Indian Woman and her Sexuality: An Investigation Through Heterogeneous Application of Symbolic Masks in Girish Karnad’s Hayavadana

A critical look at the masks of different characters of Girish Karnad’s play Hayavadana (1971) shows that they serve two significant purposes; of both hiding and supporting the truth, which in itself is a relative phenomenon. I, here, focus on the objectives, techniques and types of mask usage in terms of disguise and revelation at the physical, emotional and psychological levels. The paper further highlights the power that the characters enjoy over other characters by using specific masks. By highlighting the theme of incompleteness in the play, the playwright seems to question Hindu religious and traditional values. The veiled wants of the characters are also shown to the readers in this article through a variety of subtle techniques. Qualitative approach has been adopted as methodology where the interpretive method of inquiry has been employed to explore the hidden meanings within the text.