Theatre of the Absurd in India and Rajeshwar Prasad's Plays

In this research article, contributions which have barely been acknowledged by Rajeshwar Prasad to the Absurd Theatre of India are examined. Unlike his counterparts in the West, Prasad grounded existential anxieties within post-independence Indian socio-political contexts, peeling off layers of modernity, corruption, and declining traditions. He synthesizes, innovatively, folk theatre and religious rituals, jarring his audiences into the grim awareness of the gulf lying between inherited values and current realities. Prasad's keen depiction of the breakdown of communication may illustrate the degradation of society in nonsense dialogues and the absurdity-invoking power structure. Confused about identity loss, conformity, and the search for meaning, the protagonists pose an edifying question of belonging and agency. Prasad's consequential annotation of this legacy ranges from the actualization of the poignancy of existential quandaries to insightful critiques of Indian society, merging contemporary art with indigenous aesthetics in enthusiastic pursuits to expose the very absurd depths of human endeavour.