His Fifth Woman - A Play by Vijay Tendulkar (2004)

This critical appreciation is submitted as a project assignment for a course I have registered for.

Introduction

The play by Vijay Tendulkar brings out the essence of oppression towards the fair sex in gory details in the Indian Society particularly in the lower income group of the society. Short, yet a depiction which leaves a little to imagination to the reader in treatment of woman as an object to fulfill one's desire is all very clearly shown in the play. The play exposes a man's sexual ego even after death and long past his death which makes even afterlife unsatisfactory for him.

Characters

The play has the following characters performing on stage:

1.Shakharam
2.Dawood
3.The Woman
4.A brahmin
5.Bunch of Crows
6.A nurse
7.A Ward Boy
8.An Afterlife Man
9.Chitragupta

However, I feel the characters which from a story perspective is important are the following:

1.Shakharam
2.Dawood
3.The Fifth Woman
4.And her husband
5.His first wife

We will try to read through the story from the above mentioned five characters rather than from the angle of the play and try to see how each character's outlook is for women in general.
The Story

The Fifth Woman

A woman bread in the simplistic social values taught to her as husband as the sole authority of a woman's existence. With all the vices the husband may have she thinks the husband is her whole sole protector even after his death and is protecting her all through her life. This faith has led to her accepting all the ill-behaviors done towards her by her husband's first wife, even the sexual hunger of Shakharam, which she willfully accepts in full respect to her husband's soul. A woman who has not revolted against the social injustice and has surrendered to fate. She feels she is even duty bound to Shakharam for the food and shelter he has provided to her.

The First Wife

In a male dominated society, which has bestowed on her very little power to execute her prowess upon, has identified the hapless Fifth Woman as the sole target to release her anger and throws her out of the house. Something she could not have revolted against the will of her husband had he been alive. A thing to note here is, although the man has been behind all the miseries of the this woman she identifies another victim as the cause of her sorrow. This is the most sorrowful part in the male dominated society a woman is living in helplessly.

The Husband

Buys a wife thirty years younger to him in age, like a slave from a slave market. Very little can be told about how oppressive the society allows a man to become to fulfill his sexual desire. The superiority that man gets of his manhood is clearly depicted when after death the man ceases to exist to have the sexual superiority and grapples in deciding whether let his soul move to a peaceful recluse after a struggle of life. This man identifies woman as an object of desire which he can buy and tie to her a sacred thread, yet very little can he do to protect his woman.

Shakharam

The most described character in the play, yet does he deserve a mention. What do really women to him other than a definition of white slavery? A contractual relationship of give and take for the food and shelter he can provide a woman for staying with him. A self proclaimed messiah to women, is that a reality? When the husband bought a slave Shakharam bought over the Fifth Woman everyday for the carnal desires as and when that came to him. She does not even provide the social protection of marriage or a sense of respect for the woman to provide her a respectful life in the society. The Fifth Woman lived with him, provided for his desires although not accepting to the fact that he has a right on her body, yet her body was to be left abandoned as unclaimed object when she was little use to him after death. Of course, Shakharam was way away from being social, he had no respect for the women he lived with. More over, when he conducts the last rights for the fifth woman he is seen terribly upset, confused and completely annoyed with the whole situation. If Dawood were not available he would have definitely left her unclaimed. As soon as she cremates the fifth woman he is ready for his search for the sixth woman.

Dawood

A soul who has not come across many women in life save the women he had his carnal pleasures satiated in the whore house or the women he interacted who came to stay with Shakharam. Always, respected the women who stayed with Shakharam thinking that there was real respect Shakharam had for those women. He in fact completely bears all expenses related to the fifth woman's cremation. In a society with so much of torture for women he seems to be the only hope who shows some true respect for them as humans.

What does a woman really want?

This is something differently put forth in the story. At one point through the crows who do not eat the offered food and the final tale of fifth woman in Chitragupta's court.

Shakharam's belief that he has done enough for the woman and has taken enough pains in giving back the woman what he received in return. There is a point the crows reject the food and finally attack to eat all the food when they hear the sacred thread has been left to burn in the funeral pyre by Shakharam. There are two distinct meanings that can be attributed to this. One the crows were not hungry and when they got hungry when they ate the food as has been mentioned by Shakharam. The second aspect could be the fifth woman's only symbol of marriage was passed on to her in dignity, a small respect that she always deserved as a married lady, the sacred thread which she never allowed Shakharam to touch.

In the end the fifth woman after her death describes her desire of having a level playing ground where she is not subjected to male domination. A place which has values beyond just physical needs of a tyrant male. Will she get that ever?


About the Author

Vijay Tendulkar is a prominent playwrite, social commentator, political essayist, and screen and television writer. His writings have influenced the Marathi literature for over forty years. Some of his famous works are:
Shantata!!! Court Chalu Ahe (1967)
Shakharam Binder (1972)
Kamala (1981)
Kanyadaan (1983)
Ghashiram Kotwal (1972)

The Fifth Woman (2004) is a prelude to the Shakharam Binder which is probably the first English play written by the author. Written in simple English, it has communicated and presented the social status of a woman's life on the streets of India and the level of torture she is exposed to.

Vijay Tendulkar is an eminent screenplay writer. He has written original scripts and dialogs for eleven Hindi movies. Some of his movies are:
Nishant (1975)
Manthan (1977)
Akrosh (1980)
Ardh-Satya (1983)
Aghat (1986)
These movies remain as the flag bearers of "parallel Hindi cinema".

The author has been honored with many awards. Some of them are:
Sangeet Natak Academy Award (1971)
Filmfare award for original screenplay (Akrosh 1981, Ardha-Satya 1983)
Padma Bhushan (1984)
Maharastra Gaurav Puraskar (1990)
The Janasthan Award (1991)
The Kalidas Samman (1992)
The Saraswati Samman (1993)
Dinanath Mangeskar Award (2000)