Staging Injustice: A Comparative Rasa-Theoretical Analysis of Court Martial and Ik Ramayan Hor

Author(s)	Ms. Harmanjot Kaur, Prof. Gurinder Singh
Country	India
Abstract	This paper explores the dramatization of sociopolitical realities in contemporary Hindi and Punjabi theatre through a comparative rasa-theoretical lens. Focusing on Court Martial by Swadesh Deepak and Ik Ramayan Hor by Ajmer Aulakh, the study investigates how Raudra (anger), Karuṇa (compassion), and Vīra (heroism) Rasas function as aesthetic strategies to articulate systemic oppression, caste conflict, and agrarian distress. Drawing upon classical Indian aesthetic theory from Nāṭyaśāstra and its later elaborations by Abhinavagupta, the research paper examines the transformation of suffering into shared emotional experience (rasa) through performance, space, dialogue, and symbolic objects. It argues that both plays, while culturally and linguistically distinct, converge in their use of Rasa to evoke not only emotional responses but also ethical reflection and social awareness. The paper also foregrounds directorial interpretations, audience reception, and dramaturgical elements, demonstrating how rasa theory remains a potent critical tool for analyzing modern Indian theatre’s engagement with justice and dissent.
Keywords	Rasa Theory, Comparative Literature, Indian Aesthetics, Punjabi Drama, Hindi Drama, Sociopolitical Theatre, Caste and Resistance, Agrarian Crisis, Raudra Rasa, Karuṇa Rasa, Performance Studies
Field	Arts
Published In	Volume 7, Issue 3, May-June 2026
Published On	2026-06-23

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