ashoka's reign in the 3rd century BCE with Charumitra acting as a foil to the historical figures at the center of the play.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e K. M. George, ed. (1992). "Modern Hindi Drama:A Selection; Charumitra Ram Kumar Verma". Modern Indian Literature, an Anthology: Plays and prose. Sahitya Akademi. pp. 166, 210–220. ISBN 9788172017835.
- ^ a b c Amaresh Datta, ed. (1988). "DRAMA-HINDI". Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature, Devraj to Jyoti; Volume 2. Sahitya Akademi. pp. 1074–1076. ISBN 9788126011940.
- ^ a b Narayan, Shyamala A (September 1978). "India". Journal of Commonwealth Literature. 13 (2): 111–129. doi:10.1177/002198947801300206. S2CID 220784854.
- ^ Dipali Ghosh (1995). Translations of Hindi Works Into English: A Bibliography. Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers. p. 44. ISBN 9788121506953.
- ^ Accessions List, India, volume 17. Library of Congress. 1978. p. 756.
Further reading
edit- "Charumitra". Hindi Review. 3 (2): 291. 1958.
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