Book Review: ‘Seven Steps Around the Fire’ by Mahesh Dattani

ELTWeekly Vol. 5 Issue#43 | December 30, 2013 | ISSN 0975-3036

This book review is submitted by Suman Yadav, Research Scholar, Dept.of English, JNU, Jaipur.

Seven Steps Around the Fire is one of the famous Radio plays of Mahesh Dattani. It was first broadcast as Seven Circles Around the Fire by BBC Radio 4 on 9 January, 1999. The play was first performed on stage at the Museum Theatre, Chennai, by MTC production and The Madras Players on 6 August 1999. The play uncovers the truth behind the murder of Kamala, a eunuch through Uma Rao, who is the daughter of the Vice Chancellor of Bangalore University and the wife of the Chief Superintendent, Suresh Rao. Uma teaches Sociology in BangaloreUniversity. She uncovers the reality behind the murder of Kamala during working on her research paper titled “Class- and Gender- Related Violence”.

All the characters of the play are introduced through the course of her inquiry of Kamala’s murder. Munswamy, a constable is introduced as a bodyguard of Uma selected by her husband. She meets the character of Anarkali, a eunuch in the jail and Champa, the head of the eunuch at her home. She also meets Salim, a servant of Mr. Sharma at Champa’s house. Mr. Sharma and his son, Subbu Sharma is introduced to her at their house. All the characters of the play are assembled at the house of Mr. Sharma on the day of his son, Subbu’s wedding where the truth of Kamala’s murder is revealed.

The play represents the plight of eunuch in the society. They used to come on two occasions- wedding and child birth but the nature denies them both the things. It is considered if they are denied to dance and sing on these occasions, they curse the family. They are neglected section of the society. The play also presents the idea that the powerful always exploit the weak. The eunuchs are not given any respect in the society. They have no right to get love. If they try to do so their fate will be like Kamala. Not even they, the people who try to give love to them have to suffer like Subbu in the play.

The play presents the real plight of eunuchs in the society. If anyone of them is in the way of a reputed family, it has to suffer and even the criminal of it is not given any punishment. In the play, Subbu Sharma, the son of a minister is married secretly to Kamala, a eunuch. When his father came to know about this relation, he burnt Kamala to death and Anarkali, a eunuch is arrested for her death. But the one thing which connects all the things is a photograph of Kamala and Subbu with marriage garlands. To get this photograph, Mr. Sharma sends Salim, his bodyguard to Champa and Anarkali to threaten them. But he is able to get that photograph after the death of Subbu on his wedding day. He has to pay such a great price for that photograph. Champa and Anarkali, both of them know the criminal of Kamala but don’t tell to Uma because they knew it very well that they have to face more suffering in that case and nothing to happen to the real criminal. Even the police are not ready to take any action against a reputed man like the minister. After the suicide of Subbu, the police considers it an accident and the photo of Subbu and Kamala is destroyed and nothing has happened to the minister. The police even made responsible an innocent people to do the formality of a case in which a criminal is a reputed person. Suresh Rao accepts before Uma that there is no evidence or proof against Anarkali. They arrested her only as a formality to close the case.

In Indian society man is not ready to accept his own weakness. Uma, the wife of Suresh Rao has no children. She is taking the treatment from a doctor who asks her to send her husband also for test but her husband denies. It is not easy for a man to accept that he cannot become a father. Man is not ready to accept the weakness in him. He even tries to impose his weakness on women. Suresh Rao has the fear that if he is barren that’s why he ignores going to doctor.

The title of the play is relevant. The whole play revolves round the enquiry about the murder of Kamala by Uma. A eunuch is denied to marry or seven steps around the fire by the society and these seven steps around the fire results in Kamala’s murder. She is murdered because of her secret marriage to Subbu. The fire which is the evidence of their marriage turns in her destruction. In this way, the title of the play Seven Steps around the Fire is a relevant title.

The play begins with wedding mantras and the burning scene of Kamala. The setting places of the play contain the office of the Superintendent of Police; the male section of central jail, Bangalore where Uma meets Anarkali; Uma’s house; Uma’s father’s house; the living room of Champa in Shivajinagar where Uma meets Chmpa, the head of the hijaras; the Minister’s residence where Subbu’s suicide takes place and everyone comes to know about Subbu and Kamala’s marriage. The play ends in the office of Superintendent Police from where it begins. In this way the play completes its whole circle.

The use of the sound effect in the play is very effective like whirring of fans at the office of Superintendent of Police, the sound of opening of drawer and shutting of drawer, traffic noises, screaming of children on the roadside, soundtrack of music and singing of hijras and their loud clapping of hands, tinkling of bells time and again at Champa’s residence, music from a radio with a lot of crackle, the sound of telephone being dialled.

The play presents many issues like plight of eunuchs in the society, man’s inability to accept his weakness, the powerful section of the society exploits the weak, Police as puppets in the hand of powerful people etc. Through this play again Dattani tries to hit the dogma and superstitions of Indian society.

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