Hinduism and Hindi Theater

"This book makes an enormous contribution to an area of scholarship that critically attends to the links between religious discourse, nationalist politics, and cultural production. Dimitrova's careful exploration of the significant but relatively neglected field of modern Hindi drama powerfully exposes how Hinduism, in all its plurality, was imagined in Hindi drama and how this drama functioned as a site for reproducing and questioning ideological and nationalistic discourses about caste, gender, and minorities." (Nandi Bhatia, Professor, Department of English and Associate Dean (Research), Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Western University London, Canada) "In this broad-ranging and commanding work, Diana Dimitrova explores the intersection of religion and Hindi theater in the modern period. Noting that Hindi theater is essentially Hindu theater, she adeptly weaves into her analyses questions of nationalism and 'othering' in Hindi theatrical narrative, giving special attention to discourses pertaining to religion, cultural identity, and gender. I know of no other book that accomplishes what this one does." (Tracy Pintchman, Director, International Studies Program and Professor, History of Religion in South Asia, Loyola University Chicago, USA)

This book explores the representation of Hinduism through myth and discourse in urban Hindi theatre in the period 1880-1960. This book explores the representation of Hinduism through myth and discourse in urban Hindi theatre in the period 1880-1960. It discusses representative works of seven influential playwrights and looks into the ways they have imagined and re-imagined  Hindu traditions. Diana Dimitrova examines the intersections of Hinduism and Hindi theatre, emphasizing the important role that both myth and discourse play in the representation of Hindu traditions in the works of Bharatendu Harishcandra, Jayshankar Prasad, Lakshminarayan Mishra, Jagdishcandra Mathur, Bhuvaneshvar, Upendranath Ashk, and Mohan Rakesh. Dimitrova’a analysis suggests either a traditionalist or a more modernist stance toward religious issues. She emphasizes the absence of Hindi-speaking authors who deal with issues implicit to the Muslim or Sikh or Jain, etc. traditions. This prompts her to suggest that Hindi theatre of the period 1880-1960, as represented in the works of the seven dramatists discussed, should be seen as truly ‘Hindu-Hindi’ theatre.