The Fire and the rain is a play written by Indian playwright, Actor and Film Director, Girish Karnad. The play was originally published in 1998. The play explores the theme of caste, Revenge and Jealousy.
The Fire and the Rain By Girish Karnad
Summary of The Fire and the Rain By Girish Karnad
The story of play revolves around two Brahmin family, first is Raibhya’s family and second is Sage Bhardwaj’s family. Raibhya and Sage are real brothers in relation. Raibhya’s family consist of two sons and one daughter-in-law. And Sage’s family has one son named, Yavakri.
Raibhya and Sage Bhardwaj’s family are priest as they are from Brahmin caste. Sage’s son, Yavakri fights with Raibhya’s family because people chose Raibya’s family for Fire Sacrifice instead of him and his father. Yavakri believe his father, Sage Bhardwaj was more deserving for Fire Sacrifice ritual.
Yavakri get jealous of Raibhya’s family and does 10 years of Tapsya to win God, Indra Dev’s heart. He takes spiritual powers and Universal knowledge from Indra Dev god and starts taking revenge from Raibhya’s family.
The story of play begins with the description of village where it hasn’t rained adequately since 10 years. In 10 years, villagers has done Yagya for 7 years but it didn’t work out. The seven years long sacrifice of villagers didn’t work for them. The village’s King has chosen Raibhya’s eldest son, Paravasu as chief priest. And now Paravasu is going to make Fire Sacrifice successful with his worshiping.
Paravasu is going to impress Indra Dev with his prayers and devotion. As Indra Dev is a god of Rain, villagers are impressing him for rain in their village. Paravasu is 28 years old chief priest who is going to sacrifice himself in Yagya. The story now features new character, Aravasu, a son of Raibhya and youngest brother of Paravasu. Aravasu is in love with lower caste girl, Nittilai. They both love each other but Nittilai’s parents don’t want her to be married in Brahmin family as they want her to marry someone from their own caste.
Although, Aravasu and Nittilai are from different caste but they love each other and want to live together. But Nittilai family denied Aravasu’s marriage proposal and their marriage got canceled.
Thereafter, Aravasu and Nittilai goes at Yavakri’s hermitage as he wants to talk with them. As they goes, they meet Andhka, a blind guard of Yavakri who can identify people by their footsteps. He identify Aravasu and Nittilai by their footsteps when they come near to hermitage. Aravasu and Nittilai waits for Yavakri and talks with Andhka. When Yavakri doesn’t come, they goes towards forest.
The story now introduces new character, Vishakha, a 26 years old woman who is wife of Paravasu. She is in forest to fetch drinking water from well. When Vishakha was in jungle, Yavakri capture her and don’t let her go. Yavakri and Vishakha were in relationship before the 10 years Tapsaya of Yavakri. They talk with each other and Yavakri made Vishakha emotional by talking about theirs old memories.
Yavakri seduce Vishakha with her emotional talk and take her behind tree to make love with her. Aravasu and Nittilai are also in forest, Nittalai saw footsteps and she immediately learn that Vishakha is not alone, she is with someone. She knows that Vishkha is with Yavakri. But she tries to goes away from them and ask Aravasu to go somewhere else. Aravasu didn’t listen her, he goes behind tree and saw Yavakri and Vishakha making love.
Vishakha in embarrassment goes back to her home. There she meets Raibhya who immediately understands what happened with Vishakha by looking at her condition. Raibhya in anger and jealousy starts beating Vishakha ruthlessly. Afterwards, she tell him that she was with Yavakri. Raibhya gets furious and does Tapsya to wake up Brahmarakshas. Raibhya order Brahmarakshas to kill Yavakri. On the order of Raibhya, Brahmarakshas killed Yavakri.
The story now jumps to Paravasu who goes to his home from his incomplete Yagya. He saw Vishakha and learns what happened with her as her news was spread in all over village. Vishakha tells her husband, Paravasu that how angry Raibhya is and how he is showing his lust on her. Raibhya expressed his anger and jealousy through lust with Vishakha who is her own daughter-in-law.
Raibhya is angry with his son, Paravasu as he is choses as Chief priest instead of him. He is jealous of his own son. Afterwards, Paravasu takes out his bow and fire towards Vishakha. The direction of arrow changes from Vishakha to Raibhya and he died. He killed Raibhya with his bow. Afterwards, he calls Aravasu who was sitting under tamarind tree.
When Aravasu comes, he saw Vishakha and Paravasu crying near Raibhya’s dead body. Paravasu ask Aravasu to do a funeral of Raibhya and afterwards he goes back to his Tapasya. Aravasu is obedient brother, he obeys his brother’s orders and does a funeral of their father.
After the funeral, when Aravasu goes to back to Paravasu, he accused him for killing Raibhya. Paravasu accused his younger brother, Aravasu in front of everyone that he has killed Raibhya. All the priest beats Aravasu ruthlessly and throws him in crematorium though he is not dead yet.
Thereafter, Nittilai takes Aravasu from crematorium and look after him until he recovers. At the end of story, villagers take permission from King to organize a play. In play, there will be Indra and Vridra. And Vridra role was given to Aravasu.
In story we saw revenge and jealousy. It starts with Yavakri who gets jealous when his father was not chosen as chief priest and does 10 years of Tapasya just to take revenge from Raibhya’s family. He had no love for Vishakha, he just uses her take revenge from Raibhya.
Because of Revenge, Yavakri gets killed by Brahmrakshas. We saw Raibhya who was jealous from his own son and gets killed by him. Paravasu was clever from all of them, he killed his father and later accused his younger brother for his death. Pravasu doesn’t care about his wife and doesn’t look after. He has no regret for what he did to his younger brother.