He emerged victorious and was one of the Kings who was really cruel until he fought the Kalinga War. King Ashoka is one of the bravest kings of Maurya Empire. The entire life changing incidents of his were portrayed through a Hindi play ‘Samrat Ashoka’.
The play was staged here on Monday at Shaheed Bhavan Auditorium marking the third day of theatre festival ‘Balendra Prasang’. The play is written by Vishnu Prabhakar and was directed by Balendra Singh. The play was presented by the artists of Hum Theatre Troupe.
The writer of the play basically highlighted the events from Ashoka’s life that happened after the Kalinga War. A king, basically an undefeatable king, a king who never forgave, but what happened when he fought the Kalinga war. The war is said to have the most bloodshed of Indian history that shattered Ashoka and he turned towards Buddhism.
In the words of the famous monologue “What have I doneIJ Is this a victory or a defeatIJ Is this justice or injusticeIJ Is it valour to kill innocent children and womenIJ”
After this he was drawn to the teachings of the Buddha and soon became a devout Buddhist. He called himself Piyadasi, meaning ‘beloved of the gods’. He now said: All men are my children. I am like a father to them. I wish that all men should be happy always”
The play stresses that all worldly achievements are indeed ephemeral. He donated tons of gold to various Buddhist institutions and for humanistic causes but towards the end he could donate just an apple to a Buddhist monk this is the abysmally miserable fall of an emperor.
The special music effects and light design were the capturing point of the play. The play was worthwhile watching with its serious and intense acting skills.