Overview
This lecture discusses Vijay Tendulkar's one-act play "Papa Khogaye," where inanimate objects come to life and show empathy, centering on a lost girl and her encounter with various animated objects at night.
Setting and Characters
- The play is set at night near the sea, featuring a lamp post (Khamba), a tree (Ped), a letterbox, a crow (Kauwa), and a movie poster with a dancing woman.
- A man appears carrying a sleeping girl, intending to leave her there.
- The inanimate objects communicate and express concern for the girl.
Main Plot Points
- The objects recall how they became friends and discuss their existence.
- The girl awakens, confused but curious, discovering the objects can talk and interact.
- The objects comfort the girl and distract her with conversation and dance.
- A bad man, who abandoned the girl, returns but is frightened away by the objects acting as ghosts.
- After the danger passes, the girl plays with the objects before falling asleep.
Themes and Motifs
- The play uses personification, giving life and feelings to inanimate objects.
- Themes include empathy, protection of the innocent, and the loneliness of objects and people at night.
- Child safety and solidarity are highlighted as the objects unite to help the lost girl.
Resolution
- The objects plan to help the girl reunite with her father by attracting police attention.
- They position themselves and create noise to draw people in.
- The play ends with a direct appeal to the audience to help find the girl's father.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Personification — Assigning human traits to non-human or inanimate things.
- One-act play — A play that takes place in a single act, without scene breaks or intervals.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Review Tendulkar’s use of personification and its dramatic effect.
- Prepare for discussion on how empathy is depicted through non-human characters.