Question

What are the sources of Girish Karnad's Hayavadana?

• A. Thomas Mann's \textit{The Transposed Heads}
• B. Valmiki's \textit{Ramayana}
• C. Somadeva's \textit{Kathasaritsagara}
• D. Franz Kafka's \textit{The Metamorphosis}

Hint:

Karnad's Hayavadana = rooted in Sanskrit tales (Kathasaritsagara), mediated through Thomas Mann's retelling (The Transposed Heads).

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A, C

Step 1: Background of the play.
Girish Karnad's Hayavadana (1971) is one of the landmarks of modern Indian theatre. It combines folk theatre techniques with myth and modern philosophy.

Step 2: Trace the sources. \begin{itemize} \item Somadeva's Kathasaritsagara: Contains the original Sanskrit tale of "The Transposed Heads," where two men's heads are interchanged, raising philosophical questions of identity and body-soul dualism. \item Thomas Mann's The Transposed Heads (1940): A novella based on the same Sanskrit tale; Karnad explicitly acknowledged its influence. \end{itemize}

Step 3: Rule out other options. - Valmiki's Ramayana: A classical epic but unrelated to Hayavadana. - Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis: Also deals with transformation, but thematically unrelated to Karnad's sources. \[ \boxed{\text{Correct Answer: (A) and (C)}} \]