Drama, One-Act Play, Word Portrait and Memoir
Drama, One-Act Play, Word Portrait and Memoir
This topic supplies one to two questions and it is the part of prose that most candidates read least. That is precisely why the return on preparing it is highest — the form, its founder and one work are all that is needed, only three things for each.
Drama
Drama is written for performance, so it carries dialogue, stage directions and a division into scenes. The beginning of Hindi drama is dated from the Bharatendu age.
| Dramatist | Major plays |
|---|---|
| Bharatendu Harishchandra | Andher Nagari, Bharat Durdasha |
| Jaishankar Prasad | Skandagupt, Chandragupt, Dhruvswamini |
| Mohan Rakesh | Ashadh ka Ek Din, Aadhe Adhure |
| Dharmvir Bharati | Andha Yug |
Andher Nagari is Bharatendu's best known satirical play, and Ashadh ka Ek Din is treated as the fresh beginning of modern Hindi drama. Andha Yug is a geeti natya, that is, a play written in verse.
The One-Act Play
A one-act play has a single act, one event, few characters and a limited span of time. Ramkumar Verma is called the father of the Hindi one-act play.
✗ A one-act play and a full play are the same form | ✓ A one-act play has a single act; a play has several acts and sub-plots
- Ramkumar Verma — Reshmi Tie, Deepdan.
- Upendranath Ashk — Charvahe, Tauliye.
- Jagdish Chandra Mathur — Konark, Bhor ka Tara.
Word Portrait and Memoir
| Form | Nature | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Rekhachitra | a word picture of a person or scene | Mahadevi Verma — Atit ke Chalchitra |
| Sansmaran | based on the writer's own memory | Mahadevi Verma — Smriti ki Rekhayen |
| Yatravritt | an account of travel | Rahul Sankrityayan — Meri Ladakh Yatra |
| Reportage | an eyewitness account of an event | Phanishwarnath Renu — Rinjal Dhanjal |
The difference between the word portrait and the memoir is fine, and that is why it is asked. In a rekhachitra the centre is the person being drawn; in a sansmaran the centre is the writer's own memory. Mahadevi Verma is the greatest name in both forms.
पहचान का सूत्र: यदि रचना पढ़कर लगे कि आँखों के सामने कोई व्यक्ति खड़ा हो गया, तो रेखाचित्र; यदि लगे कि लेखक अपनी याद सुना रहा है, तो संस्मरण।
TRE pointer: Ramkumar Verma as father of the Hindi one-act play is close to certain. Keep Mahadevi Verma's two titles together — Atit ke Chalchitra as rekhachitra and Smriti ki Rekhayen as sansmaran. In drama, Bharatendu's Andher Nagari and Mohan Rakesh's Ashadh ka Ek Din come up most often.
60-Second Recap
- Drama is written for performance; Hindi drama begins in the Bharatendu age.
- Andher Nagari is by Bharatendu and Ashadh ka Ek Din by Mohan Rakesh.
- Andha Yug by Dharmvir Bharati is a geeti natya.
- A one-act play has a single act; Ramkumar Verma is its father in Hindi.
- In a rekhachitra the person is central; in a sansmaran the writer's memory is.
- Atit ke Chalchitra and Smriti ki Rekhayen are by Mahadevi Verma.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a one-act play and a full play?
A one-act play has a single act, one event, few characters and a short span of time. A full play has several acts, carries sub-plots and covers a wider spread of events. Ramkumar Verma is called the father of the Hindi one-act play.
How do a word portrait and a memoir differ?
In a rekhachitra the writer draws a person or a scene in words and that person remains the centre. In a sansmaran the writer's own memory and experience remain the centre. Mahadevi Verma wrote importantly in both forms, which is why her two titles are asked together.
What is a geeti natya?
A play written in verse rather than in prose, in which the dialogue too runs in verse. Dharmvir Bharati's Andha Yug is the best known geeti natya in Hindi; it takes the last day of the Mahabharata as its base and writes it into a modern setting.
What is reportage?
The form in which a writer presents an eyewitness account of a real event in a literary manner. It stands between journalism and literature. Phanishwarnath Renu's Rinjal Dhanjal is the well known collection of reportage in Hindi, written around the floods of Bihar.