The Bull by Bhimnidhi Tiwari
About the Writer: Nepalese poet, storyteller, and dramatist Bhimnidhi Tiwari was born in 1911 and died in 1973. Tiwari, a fervent advocate for social change, founded the Nepal Drama Society, also known as Nepal Natak Sangh, in 1949. By performing plays and encouraging Nepali authors to write plays, he popularized Nepali plays through this organization. He also composed plays like Matoko Maya, Shilanyas, and Sahansheela Sushila, among others, to support this organization. In 1970, Tiwari took home the Madan Puraskar for writing. Ranabahadur Shah, the late eighteenth-century ruler of Nepal and the grandson of Prithvi Narayan Shah, had a penchant for bulls. In his one-act play "The Bull," Tiwari satirizes the feudal system, which dehumanized people to the point where their continued existence depended on their deference to four-legged creatures like bulls, by dramatizing an occurrence connected to Ranabahadur Shah's obsession with bulls.Tiwari quotes, “The King Ranabahadur Shah was fond of rearing four-footed animals. Among the four-footed animals, too, he was especially keen on rearing bulls. He was the very person to start the practice of releasing a bull with a burnt mark every month at Pashupatinath Temple. He was the one, who had maintained Thulo Gauchar, a large cow pasture, where an airport has been built now. Among many bulls reared by him, a bull named ‘Male’ fell sick. ‘You would get shaved if you came to tell me that a bull died’, he had threatened the bull doctor. The bull died. Taking the events following the bull's death, this play has been written.”
Characters
1.
Ranabahadur Shah- The king, 23 years
2.
Laxminarayan Dahal (Jaisi)- Subedar with
Samarjug Company, bichari of the Ita Chapali court, and bull doctor, around 40
years.
3.
Jitman- Cowherd
4.
Gore- Cowherd
Setting
Scene
I
Place-
Yard
Time-
Dawn
Month-
Ashwin 1854B.S.
Scene
II
Place-
A courtyard of Basantpur Palace
Time/Month-
Same as Scene I
Scene
III
Place-
A cowshed at Thulo Gauchar
Time-
Morning
Month-
Same
Exposition: The section of the play
introduces the audience to important background information. The play begins by
demonstrating the King's fondness for rearing four-footed animals, particularly
bulls. The King was the one who kept Thulo Gauchar (a large cow pasture) where
TIA now stands.
Rising Action: A section of a play
that leads up to the climax. A bull named 'Male' becomes ill and eventually
dies. The death causes Laxmi, Jitman, and Gore to be anxious, as they fear
being beheaded by the King.
Climax: The most dramatic or
tense point in a story's plot. Laxmi suggests that the King transport Male to a
different location for a change of scenery. However, the King decides to
personally monitor the bull's condition and accompany Laxmi to the cowshed.
Resolution: The section of the plot
in which the main conflict is resolved or worked out. The bull is declared dead
by the King himself. However, due to fear, Laxmi and the cowherds are unable to
declare its death.
Falling Action: Events that
follow the climax of the play.
With
the declaration of the death of Male by King himself, he also declares a tip of
four hundred rupees to Jitman and five hundred rupees to Gore and orders Laxmi
to bury the bull himself. The cowherds are relieved to be alive.
Interpretation:
Ø Powerful
depiction of a feudal system of the time.
Ø Oppression,
domination, and dehumanization of common people.
Ø Animals
of feudal lords had more dignity than ordinary people.
Ø Enslavement
of Kings’ servants.
Ø Domination
of lower classes by higher ones.
Ø The
relationship between rulers and subjects.
Some Facts about Ranabahadur Shah
Ø Popularly
known as “The Mad King.”
Ø The
tale about his insanity and love for Kantavati Devi Jha, a widow with no royal
and aristocratic blood.
Ø Short-tempered
and overprotective of his throne, he ordered the execution of his own uncle
Prince Bahadur Shah.
Ø Destroyed
statues of gods and temples.
Ø Assassinated
Damodar Pande, then Prime Minister.
Critical Analysis:
The influence caused in the life of commoners due to the nature and mood of rulers
King’s
animals vs. common people
The practice of chakari in the then society
Servitude
of servants
Polygamy
and women's exploitation or feminism.
Summary
of the Play: Famous Nepali author Bhimnidhi Tiwari
wrote the one-act play "The Bull," which dramatizes a story about
Ranabahadur Shah's obsession with bulls and is a biting satire on the feudal
system of the mid-18th century, which dehumanizes people to the point where
their survival depends on their deference to four-legged animals like bulls.
The story also depicts the passing of the King Rana Bahadur Shah's bull, Male,
and the frightened state of three important characters, including the bull
doctor and two cowherds by the names of Jitman and Gore. The play is set on
Ashwin in the year 1854 B.S. In the first scene of the play, two terrified
cowherds named Gore and Jitman arrive at Laxminarayan's home to inform him that
King Ranabahadur Shah's bull has died, which makes Laxminarayan tremble. They
all appear to be worried about the king's possible retribution, which includes
the death penalty. When Laxminarayan spoke to the monarch in a loud voice, he
was once punished by having his mouth burned. His mustache never develops on
that side again as a result.
Gore
and Jitman narrate that the bull has died because it didn't get enough grass
and couldn't digest fine rice and soup of split gram. Laxminarayan explains to the
cowherds not to express to the king that the bull has died. If they inform the king
about the bull's death, they will have a terrible fate. Then, Laxminarayan goes to the Basantpur palace to
inform the king about the ill health of the bull. Laxminarayan bows down in
front of the king with reverence/respect and informs him that the bull is ill.
He doesn't tell the king that the bull has died straight rather he relates
to the king about the condition of the ill bull. According to him, the Bull Sir
doesn't wake up and eat breakfast. He doesn't speak & move but only stares
with his still eyes.
The
bull's beauty, fighting prowess, and walking style are praised by Laxminarayan,
who then suggests that the bull be taken to a hill to change the climate and
improve its health. The king then decides to check the bull's condition for
himself and moves to the cowshed at Thulo Gauchara, where the two cowherds are
anxiously waiting to learn the king's decision. Even when they consider running
away to escape death, they fear being apprehended once more and put to death.
There before the king's arrival. In order to instruct the cowherds to massage
the bull's back feet and wave a fan at it, Laxminarayan runs ahead of the
convoy at Thulo Gauchar. Even more, Laxminarayan tells the king that they have
been taking care of the bull since the previous evening.
The bull is lying motionless on the mattress, not even eating or breathing. Its ears have dropped, and its tail has become loose. The cowherds and Laxminarayan, however, are unable to announce his demise out of fear. According to King Ranabahadur Shah, the bull has passed away. Jitman cries and pretends to be an orphan following the bull's death after hearing what the king has to say. The King orders him to stay silent and declares a tip of 400 rupees. Gore follows suit and declares his love for the bull to be greater than that of his parents, wife, and kids. He claims that he either hangs himself or follows the bull. The monarch announces the tip of 500 rupees after hearing him speak. Laxminarayan eventually begins crying and acting as though he is in excruciating pain. The king reprimands him, commands him to conduct the burial rites and bury the bull, and presents the priest with offerings while doing so. Gore and Jitman express gratitude for their lives.
Overall, we find the domination of females in the play creating a character Laxminarayan who says, "Hey, flat-nosed one! Hey, beautiful one! Hey, butterfly! Hey, swallow! The eldest one! Hey, the one with an ugly face! May you all die at once! All pretend as if they have not heard even after hearing. There is nothing else except rivalry in each and everything." Next, we also get despotism and terror cum inhumanity during that period.