One-Act Play :  The Bull 

Bhimnidhi Tiwari

Summary:

The one-act play, The Bull has been written by Nepali poet and playwright Bhimnidhi Tiwari who is widely regarded as one of the greatest writers. This play has criticized society's feudal system at the time (18th century). The drama depicts the death of King Rana Bahadur Shah's bull, Male and it has caused the terror among three important characters, the bull doctor and two cowherds, Jitman and Gore.

Ranabahadur Shah, the grandson of Prithvi Narayan Shah, was the king of Nepal. Ranabahadur Shah was fond of bulls. In this one act play "The Bull," Bhimnidhi Tiwari dramatizes an incident related to Ranabahadur Shah's craze for bulls to make a biting satire on the feudal system, which dehumanizes human beings to such an extent that their existence depends on their deferential treatment towards the four-footed animals like bulls.

The play is set in the month of Ashwin in the year 1854 V.S. At the start of the play, two panicked / frightened cowherds named Gore and Jitman arrive at Laxminarayan's house. They have come to notify King Ranabahadur Shah about the death of his bull. Laxminarayan begins to shiver after hearing their story. All of them get concerned about the king's impending punishment. The monarch has the power to put them to death. Laxminarayan is frightened of being punished by having his head shaved. As a punishment for speaking loudly in front of the monarch, Laxminarayan's lips were once burned. After that, Laxminarayan's moustache never develops on that side.

According to both cowherds, the bull died since it didn't eat enough food (grass) and couldn't digest fine rice and split gram soup. Laxminarayan instructed the cowherds not to inform the king that the bull has died. They will suffer a dreadful destiny if they notify the king about the bull's death. Laxminarayan proceeds to the Basantpur palace to alert the monarch of the bull's bad health. He respectfully bends down in front of the king and informs the king about the sick bull's condition. He says that the bull sir does not get up and have breakfast. He doesn't move or speak. He just looks at us with his eyes closed. Laxminarayan begins by complimenting the bull's beauty, walking style, and heroic battle. He proposes that the bull should be transported to the hill to help with climate change and the bull's health. After hearing Laxminarayan's statements, the king decides to inspect the bull's condition personally and leads a convoy on the palanquin  to the cowshed at Thulo Gauchara.

At the cowshed, Jitman and Gore are waiting impatiently for the king's decision about the death of bull. They consider fleeing to save their lives, but they believe they will be caught and killed again. The king is on his way there. At Thulo Gauchar, Laxminarayan runs ahead of the convoy to advise the cowherds to massage the bull's back feet and wave the fan at the bull. They do as instructed. Laxminarayan even assures the king that they have been caring for the bull since the early hours of the morning. On the mattress, the bull is truly dead. There is no movement in the area. It isn't either breathing or eating. Its ears have drooped and its tail has loosened. Fear prevents the cowherds and Laxminarayan from declaring it dead. After examining the bull, King Ranabahadur Shah declares the bull is dead.

 After listening to the king, Jitman begins to cry and claims that he has been an orphan after the death of the bull. The King gives him a 400-rupee tip and orders him to stay silent. Gore also begins to cry claiming that the bull is more important to him than his mother, father, wife, and children. He declares that he will either join the bull or hang himself. The king grants a tip of 500 rupees after hearing his speech. For the first time, Laxminarayan begins to cry and pretends to be in great pain. The king taunts  him and tells him to bury the bull, supervise the burial procedures, and make sacrifices to the priest. Finally, Gore and Jitman express their joy at being alive.

In this one act drama, "The Bull" powerfully depicts the feudal system of the time, in which ordinary people were oppressed, dominated, and dehumanised. The animals of feudal lords deserved greater respect than the animals of commoners. It explores the dehumanisation of common people by rulers.  The play shows slavery of Lords/Kings and dominance of women of that feudal system.


Understanding the text

Answer the following questions.

a. Why have Gore and Jitman come to see Laxminarayan?

Ans:- Gore and Jitman have come to see Laxminarayan because they want to inform him that King Ranabahadur Shah's bull (Male) has died.

b. What, according to cowherds, is the reason behind the death of Male?

Ans:- According to cowherds, the reason behind the death of Male was that it didn’t eat enough grass and was unable to digest fine rice and split gram soup.

c. Why does Ranabahadur want to see the bull himself?

Ans :- Ranabahadur wants to see the bull himself in order to examine its condition and he wants to see if the bull can be treated at Thulo Gauchara or it should be taken to the hill for change in weather.

d. Why does Laxminarayan run ahead of the convoy at Thulo Gauchar?

Ans :- Laxminarayan runs ahead of the convoy at Thulo Gauchar because he wants to make the cowherds massage the bull's back feet and wave the fan at the bull in order to please the king, Ranabahadur Shah with their duty. He wants to show the king that they care the bull very much. They do so to be safe from the king’s anger and punishment.

e. Why do Gore and Jitman cry when the king declares that Male is dead?

Ans :- Gore and Jitman cry when the king declares that Male is dead in order to show their fake affection for the bull. They begin to cry to be safe from the King’s anger and punishment. They act as if they are very saddened due to the Bull’s death.

f. How do we learn that the bull is dead?

Ans :- We learn that the bull is dead from the conversation of Cowherds, Laxminarayan and the King. The bull's tail has loosened, his eyes are motionless and he bull does not breathe, his ears have drooped down, and he doesn't eat anything either. All these indicate that the king’s bull is dead.

g. How does the play make a satire on the feudal system?

Ans :- The play makes a satire on the feudal system and its horrific acts towards common people. The feudal system's oppression, dominance, and dehumanisation of people can be seen in the play. The cowherds, who survive on the mercy and grace of their lord, have been presented in such a panic. The people live in terror at that time because the lord's animal receives more comfort, respect, and care. Laxminarayan makes Jitman and Gore hide the reality of the dead bull to save their lives. The king might give them punishment for the death of the bull. The play is a satire on the feudal system. As the feudal lord’s or masters dehumanize and oppress common people, they are also deceived by hiding the truth.

h. Write down the plot of the play in a paragraph.

Ans :- Bhimnidhi Tiwari, a well-known Nepali poet and dramatist, wrote the one-act play "The Bull." King Ranabahadur Shah was fond of bulls. He had reared many bulls. Once, the bull named Male died. Then, the cowherds and the bull doctor panicked because of the possible punishment from the king. They pretended to be sad and mourning at the death of the bull. In fact, they weren't sad at the death of the bull rather they were afraid of the possible punishment from the king. In order to save their life, they wept and pretended to be heartbroken in front of the king. The king then gave them tips seeing them crying. Finally, the cowherds were happy to be alive. The play makes a satire on the feudal society of that time i.e. the 18th century in Nepal