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@article{207683,
        author = {G.SIVASHANMUGAM},
        title = {A Critical Study of Girish Karnad’s Hayavadana},
        journal = {International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology},
        year = {2026},
        volume = {13},
        number = {3},
        pages = {2243-2245},
        issn = {2349-6002},
        url = {https://ijirt.org/article?manuscript=207683},
        abstract = {Hayavadana by Girish Karnad is a play that explores important ideas like identity, self-understanding, and the connection between the body and the mind. The story focuses on Hayavadana, a man who has the head of a horse because of a curse. He struggles to feel complete and searches for a way to become whole. Along with him, two childhood friends, Devadatta and Kapila, are also central to the story. Devadatta is an intellectual, and Kapila is more physical and stronger. The two friends are involved in a love story with Padmini, and their different personalities create tension between them. A key event in the play happens when Devadatta and Kapila accidentally swap heads, causing major confusion about who they are. This head swap deepens the theme of the play: how the mind and the body can conflict when it comes to understanding identity. The play asks important questions about what makes us who we are—whether it’s our physical appearance, our mind, or something deeper inside us. As the characters try to deal with their identity problems, the play shows how impossible it is to truly feel complete. Their search for wholeness leads to tragedy and shows that we can never fully resolve the conflict between our body and mind. The play also talks about fate and free will—how some things seem beyond our control, yet our actions still shape our lives. Through a mix of humor, tragedy, and ancient myths, Hayavadana explores the complexities of identity and the struggles of being human. It challenges the idea that we can ever truly be whole and suggests that identity is something that changes and is shaped by both our inner and outer selves. The play encourages us to think about how we define who we are and whether a perfect sense of self is even possible.},
        keywords = {Identity, Hayavadana, Curse, Conflict, Tragedy, Human struggle, Myth etc},
        month = {August},
        }