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    Communal Confrontations and Disharmony in Mahesh Dattani's Final Solutions

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    Arul Murugan
    This article provides a summary and analysis of the play "Final Solutions" by Mahesh Dattani, which explores communal confrontations and religious disharmony in India. The play depicts a riot that breaks out following the demolition of a Hindu chariot. Two Muslim youths take shelter in a Hindu family's home to escape the mob violence. Through conversations between the characters, the play examines the roots of communal violence and suggests the only final solution is developing mutual understanding and trust between religious communities, rather than believing fabricated historical narratives that divide them.

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    Communal Confrontations and Disharmony in Mahesh Dattani's Final Solutions

    Uploaded by

    Arul Murugan
    184 views3 pages
    This article provides a summary and analysis of the play "Final Solutions" by Mahesh Dattani, which explores communal confrontations and religious disharmony in India. The play depicts a riot that breaks out following the demolition of a Hindu chariot. Two Muslim youths take shelter in a Hindu family's home to escape the mob violence. Through conversations between the characters, the play examines the roots of communal violence and suggests the only final solution is developing mutual understanding and trust between religious communities, rather than believing fabricated historical narratives that divide them.

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    IWE Mahesh Dattani.

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    COMMUNAL CONFRONTATIONS AND DISHARMONY IN MAHESH DATTANI’S FINAL SOLUTIONS

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    This article provides a summary and analysis of the play "Final Solutions" by Mahesh Dattani, which explores communal confrontations and religious disharmony in India. The play depicts a riot that breaks out following the demolition of a Hindu chariot. Two Muslim youths take shelter in a Hindu family's home to escape the mob violence. Through conversations between the characters, the play examines the roots of communal violence and suggests the only final solution is developing mutual understanding and trust between religious communities, rather than believing fabricated historical narratives that divide them.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    184 views3 pages

    Communal Confrontations and Disharmony in Mahesh Dattani's Final Solutions

    Uploaded by

    Arul Murugan
    This article provides a summary and analysis of the play "Final Solutions" by Mahesh Dattani, which explores communal confrontations and religious disharmony in India. The play depicts a riot that breaks out following the demolition of a Hindu chariot. Two Muslim youths take shelter in a Hindu family's home to escape the mob violence. Through conversations between the characters, the play examines the roots of communal violence and suggests the only final solution is developing mutual understanding and trust between religious communities, rather than believing fabricated historical narratives that divide them.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
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    of 3

    Kanpur Philosophers

    ISSN 2348-8301
    International Journal of humanities, Law and Social Sciences
    Published biannually by New Archaeological & Genological Society
    Kanpur India

    Vol. VIII, Issue II : 2021

    COMMUNAL CONFRONTATIONS AND DISHARMONY IN MAHESH DATTANI’S


    FINAL SOLUTIONS

    Dr. P. N. Gunanidhi, Assistant Professor of English, Rajah Serfoji Government College


    (Autonomous), Thanjavur. (Affiliated to Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli).

    ARUNA: Our Krishna will protect us.


    HARDIKA: (Sharply) Be careful, I said! (Almost to herself.) The dogs have
    been let loose (Exits). (CP 174)

    In Final Solutions, Dattani brings out an accurate depiction of communal riot and makes the
    audiences ponder the burning issue. Besides giving a solution, he shows the reality behind the riot
    (Prasad).
    In the play, two Muslim youths take shelter in a Hindu’s house during a riot following the
    demolition of a Hindu rath. The conversation between the house owner’s family and the Muslim
    youths from the plot of the play. A riot breaks out when some hoodlums damage the chariot of the
    Hindus. Immediately, the Hindus accuse the Muslims of this violent act. Enraged by the sabotage
    caused by some anti-social elements, the Hindus spurt out their anger against the Muslims: "Drive ...
    them ... out. Kill the sons of swine!" (CP 169). The terrible riots and communal-religious disharmony
    that took seed during partition continue to exist through independent and secular India incidents.
    In this globalized world, no nation is mono-religious or mono-cultural. All countries have
    become pluralistic, and all the religious and cultural minorities enjoy equal constitutional rights
    throughout the world.
    Dattani attempts to spotlight his social concerns in Final Solutions. The dramatist traces for
    a solution unaware of its availability or existence as the communal violence has continued in some
    form or the other ever since one's memory dates back (R. Sharma, "Study"). Final Solutions seems
    to be possible when each community, section, class of our society has its solution to the crisis. It is
    indeed this very search for final answers, which in many ways perpetuates the hatred. Another
    uniqueness is the idea that there are many solutions to choose from, while each one turns out to be
    temporary. Dattani does not offer 'final solution' but 'final solutions'- he sticks to the plural, which
    discreetly undermines the possibility of the meaning of the first word 'final'.
    The play opens with Daksha, the great grandmother of Smitha, reading from her diary,
    recalling the terrible loss of pluralism in India's vivisection even as the country's tryst with destiny
    has eventually materialized the form of its long-cherished independence. The period of forty years is
    squeezed as Daksha's observations melt into Hardika's, Smitha's grandmother, voice: "Yes, Things
    have not changed that much" (CP 167). Hardika is the oldest character in the play who feels that her
    son, Ramnik, is blinded by his ideals. The present communal trouble reminds Hardika of the past one
    in which her father died on physical assault on the streets of Hussainabad and died there during the
    post-independence communal trouble. Daksha, the great grandmother, reads to the audience and
    Hardika, the grandmother, remains seated motionless reading her diary:
    Dear Diary today, is the first time I have dared to put my thoughts on your pages.
    (Thinks for a while) Today? How will people know when ‘today’ was a hundred years
    from now? (Picks up pen and scribbles.) 31 March, 1948. (CP 165-66)

    Kanpur Philosophers ISSN 2348-8301, Volume-8, Issue-2, 2021 Page | 32


    Through her reading, it is known that Daksha wanted to be a singer like Noor Jehan, who
    after marrying Hari before fifteen, has found her dreams shattering when her in-laws objected to her
    humming a love song to Hari. While recalling the past, the memories of the communal riots after
    independence made her to write:
    Like last year, in August, a most terrible thing happened to our country. We … (tries
    hard to read her handwriting) … gained independence. You should have seen it.
    Everyone was awake waiting for midnight like children on their last day of school,
    waiting for the last bell of the last class before vacation (CP 166).
    However, people rushed out screaming, shouting and fighting instead of enjoying and
    celebrating the declaration of freedom. Daksha's father, whose name is not specified, though happy
    with India's independence, had stated that the British had let loose the dogs. The implication has
    appeared irrelevant until her ancestral house in Hussainabad was attacked, and her entire collection
    of records of Shamshad Begum, Noor Jehan, Suraiya were broken into pieces. Hardika, the
    grandmother, opens her diary after forty years, writes a dozen pages, and expresses that "things have
    not changed that much" (CP 167).
    In this play, Dattani employs the classical device of chorus interestingly and innovatively that
    helps the readers to understand the psyche of both Hindus and Muslims. The Hindu Choruses express
    their views thus,
    CHORUS 1. It is in their blood!
    CHORUS 2, 3. It is in their blood to destroy!
    CHORUS 4. Why should they?
    CHORUS 5. It could have been an accident.
    CHORUS 2. The stone that hit our God was no accident!
    CHORUS 3. The knife that slit the poojari’s stomach was no accident!
    CHORUS 4, 5. Why should they? It could have been an accident! (CP 168)
    Accordingly, the chorus continues to question and counter-question. The split views of the
    Chorus continue to a crescendo when the Muslim chorus utter:
    CHORUS 1. Their chariot fell in our street!
    CHORUS 2. Their God now prostrates before us!
    CHORUS 3. So they blame it on us?
    CHORUS 1. Was the chariot built by us?
    CHORUS 2, 3. Blame the builder of those fancy thrones.
    CHORUS 4. A manufacturing defect!
    CHORUS 5. Doesn’t their God have a warranty? (CP 171)
    These split vocalizations come after the riots that accompanied rath yatra, in which many
    died. Smita's Muslim friend Tasneem, studying in a college, stays at Muslim girls' hostel that is
    reported bombed. Anyhow, no injury is known. Smita and Ramnik Gandhi talked on the phone to
    Tasneem's family at Jeevnagar and assured them of Tasneem's safety in the hostel. Ramnik Gandhi
    says:
    My daughter is Tasneem's classmate and … No, no she is fine, don't worry about your
    daughter that is why we called - to tell you that. Colleges are closed and curfew hasn't
    been lifted, so we assumed you might be worried about … In fact, they were speaking
    on the phone … and … everything is just fine…(CP 170)
    Hardika is reminded of the riot that had looted her house in the absence of her father.
    However, she finds a difference this time. Unlike in Hussainabad, two Muslim boys took shelter at
    her house this time, which creates panic in her because it may destroy her family again.
    The two Mulsim boys, Javed and Bobby, confirm the Hindu Mob who enquired about their
    names, business in the town, etc. Knowing them to be outstation Muslims, the mob encircles them
    from behind to snatch one of the young men's watch and push, pull, and beat them severely. Javed
    and Bobby run crying in pain and reach Ramnik Gandhi's house seeking shelter. It appears pathetic
    of them, when they cry, "Help us! Save us! For God's sake, somebody Save us!" (CP 179).
    Immediately after they enter the house, they shut the door quickly, which gives space for Dattani to
    explore the root causes of communal trouble.

    Kanpur Philosophers ISSN 2348-8301, Volume-8, Issue-2, 2021 Page | 33


    Despite the mad and frenzy crowd outside, Ramnik plays a civilized host, determined not to
    open the door with a good deal of courage and patience. The perturbed Aruna insists Ramnik open
    the door since she does not want to repeat the earlier incident quoted by Hardika. However, the mob
    decides to wait outside while there is a lot of discussion between the Gandhis and the two men. At
    that time, Smita comes into the scene and greets both the young boys by name, announcing her
    acquaintance with the two men.
    From the conversations among the characters, we can understand that communal violence is
    not an isolated phenomenon but an organized crime, planned and executed professionally. Javed
    remembers how he had been swayed by calls of Jehad, the holy war, and feels ashamed.
    Javed remembers with disgust how he was determined to stab the 'poojari' after throwing
    stone at the rath. But his good-self overcame the bad, and the knife dropped from his hands.
    However, in the ensuing confusion, somebody took the knife and completed the action they had set
    out. Then the agitators broke the chariot, the 'poojari' and the Hindu Gods fell.
    Dattani suggests that the only final solution to communal hatred is to have fair faith in each
    other rather than trusting fabricated historical facts. One should unburden himself of the malignant
    baggage of one's past and start afresh with the realization that neither the Hindus nor the Muslims
    can be wished away. One has to live together. The best bet is to live together peacefully.
    Final Solutions was commissioned before the destruction of the Babri Masjid in 1992 but
    was performed only the following year in 1993. The play was written and performed during a period
    of high tension and violence in urban India. When looking at the text now, with the recent riots in
    mind, we can quote Dattani, “Things have not changed that much” (CP 167).

    Works cited
    Dattani, Mahesh. Collected Plays. New Delhi: Penguin, 2000.
    Prasad, Amar Nath. The Dramatic World of Mahesh Dattani: A Critical Exploration. New Delhi:
    Sarup Book, 2009.
    Sharma, Ram. "A Study of Mahesh Dattani's 'Final Solutions'" Amazines.com, 13 June 2009. Web.

    Kanpur Philosophers ISSN 2348-8301, Volume-8, Issue-2, 2021 Page | 34

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