K.V.
Dominic’s God’s Tribunal as the Departure from the Reality
Prof.
Dr. K. Balachandran
(Paper presented in the 64th
All India English Teachers’ Conference, organized by Magadh University,
Bodhgaya and AESI, Feb. 6th – 8th 2020)
Abstract
K. V. Dominic’s God’s Tribunal is a One Act Play
which stands as a good example in Indian English literature for the departure
from the reality. Reality is one thing /
aspect and departure is another. Reality
narrates one as it exists, prevails and functions. Departure is a deviant one deviating for the
present position/existence. This One Act
Play presents a complicated issue - man mishandling the problems on the earth,
about which animals (cow, tiger), bird (cuckoo), Nature (tree), fish, the
earth, why even women complain to God for justice. What are their complaints
against man and how God reacts to them are truthfully narrated by the
writer. Has the earth become unlivable?
Is the earth for human beings only? What are the problems in the human kind? Is
man doing more harm than good? The 9 characters (God, Earth, Man, Woman, Cow,
tiger, cuckoo, tree and fish) also present a deviant argument and picture which
are lively and true. The paper presents a vivisection of the One Act Play and
also a reality of departure – a novel portrait in words by the playwright.
Full Paper
Dominic’s One Act Play
God’s Tribunal is a departure from the reality because (i) The 9
characters are from all sections - not only human beings (man, woman), but also
animals (cow, tiger), bird (cuckoo), Nature (Tree), one of the five elements
(earth), fish and God. (ii) It is not only about people but for people and by
people. (iii) All the eight characters
(except God) have assembled on the top of a mound expecting God’s appearance
and arrival. (iv) Generally when God
exhibits Himself there’ll be thunder, rain or storm; but here it is a gentle
breeze and a gleam in the sky. (v) It is
God’s voice and not his presence. It is
like a voice from the heaven.
The voice of the God
proclaims that He has summoned all, since he has been getting complaints from
the above mentioned 8 characters. The
voice (speech) of God implants his views: “I have created this earth and then all inhabitants
with a purpose that you all should live here most happily. I have bestowed here on this planet whatever
needed for your existence. So there is
no scope for any complaint. But I am fed
up with listening to your complaints” (God’s Tribunal, p.154).
When God asks man about
his complaint, man tells, “We have little happiness and peace here”. God explains to him, “Heaven and hell is here
on earth itself. It is in your own minds
I reside in you and all my creations. I
have no separate entity. As I am invisible, I live in your soul. It is true
that you are separate from other creatures by having reasoning power or
developed brain. It is the same
reasoning power which makes you most selfish of all creatures.” He asks him who are responsible for destroying
his happiness and peace. Is it because
of his co- existence with other creatures?
As a kind of reply
to God all the 5 (cow, tiger, cuckoo, tree and fish) tell, “Human beings have
destroyed our peace and existence too.”
God pacifies them and again asks man about his genuine problem. As a representative of human being, he speaks
“13% people are starving, 1% richest people control the lives of the entire
human race” (GT, p. 155). He
questions God, “Why have you created such divisions among us very few rich and
vast majority poor?” He argues further,
even if the poor people raise above their standard of living they fail.
They are born poor and die poor. They have been praying regularly in temples,
mosques and churches. But nothing has
changed. Still majority people have no
basic amenities without peace of mind and happiness. When human beings have such problems, God
created non human beings without problem.
They don’t work hard as human beings have to for their food. Whatever they need are provided by God around
them. They don’t worship him; yet they
are provided with what they need. His
complaints are the playwright’s ideas about the humanities.
God replies him
that his (man’s) problem lies in his brain since his brain function is
different from creatures’ brain function. His mental activities are both advantageous as
well as disadvantageous. With his brain
he has done more harm than good for him and others. Man is more selfish than
other beings. He (God) admits that he is
responsible for all the mess in his (man’s) brain which now boomerangs on him. He further elaborates that the entire earth
is for all creatures’ living. He hasn’t
created any wall between the human beings and other beings. He has bestowed the earth with sufficient
food and other necessities. When other
beings are happy with them man alone is not.
Because of his selfish nature and not satisfied with the necessities endowed
by him, mighty people conquer and deprive the weak, and amass and become richer.
God admits that he
is helpless at this juncture and clears the doubt of man, “I never demand you
to worship me. Instead you have created innumerable religions and gods”. These are all part of his (man’s)
selfishness. He is not praying for the
welfare of all who are his own brothers and sisters.
The creator again
proclaims that there is only one creator.
Man creates many Gods and religions for power and wealth and to exploit
the poor. Maximum number of crimes, massacres
and violence are committed in the name of religion. They forget to promote love and
compassion. In lieu of it, they instil
hatred and discomfort. Each religion
(falsely) believes that theirs is the best and followers of that religion alone
will be saved. He advises man, “You
should first learn that work is worship. What I expect from you is love and
compassion. Love your fellow beings, all
living and non-living bodies and the planet itself which is your abode. When you love them, you love me. Live and let live should be your policy” (GT,
p.156). This is the playwright’s
idea about humanity and he speaks through the mouth of God.
Now God asks woman
about her complaints. She tells him that
God created both male and female in all the species. For the continuation of his creative process
both are needed. Among non human beings
both male and female have equal status, whereas in the humanity, women are
controlled, exploited and suppressed by men.
Men assume superiority over women.
There is no equality in any field.
In most homes, decisions are taken by men only. Wives have no rights, but duties only. They are treated as servants or slaves: destined
to labour from dawn and dusk. Ill
treatment by their husbands is a common sight.
Physically they are
tortured. Parents prefer sons to
daughters. Birth of a son is a happy
occasion whereas the birth of a daughter is seldom welcomed and celebrated. Female feticide is a frequent one in the low
income class. She continues:
Rape, kidnapping, sex trade, murder of girls and women are
found in almost all societies. There is
discrimination in the labour sector. Women are given lesser wages. They are sexually exploited. We are not treated equal in praying and
worshipping you. In most of the
religions, clergies are all men. Women
are denied entries in some worshiping places.
Dear Father, kindly make men refined and good natured. (GT, p.156)
What the woman
spoke is the reality in this world. It
picturises the precarious plight of women.
Her accusation against men folk cannot be denied. Her earnest entreaty to God to make men
refined and good natured is timely and it has to be tackled without further
delay. Here the playwright brings out
the struggles and sufferings of women and by doing this, he expects reaction and
amelioration from the stronger sex.
As a kind of reply
and relief measure God tells her, “I haven’t injected any evil instincts into
any of my reactions. Females in other
beings have no such complaint. There
male and female live in perfect harmony.
No female being will surrender to a male being. She will resist and he will go back” (GT, p.157). He advises her to apply the same strategy
that non human beings practise. “Man
can’t live without woman and woman can’t live without man. They are created for each other. For the continuation of a species, union of
both is necessary. So there is no question
of superiority or inferiority. Both are equals and they should live with
perfect harmony and rhythm. They are
part of the universal concert and symphony” (GT, p.157). This is not
only the voice of God; but also that of the playwright who has a very clear
vision about male and female, their importance for the species called
humanity. There is no question of
domination by one sect over the other.
Equality should be the axle of husband-wife relationship.
Animals have their
own grievances. When God asks them, cow
comes as the representative of domestic animals – cattle, sheep, dog, cat, pig,
fowls, horse, donkey, camel and elephant.
Its complaint: “We have been serving man as he likes but in return we
have not been treated gratefully. We
have been poorly fed and beaten. When we are old and weak, not able to serve
him like slaves physically, he kills us and eats” (GT, p.157). Man slaughters them and kills them inch by inch.
Dogs are deserted and they roam in
streets. Puppies and kittens overrun by
man’s vehicles. Though domestic animals
have the tag ‘domestic’ (meaning enjoying man’s love and their liberty) very
rarely they are treated so. The cow continues, “We could have lived happily in
the forest along with our counterparts there with no fear of human beings. Dear God, either set us free or make them
refined and compassion- ate to the animals” (GT, p. 157). Here also one
can find the playwright’s ideas about domestic animals and man’s attitude
towards them in the speech of the cow.
On behalf of the
wild animals, Tiger expresses their complaints to God. They have been leading a very comfortable
life in the forests. Whatever they need,
are in plenty in forest.
But human beings, not satisfied with
what they were allotted, started encroaching our dwelling places, destroying forests. We have been hunted by them. Now we have little food and water for our
survival. So we are compelled to go out
of our dwelling places in search of food and water and we are killed by human beings,
since we entered their villages. What
justice is there? Dear God, command
human beings to reforest and regain our dwellings and never enter into our area.
(GT, pp. 157-158)
From the tiger’s complaint one can understand how human beings are
inhuman to the animals and their encroachment in the latter’s area.
Cuckoo representing
all birds on earth tells God about their complaints. “Our grievance is similar
to tiger’s. Since man has destroyed
forests as part of encroachments and trees in his villages to construct
building after buildings we have lost our abodes as well as food and water. Many
of our species have become extinct” (GT, p. 158). The complaints from birds are truly
represented by the cuckoo. If the
existing condition continues, birds will be wiped of from this planet. They don’t do any harm to human beings. Instead they have been serving the humanity -
giving happiness to their eyes, ears and minds.
Is this not true? Here also one can see the view point of the
playwright, his concern for the birds and how human beings have to change their
approach and attitude towards them.
Next comes a tree
to record its complaints to God on behalf of all trees. They are fated to live
static and immovable. Their selfless
sacrifice and service only sustain all living beings. Mainly they take carbon -dioxide and let
oxygen which is the most important for all beings. “Human beings so ungratefully kill us,
uprooting us, cutting into pieces and even burning, alive… they do it for their
comforts and luxuries. They don’t
understand that we too have life and sensations like them. Their recklessness and destruction mania will
wipe out plant life, animal life and their own existence from this planet” (GT,
p. 158). The voice of this tree is
the voice of the playwright who feels much for the various plant kingdom in Nature.
On behalf of the
living beings in water, a fish comes forward to complain to God. It is very angry and asks, “Are we created
just for the consumption of other creatures?
Aren’t we dear to you as all other beings? Don’t you see the cruelty and massacre done
to us by human beings? We never do any
harm to man but he tries to extinct us from our habitations… we are used for
their pleasurable taste. In addition to
the mass butcher, man poisons our dwelling and billions die of toxins every
day” (GT. p.158). Nobody will say that the complaints are untrue. The writer’s concern for living beings in
water is justified by the argument of a fish.
Lastly God invites
Earth. She voices forth her complaints:
I am your daughter and these all are my children. My
complaint is, in fact, the totality of their complaints… human beings are the
only species responsible for the imbalance of Nature. They are not only exploiting and destroying
other beings and plants, but also wounding me inch by inch. Don’t you see the atrocities they do on my
body digging, mining, quarrying, building huge structures, dams and above all
poisoning my wounded body by dumping electronic and plastic wastes… if you
remove man from my body, I will recover soon and you can find a paradise once
again. (GT, p.159)
As the complaints of all, here also the complaint of the earth is
true and unrejectable. It is the
playwright’s ideas voiced forth by the cow.
So all the
complaints have been registered by God and now he has to give his judgment for
which all have been waiting anxiously.
He declares it that after hearing all their complaints, he has come to
the conclusion that human beings are responsible for all the problems on the
earth. Like them God is also much
grieved because he only created man with a noble purpose. Like any human father, he also will he happy
to see the well being of his children, their happiness and harmonious life with
co-habitance. But he is not able to see
it. Human beings have more mental powers
and functions. They have reasoning
power. They can differentiate between
good and bad. He had the impression that
human beings would choose only the right things which are beneficial to them
and other beings and avoid bad things that are detriment to them and also for
others living. His final verdict, “Having
created I can’t call them human beings back.
I am still hopeful that they would learn lessons from their wrong deeds
and lead a harmonious life with other beings and Nature. If they do not change, a total destruction of
human race would result”. He at last
cautions humanity, “Life would continue on this planet without man and harmony
would be regained, and there will be no more complaints from any creations” (GT, p.159).
All the 6
characters (excluding man and woman) heave sigh of relief and tell in a chorus,
“We long for that doomsday.” Now man and
woman are in a precarious condition. Is this warning necessary? Yes, it is for
their inhuman life. Why there are so
many storms and forest fire in all the continents? Excess rain during rainy
season, rain during the harvest times, no rain when it is needed - are not these
punishment by the various elements (Rain God, Fire God) in this universes? They
occur only to punish human beings. This
realization has not come. But political
leaders and people cry, “This storm has come! That rain downpours!” When human beings exceed their limit,
naturally the five elements will start punishing. This has to be realized and understood by
human beings and mend their ways, not indulging in unfair activities. If they change they will find Heaven on earth
(Terrestrial Heaven), if not hell only on the earth.
Conclusion:
In this regard K.V.
Dominic’s One Act Play, God’s Tribunal
in a fine eye opener to all. Though it
is small in 6 pages, its message is powerful, multifarious and multi functionary. He has deviated from other playwrights to
inculcate what he wanted to convey. Thus
the playwright has word painted a vivisection of the present day humanity and
man’s harmful activities and how it is most urgent that he turns a new leaf in
the interest of all human beings. “Live
and let live” is the simplest message, but it is really a noble and timely one!
Primary source
Dominic, K. V. God’s Tribunal.
Writers, Editors, Critics, vol.
9, no. 1, March 2019, pp.154-159.
Prof. Dr. K.
Balachandran, Former Prof., Dept. of English,
Annamalai University, Annamalai Nagar – 608 002 (Tamil Nadu), is a bilingual
writer who has published 20 books (16 in English and 4 in Tamil) and a number
of poems, research articles and reviews in India and abroad. A Gold Medalist
from Annamalai University, he has won several awards. He has been serving as
UPSC Examiner for the past 20 years. After retirement he has served as Dean and
Principal in two colleges.
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