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| Appropriateness of the Title of the Play Tughlaq |
Tughlaq: The Main Protagonist:
Tughlaq is the quite suitable title of the play. He is the main character in the play. All the incidents, episodes and characters of the play are associated with him. The story of the play moves round his character. The play describes his policies, failures, ideals and dreams. It also delineates his craftiness, cunningness and callousness. It also tells us how the trusted men of the Sultan turn against him and how he tackles them. Tughlaq is the only integrative force in the play. Without Tughlaq the play will be reduced to nothing. Tughlaq's relationship with the members of his family is also highlighted. Tughlaq's real mother does not talk to him because in her opinion Tughlaq is responsible for the killing of his father and brother. However his step mother loves him dearly and takes good care of him.
His Relationship with the other characters:
The other characters in the play are also related to him in one way or the other. In the beginning of the play we come to know of his two antagonists. They are Ainul Mulk and Sheikh Imamuddin. Ainul Mulk, the governor of Avadh is the Sultan's boyhood friend. But at present he has raised rebellion against the Sultan and is marching towards Delhi with thirty thousand soldiers while the Sultan has only six thousand soldiers to face him.
Sheikh Imamuddin is regarded as a saint throughout India. He is a strong enemy of the Sultan and considers him to be a disgrace to Islam. He also holds him guilty of patricide and fratricide. He also incites people to revolt against the Sultan. He has strong supporters in Kanpur who at his instigation burn half of the city. The Sultan successfully faces these enemies with exemplary foresight and prudence. The Sheikh is killed and Ainul Mulk surrenders before the Sultan who not only pardons him but also restores to him the governorship of Avadh.
His Friends:
The Sultan has many good and trusted friends and advisers. They hold him high in their esteem and give him good and wise advice. His vizier Najib and the famous historian Ziauddin Barani are his close friends. The Sultan is generally seen in the company of these two friends. He loves his step mother dearly and she also takes care of his comfort. Shihabuddin the prince of Sampanshahar is also his trusted friend. When the Sultan has to go to the battle field to face Ainul Mulk, he invites Shihabuddin to look after the affairs in Delhi. Later the step mother, too, values him highly for his efficiency and sincerity. Aziz and Aazam are two rascals but they too are associated with the Sultan for Aziz holds a post in the civil services and Aazam is his subordinate. Aziz is a caricature of the Sultan. He initiates the Sultan in his crafty nature. Aziz's story runs parallel to the story of the Sultan. Later he appears before the Sultan disguised as Ghiyasuddin Abbasid. The Sultan is so much pleased with his roguery that instead of punishing him, he rewards him by making him a high officer in Deccan and advises him to go to Arabia and then disappear on the way.
His Good Qualities:
Most of the plays are named after the name of their heroes who have many good qualities. Sultan Muhammad Tughlaq also has many good qualities. He is a visionary, idealist, who wants to translate his noble ideals into practice. He is a great scholar as well as a fighter. He has sound knowledge of Islam and the Quran. He is equally interested in poetry and Sheikh Saadi of Persia is his favourite poet. He is also well versed in Greek philosophy and the history of Lord Buddha and Zoroastrianism. He is matchless in eloquence. As a matter of fact he is the most amazing King that has ever ruled India.
His Noble Ideals:
The Sultan has noble ideals and he tries to put them into practice. He does not make any distinction between Hindus and Muslim. He treats them equally for both are his subjects. He is an impartial ruler. He has exempted his Hindu subjects from paying Jiziya tax which they had to pay during the reign of the previous Sultans. Both Hindus and Muslims have been given rights to file a suit against the Sultan. Aziz a Muslim dhobi disguised as Brahman Vishnu Prasad wins a case against the Sultan. He does not want to keep himself aloof from his subjects. He wants to share the joys and sorrows of his subjects. His impartiality and his desire of intimacy with his subjects is new to his people and so both Hindus and Muslims are suspicious of him and many of them hate him for the Sultan's high ideals are beyond their reach. Muslims consider him a disgrace to Islam and Hindus suspect that he will stab them in the back.
His decision to shift his capital from Delhi to Daulatabad is generally considered to be the whim of a mad man. But it is not so. He gives various reasons for his doing So. One of the reasons is that he wants to strengthen the bond of unity between Hindus and Muslims as Daulatabad is mostly populated by Hindus. He tells to his subjects that with their help, he will build an empire which will be an envy to the world. Such are the noble ideals of Tughlaq and he tries to put them into practice but alas! luck does not favour him and his officials and people do not co-operate him.
A Shrewd Politician:
Muhammad Tughlaq excels others in learning and bravery. It is also true that he is an idealist and visionary. But at the same time he is a prudent and shrewd man of action as a King should be. He is very crafty and knows how to foil the conspiracies of his enemies. He can hold his own even against his most powerful and popular enemies. The way in which he tackles Sheikh Imamuddin and Ainul Mulk shows his wisdom and craftiness. He kills two birds with one stone and destroys both Sheikh Imamuddin and Ainul Mulk in one stroke. He has his spies scattered all through his vast empire and they keep him informed of what is happening in his far flung Sultante. Shihabuddin and the rebel Amirs, Sayyids and Sheikhs hatch a conspiracy to kill him at prayer time. But this secret is leaked to him by Ratan Singh who masterminds the conspiracy and then disappears from the scene. The conspiracy is easily frustrated and the Sultan kills the Shihabuddin with his own hand with such ferociousness that there seems to be streak of madness in him and he seems to be disintegrating. The treachery and conspiracy of his arrested men makes him lose his temper and he becomes more and more ferocious and blood thirsty. He is not the least puzzled to know the rebellion that is being raised by his friends and foes in his Sultante. For he knows how to turn the table against them. All these actions show that none can surpass him in political cunning. He is capable of facing any political problem.
His Actions that make him Unpopular:
Sultan Muhammad Tughlaq thinks ahead of his time. He takes several steps for the welfare of his people and the stability of his Sultante. But these steps are considered to be his mad actions because of the prejudiced views of historians whom Karnad follows. His decision to shift his capital from Delhi to Daulatabad is considered to be a whim of a mad man. The Sultan takes this decision in the interest of Hindu Muslim unity, but as Karnad shows he does so without building a suitable infrastructure. He orders people to vacate Delhi as early as possible and that he wants Delhi to be turned into a graveyard and not a single light should be seen in the houses of Delhi. People have no choice except to obey the order. They undergo a lot of suffering because proper arrangements have not been made for implementing the order. Many of them lost their lives for lack of food and medicine and many others perish for they love Delhi, their native town, as a man loves a a woman. Officials like Aziz and Aazam exploit people. They demand bribe tor every work. This decision of shifting the capital makes the Sultan unpopular and he is called 'mad Tughlaq'.
The other action that brings unpopularity and ruin to the Sultan is his decision to introduce copper currency which will be equal in value of silver dinars. There is nothing wrong in this decision for in China there was paper currency. But the Sultan's policy fails because of the dishonesty of his people. People have lost faith in the Sultan. They want silver dinars in return of copper coins. Thousands of counterfeit copper coins are made in every house and carts load of them are brought for exchange. They are dumped into the garden which is dear to the Sultan but now he is a frustrated man and he does not need the garden. The Sultan does not withdraw his order of legalising the copper coins for it will prove that he was in the wrong. The result is that the economy is shattered and people begin to starve in thousands. Both men and cattle die of hunger. There are widespread riots. Natural calamity like drought in Doab makes the situation worse. The Sultan loses his patience. His ideals are frustrated. He does not know how to face these natural and man mad calamities. He becomes more and more ferocious and blood thirsty. He gets his step mother killed. Barani's mother is killed in riots and he asks the Sultan's permission to let him go to attend her funeral. People are tired of him and they are eager to desert him.
On the Brink of Madness:
In the end of the play the Sultan realizes his mistake that the decision of shifting the capital was wrong. Now he again orders people to return to Delhi. It means more suffering and more casualties. But the Sultan must be obeyed, if the people are to save their skins. 'Mad Tughlaq' has become the terror for the people. The play ends as the Sultan is seen on his throne and when he awakes, he is confused and bewildered as if he is not aware of where he is. He is tethering on the brink of madness and now he does not seem to be a sane man. His personality has completely disintegrated and nothing can be predicted about him.
The Present Title: Appropriate and Suggestive:
Thus, Tughlaq is quite apt and suggestive title. Tughlaq can't be called mad because none of his action is the outcome of madness. That his plans meet with disaster is another thing. His plans fail because they are not enforced properly and honestly. Besides a mad man can't be the hero of the play. Hence, the title chosen by the dramatist is quite apt and suggestive.
