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Wedding Album
Wedding Album , the latest play written by renowned playwright Girish Karnad, is a hilarious and moving spectacle that is deeply revelatory about the India that we live in today. The central characters of this play portray the modern, middle-class, Indian a daughter who lives in Australia with her husband and children, a son who is a media professional, a younger daughter who is willing to marry a 'suitable' boy from the US whom she has never met, a doting mother, an ageing father rapidly losing his authority, and a loyal cook.
Wedding Album operates at two it explores the traditional Indian wedding in a globalized, technologically-advanced India even as it juxtaposes the very different life experiences and expectations of the family and the loyal cook. By doing this, Karnad reveals how particular notions of wealth, well-being, sexual propriety, tradition, and modernity form the basis of middle-class society in contemporary India.
This play has already been staged at numerous venues and was translated by Karnad himself from Kannada into English. An outstanding addition to OUP's corpus of plays by Girish Karnad, this volume will be of value not only to students and teachers of modern Indian drama, but also to general readers.
Wedding Album operates at two it explores the traditional Indian wedding in a globalized, technologically-advanced India even as it juxtaposes the very different life experiences and expectations of the family and the loyal cook. By doing this, Karnad reveals how particular notions of wealth, well-being, sexual propriety, tradition, and modernity form the basis of middle-class society in contemporary India.
This play has already been staged at numerous venues and was translated by Karnad himself from Kannada into English. An outstanding addition to OUP's corpus of plays by Girish Karnad, this volume will be of value not only to students and teachers of modern Indian drama, but also to general readers.
96 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
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328 people want to read
About the author
Girish Karnad
50 books156 followersGirish Raghunath Karnad (Konkani : गिरीश रघुनाथ कार्नाड, Kannada : ಗಿರೀಶ್ ರಘುನಾಥ್ ಕಾರ್ನಾಡ್) (born 19 May 1938) is a contemporary writer, playwright, screenwriter, actor and movie director in Kannada language. His rise as a prominent playwright in 1960s, marked the coming of age of Modern Indian playwriting in Kannada, just as Badal Sarkar did it in Bengali, Vijay Tendulkar in Marathi, and Mohan Rakesh in Hindi. He is a recipient of the 1998 Jnanpith Award for Kannada, the highest literary honour conferred in India.
For four decades Karnad has been composing plays, often using history and mythology to tackle contemporary issues. He has translated his major plays into English, and has received critical acclaim across India. His plays have been translated into several Indian languages and directed by eminent directors like Ebrahim Alkazi, B. V. Karanth, Alyque Padamsee, Prasanna, Arvind Gaur, Satyadev Dubey, Vijaya Mehta, Shyamanand Jalan and Amal Allana. He is also active in the world of Indian cinema working as an actor, director, and screenwriter, both in Hindi and Kannada cinema, earning numerous awards along the way. He was conferred Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan by the Government of India.
For four decades Karnad has been composing plays, often using history and mythology to tackle contemporary issues. He has translated his major plays into English, and has received critical acclaim across India. His plays have been translated into several Indian languages and directed by eminent directors like Ebrahim Alkazi, B. V. Karanth, Alyque Padamsee, Prasanna, Arvind Gaur, Satyadev Dubey, Vijaya Mehta, Shyamanand Jalan and Amal Allana. He is also active in the world of Indian cinema working as an actor, director, and screenwriter, both in Hindi and Kannada cinema, earning numerous awards along the way. He was conferred Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan by the Government of India.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
April 18, 2022
Karnad's one of the most different play. He showed all the modern problems in the society with the use of wedding occasion that is, caste, class and aging people's behaviour, egotistical and sacrificial attitudes and behaviours, chastity and trade, and obedience and authority.
December 10, 2022
[2.5 stars]
"Wedding Album" weaves together modern Indian socio-political and cultural issues in an unnerving, dry, and poignant manner. Its main focus is on the marriages within the Nadkarni family, while also talking about intellectual precocity, sexual repression and expression, religious and cultural beliefs, spiritual crises, cross-cultural marriages, the impact of technology, and stifling of women after marriage.
Karnad also focuses on the rotten moral character of today's generation, as well as the "self-arrangement" of marriages by the "well-educated and modern" young generation of the Indian diaspora.
Whilst the drama focused on *various* different facets, some that stood out to me were:
1. A woman about to get married off to a man she doesn't know goes to a cyber-cafe to indulge her repressed sexual desires with a stranger.
2. A man who chooses to marry a "suitable" girl from the same caste, tries going back to his Christian ex-girlfriend, once his wife leaves to give birth to his baby.
3. A mother expresses her disappointment toward the life-paths that her daughters chose — not utilizing their education, or tending to their hobbies, in favor of remaining house-wives like herself.
4. A pompous and self-important NRI chooses to marry a Hindu woman from a small town (whom he defines as a wife, mother, and daughter) to propagate their cultural and spiritual ideals in America, and "save it". (This was somewhat reminiscent of Jane Eyre's preacher cousin's soliloquy to her).
5. A mother turned a blind eye to her daughter (who did not have a "respectable" job), for fear of what other people may think.
These issues are very common in present-day Indian society, and are entrenched in the socio-cultural fabric.
However, I did feel that the pace was too fast. With the sheer amount of issues that were being addressed, it felt like I was in the middle of a whirlwind; information was being thrown at me in every sentence, with little to no space to register it.
"Wedding Album" weaves together modern Indian socio-political and cultural issues in an unnerving, dry, and poignant manner. Its main focus is on the marriages within the Nadkarni family, while also talking about intellectual precocity, sexual repression and expression, religious and cultural beliefs, spiritual crises, cross-cultural marriages, the impact of technology, and stifling of women after marriage.
Karnad also focuses on the rotten moral character of today's generation, as well as the "self-arrangement" of marriages by the "well-educated and modern" young generation of the Indian diaspora.
Whilst the drama focused on *various* different facets, some that stood out to me were:
1. A woman about to get married off to a man she doesn't know goes to a cyber-cafe to indulge her repressed sexual desires with a stranger.
2. A man who chooses to marry a "suitable" girl from the same caste, tries going back to his Christian ex-girlfriend, once his wife leaves to give birth to his baby.
3. A mother expresses her disappointment toward the life-paths that her daughters chose — not utilizing their education, or tending to their hobbies, in favor of remaining house-wives like herself.
4. A pompous and self-important NRI chooses to marry a Hindu woman from a small town (whom he defines as a wife, mother, and daughter) to propagate their cultural and spiritual ideals in America, and "save it". (This was somewhat reminiscent of Jane Eyre's preacher cousin's soliloquy to her).
5. A mother turned a blind eye to her daughter (who did not have a "respectable" job), for fear of what other people may think.
These issues are very common in present-day Indian society, and are entrenched in the socio-cultural fabric.
However, I did feel that the pace was too fast. With the sheer amount of issues that were being addressed, it felt like I was in the middle of a whirlwind; information was being thrown at me in every sentence, with little to no space to register it.
February 1, 2014
Marriage being the universal social knot is presented in its forms of dissonance and disturbance in the play as the Father deciphers the concept of marriage as -- “Marriage is a gamble. No escaping the fact – marriage is a gamble” (Scene Nine p. 89). The play brings out the stark contrast between times gone by and the present by reflecting upon the social customs of marriage that have changed considerably. Karnad questions the capacity of the characters to deal with difficulties and ultimately presents the risk of marital discord that is increased with passing time. The play presents rigidly conceived roles of a husband and a wife where the characters are seen as survivors, for they have failed to meet their partner’s psychological needs. The intimate relationship fails to allow the spouses to come together to receive and devote themselves to each other. The partial and incomplete negotiations in various phases of their married lives further lead to marital failure.
The playwright chooses to become that man who willingly presents the marital discord in his writing which further helps readers to interpret their lives with caution. His play rather provides with ideology that becomes imperative command to his readers through Mother – “Don’t do the same thing with your life” (p. 90). His writing initiates and contributes to the society by providing an understanding of the meaning of marriage through representation of various social problems confronted in the present day world.
To read further about marital discord in the play please follow the link below and check article no. 43 :
http://herso.org/vol-1-issue-1-oct-2013/
The playwright chooses to become that man who willingly presents the marital discord in his writing which further helps readers to interpret their lives with caution. His play rather provides with ideology that becomes imperative command to his readers through Mother – “Don’t do the same thing with your life” (p. 90). His writing initiates and contributes to the society by providing an understanding of the meaning of marriage through representation of various social problems confronted in the present day world.
To read further about marital discord in the play please follow the link below and check article no. 43 :
http://herso.org/vol-1-issue-1-oct-2013/
November 24, 2012
This play would be so much more enjoyable if only it was a little less hard to understand. A tale involving an arranged marriage in modern India and all the complications surrounding it, 'Wedding Album' is supposed to be Girish Karnad's 'important new English language play' (according to Amrit Srinivasan). Instead, it's his completely passable new English language play. Scene Six made no sense to me, nor did Scenes One and Five. Nor did the Radhabai side-story: I mean, is Vidula really her daughter, or what? It's all slightly confusing. Scene Three suddenly introduces four new characters (two of whom have been mentioned before and none of whom have been explained). I also didn't see the point of Vivan Kaikini. All in all, it doesn't live up to the supreme status of one of Karnad's previous plays, 'Tughlaq'. It won't matter much if you give 'Wedding Album' a miss.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 17, 2019
The classic extremities that exist in a middle-class family aiming for higher acceptance level in a society is beautifully outlined here. Ramdas may be a beloved brother for Father but Vidula/Hema and Amma have to suppress their disenchantment to themselves. Radhabai-Amma's constant war is a common phenomena in every kitchen. Rohit being nonchalant towards Tapasya's proposal with relatives and later with Pratibha speaks of the boy's outlook for love and power.
Girish Karnad's best scenes in this play for me is when neighbor's son professes his love, Vidula's rebuke when caught red-handed by brigades and lastly the monologue of Ashwin about his NRI mindset.
Few scenes of Sirur are bit over dramatic along with dialogues during Vidula's internet cafe .
Girish Karnad's best scenes in this play for me is when neighbor's son professes his love, Vidula's rebuke when caught red-handed by brigades and lastly the monologue of Ashwin about his NRI mindset.
Few scenes of Sirur are bit over dramatic along with dialogues during Vidula's internet cafe .
May 8, 2017
A whole negative view of Indian society. True, such things happen in India, and else where too ( except probably the arranged marriage part). But every possible negativity coming down to one family did not impress me.
July 19, 2024
Wedding Album deals with an urban middle-class Saraswat Brahmin family of Nadkarni: a daughter who lives in Australia (Hema) with her professional husband, a son (Rohit) who is a software designer, a younger daughter (Vidula) willing to marry an apposite boy from America she has never met, a fond mother (Mother) and a cook (Radhabai). The family is sophisticated, open-minded and modern. Each snapshot shows its members, unmoving in an outlook of respectability, yet each figure has a double image with a shadow of a hidden life. It’s a wonderful comic drama that is intensely revelatory about the India that we reside in today. The plot is alive with sharp, pithy, and observant comments. The play is structured into nine scenes. It deals predominantly with women and their two diverse worlds— old-fashioned and the modern cyber world. But both of them combine into each other. Even the traditional elder women are welded with energy, hope and modern responsiveness. Younger sorts enjoy liberty in education, love, courtship via ‘distance’ technology; and marriage. The play marks the highest evolution of feminine consciousness.
July 25, 2019
Late Shri Girish Karnad's play "Wedding Album" goes around the urban middle class Sarswat Brahmin family of Karnataka. This humourous play lead us to a literate, modern and very liberate family and focuses on the togetherness while Indian wedding..
Parents, 2 daughters, a son, a maid and people in their surrounding. Each character is written in an esthetic way and succeeded to dazzle.
Each one of them has their very own hidden side that leads the play to the astonishment.
Emotions ..laughter, fear, furstration, love, edginess comes out faultlessly.
I highly recommend "Wedding Album" to be read. It reveals an Indian middle class family as never seen before..
Parents, 2 daughters, a son, a maid and people in their surrounding. Each character is written in an esthetic way and succeeded to dazzle.
Each one of them has their very own hidden side that leads the play to the astonishment.
Emotions ..laughter, fear, furstration, love, edginess comes out faultlessly.
I highly recommend "Wedding Album" to be read. It reveals an Indian middle class family as never seen before..
June 13, 2018
'twas fascinating...
November 27, 2018
fantastic
February 26, 2019
M not finding the whole play ....just an intro is wat m getting..guys please help
June 29, 2022
I want to read this
September 19, 2017
Delightful play! Would be wonderful to watch an enactment- and better still, if one were to have a role to act out.
May 11, 2016
Beautifully scripted. Some characters have been developed more than others, but the writer seems to have left enough to be explored through the medium of acting by setting an engaging plot. Worth a read.
July 25, 2013
Good work. Bind you with it.
February 17, 2016
Beautiful :) !
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews