Indian writing in English, of late, has established its reputation not only because of Indian poets and novelists, but also because of some dramatists making their mark worldwide because of their delineation of contemporary realities. Mahesh Dattani is one such dramatist who has always been in limelight because of the selection of his themes, which unlike other creative artists, are neither Indian myths nor about history but about certain intangible issues which the civilized world may call ?taboos?. A dramatist with a difference, Dattani, a multi-dimensional genius and a winner of the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award, he touches upon various pertinent issues such as sexuality, religious tension, gender inequality and themes that affect human relationships in everyday lives. The deviant nature of his plays gets affirmed in author?s own words when he calls his plays as ?heavy?. The heaviness of his dramatic world emanates from his creative easel that comprises issues ranging from women, minorities, gays and transsexuals.The present paper attempts at examining the heaviness that the playwright is often charged with. The play under discussion is Dattani?s Brief Candle, which will be explored with an existentialist perspective on the lives of its characters who happen to be ?cancer patients?. Though on the verge of ?death?, these characters don?t allow their lives to terminate under the awful ?black aura? of death. This complicates the nature of the play which escapes the easy categorization of ?tragedy? or ?comedy?. What makes the play outstanding is the characters? determination to extract happiness and stand against death, using the freedom of choice and authentic existence in a world that is going to collapse for them
Associate Professor, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, Uttarakhand
