Tughlaq By Girish Karnad Text Extra Quality May 2026

The Delusions of Power

In the sweltering heat of Delhi's summer, a ruler sits upon his throne, surrounded by sycophants and yes-men. Muhammad bin Tughlaq, the Sultan of Delhi, with a gaze both calculating and mad, spins his web of deceit and destruction.

His eyes gleam with the promise of revolution, of a new order, of a utopia built on the principles of reason and justice. But as his schemes unfold, the line between vision and lunacy blurs. The Sultan's advisors tremble, his nobles grow restless, and the people suffer.

The Sultan's mind is a maelstrom of contradictions. He seeks to break free from the shackles of tradition, to forge a new path, but his steps are shackled by the very delusions of power that have consumed him. He believes himself to be a visionary, a philosopher-king, but in reality, he is a tyrant, blundering from one catastrophe to the next. tughlaq by girish karnad text

As his policies crumble, one by one, the Sultan's grip on reality falters. He sees conspiracies everywhere, and his responses are swift and brutal. The people of Delhi cower in fear, wondering what new whim will afflict them next.

In the midst of this chaos, a few voices of reason cry out, only to be silenced by the Sultan's wrath. The learned men, the poets, and the wise – all are forced to flee or face the consequences of their dissent.

And yet, amidst the ruin, the Sultan remains convinced of his own infallibility. He is the centre of his own universe, the axis around which the world revolves. His advisors tremble at his words, his generals quake at his whims, and the people suffer in silence. The Delusions of Power In the sweltering heat

In the end, it is not the Sultan's policies that are the problem, but the Sultan himself. For in his relentless pursuit of power and his conviction of his own divinity, he has lost sight of the very people he was meant to serve.

The play "Tughlaq" by Girish Karnad is a scathing critique of power, of the delusions that consume those who wield it, and of the devastating consequences that follow. It is a reminder that even the most well-intentioned among us can fall prey to the corrupting influence of power, and that the line between vision and madness is perilously thin.

Availability of the Text

For those looking to acquire the "Tughlaq by Girish Karnad text," the authorized version is available through: Warning for Researchers: The play is often mis-published

• Oxford University Press (India) – Three Plays: Naga-Mandala, Hayavadana, Tughlaq (ISBN: 9780195658332)
• Penguin Books – Collected Plays: Volume 1
• Online Resources: While some free PDFs circulate on student forums, they often contain typographical errors (e.g., confusing "Aziz" with "Azam"). It is recommended to purchase the critical edition for accurate line references, especially for academic citation.

Warning for Researchers: The play is often mis-published as "Tughlaq: A Play in Thirteen Scenes" without Karnad’s final 1972 revisions. Ensure your copy includes the prologue and the correct scene order.

7. Critical Perspectives

• Colonial & Postcolonial reading – Tughlaq internalizes the authoritarianism he claims to oppose; mirrors the failure of postcolonial states to break from feudal governance.
• Tragic hero or tyrant? – Debate: Is he a Hamlet-like intellectual undone by circumstances, or a cruel megalomaniac using idealism as mask? Most critics say both.
• Gender critique – Women are absent (only minor roles like Tughlaq’s wife briefly). Reflects historical silence, but also a limitation in Karnad’s early work.

8. Study / Discussion Questions

1. Is Tughlaq solely responsible for the tragedy, or does his court/environment shape his descent?
2. How does Karnad use the character of Aziz to critique the gap between ruling class and common people?
3. Why does Karnad begin the play after Tughlaq has killed his father? What effect does this have on our sympathy?
4. Compare Tughlaq with Machiavelli’s The Prince – does Tughlaq fail because he ignores Machiavellian advice, or because he follows it too well?
5. In what ways does the play remain relevant to contemporary politics (e.g., populism, failed reforms)?

Critical Reception and the "Ideal Reader" of the Text

Upon publication, the Tughlaq text was lauded as a work of genius. Critic U.R. Ananthamurthy called it "the most original play written in Kannada." However, the text has also faced criticism:

• Pacing Issues: Some critics argue that the final scenes become repetitive, with Tughlaq shifting the capital, then shifting it back, in a monotonous cycle of failure.
• Gender Blindness: Female characters are almost absent or marginalized (the only significant female presence is Tughlaq’s stepmother, who is a stock villain). Modern readers of the text note this as a significant limitation.
• Complexity Overload: The protagonist’s motives shift so rapidly (from generous to cruel to paranoid) that some students find him psychologically inconsistent. Defenders argue that this inconsistency is the point.

Step 2: Second Reading – The Allegory

Read each decision of Tughlaq as a metaphor for post-1962 India (after the Sino-Indian war). Ask: How does the Sultan’s "I will fix everything from the top" mirror the Indian government’s early planning commission?

5. Loneliness of Power

The final soliloquy of Tughlaq is a masterpiece of dramatic writing. Abandoned by everyone, holding the corpse of his one love (the fictionalized Ghiyas-ud-din’s wife?), or rather realizing his utter isolation, Tughlaq asks: "Must I still live?" The text provides no answer, only silence.