Here you will get the detailed summary of IGNOU MEG 7 Block 8 – Mahesh Dattani: Tara.
We have provided the summary of all units starting from unit 1 to unit 4.
Introduction
IGNOU MEG-7 Block 8, titled Mahesh Dattani: Tara, explores the dynamics of Indian English drama through the lens of Mahesh Dattani’s powerful play Tara. This block introduces students to the evolution of Indian drama in English, with a special focus on Dattani’s innovative contributions to the medium. The block delves into the thematic and structural elements of Tara, examining its treatment of gender, disability, family, and societal hypocrisy. Through a close reading and critical appreciation of the play, the block highlights how Dattani redefines contemporary Indian theatre with a socially conscious narrative and minimalist staging.
Unit 1 – An Overview of Indian English Drama
This unit provides a broad historical and thematic overview of Indian English drama. It traces the evolution of dramatic writing in English from its colonial beginnings to post-independence experimentation.
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Early Indian English plays were mostly closet dramas, heavily influenced by British models and lacking theatrical realism.
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With time, Indian playwrights began integrating Indian socio-political themes, folk traditions, and contemporary issues.
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The emergence of playwrights like Girish Karnad, Vijay Tendulkar, Badal Sircar, and Mahesh Dattani marked a shift towards authentic Indian content with global relevance.
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Indian English drama evolved to address issues like caste, gender, urban alienation, and identity politics, often blurring the lines between personal and political.
The unit emphasizes the role of English theatre as both a literary and performative art form that continues to grow within India’s multilingual, multicultural context.
Unit 2 – A Preview of Dattani’s Dramatic World
This unit introduces Mahesh Dattani as a pioneering dramatist in Indian English theatre, highlighting his thematic concerns and stylistic innovations.
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Dattani is noted for his focus on urban middle-class India, tackling issues often considered taboo such as:
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Gender discrimination
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Sexual identity
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Disability
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Communalism
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Patriarchal oppression
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His plays often feature fragmented narratives, multi-level staging, and metatheatrical elements.
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Dattani’s work seeks to give voice to the marginalised, challenging the façade of social normalcy.
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Tara, in particular, is a deeply personal and political play that explores the consequences of gender bias within the Indian family.
This unit also outlines Dattani’s background as a theatre practitioner, blending his literary skill with a deep understanding of live performance dynamics.
Unit 3 – Reading Tara
This unit offers a textual reading of Tara, focusing on its plot, characters, setting, and dialogue.
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Tara is centered around conjoined twins – Tara and Chandan, whose surgical separation reveals deeper truths about gender bias and familial preference.
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The play shifts between past and present, and between Bangalore and London, reflecting the psychological fragmentation of the narrator, Chandan.
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The father (Patel) and mother (Bharati) represent conflicting yet complicit forces within the patriarchal household.
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The surgery that physically separated Tara from her brother, in favor of giving Chandan a better life, becomes a metaphor for systemic gender discrimination.
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The use of stage space and dramatic silence plays a crucial role in emphasizing emotional tensions.
Key themes include:
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Internalized patriarchy
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Loss and guilt
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The social invisibility of female suffering
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Disabled identity and moral responsibility
Unit 4 – Appreciating Tara
This unit critically analyzes the literary, thematic, and performative aspects of the play.
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Dattani’s use of non-linear narrative and symbolic set design (such as the split stage) enhances the emotional fragmentation of the characters.
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The play’s strength lies in its subtle commentary on societal norms without moralizing.
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Tara challenges the audience to question:
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What determines human worth—gender or individual merit?
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How does family perpetuate social injustices under the guise of love?
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The play also critiques medical ethics, parental favoritism, and the cultural silence around female disability.
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Chandan’s self-imposed exile and writing in London becomes an act of catharsis and historical reckoning, as he revisits the trauma of Tara’s death.
The unit affirms that Tara is not just a play about a disabled girl; it is a poignant social document, rich in emotional complexity and narrative sophistication.