Translation, creativity & criticism-Wah! Guru As an Adaptation of Tuesdays with Morrie : Creativity...

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Translation, Creativity & Criticism

Wah! Guru As an Adaptation

of Tuesdays with Morrie :

Creativity at Its BestDr Vandana Pathak

Associate Prof & Head, Dept of English

L.A.D. & Smt. R.P. College for Women, Nagpur


Wah! Guru As an Adaptation of Tuesdays with Morrie: Creativity at Its Best


Introduction: GenresDrama and novel are two different genres of literature.

Medium of both is words.

Aim-Both provide aesthetic pleasure.

Plot unfolded through the medium of words.

For an engrossed reader, the characters of the novel come alive and he/ she is able to visualize various events and incidents in the story.

Hence, a novel is described as ‘pocket theatre’.

Difference in Genres: Play read as something incomplete , not a fully rounded unit, since it is in performance that the full potential of the text is realized.


The Texts : Tuesdays…Tuesdays with Morrie written by Mitch Albom

a novel, autobiographical in nature and in English

Professor Morrie, living in Michigan, is a retired Professor of Sociology, in seventies

suffering from Amylotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), a neurological disease, rather a neuro muscular disease, that is gradually debilitating his physique, a patient of Asthama with sleep problems

His wife Charlotte, working woman, is with him, got two sons,

Mitch Albom –student, after many years, Mitch learns of the terminal illness of his teacher & decides to meet him, the physically frail & dependent Prof Morrie is mentally very alert &his memory is very sharp

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The Text: Wah! GuruMorrie is Prof. Sapre, a retired Professor of Psychology, living in India, and ailing.

Wah Guru! adapted by Dr Phansalkar from Tuesdays With Morrie

story of courage and optimism of Professor Sapre diagnosed with the terminal Motor Neuron Disease (MND), a debilitating disease, loses his muscular control & finally succumbs to it

He is mentally sound right upto the end. Afflicted by such a malady, Dr Sapre leads his last days happily. His student, Vidyadhar Pai, an ad agency chief - catches the professor's interview on the television by chance.


Wah! Guru contd….

He longs to meet and accordingly travels to Sripur, 250 kilometres away, where Prof Sapre is now settled. Dealing with various problems on professional and personal fronts, Pai finds solace in the wise words of his teacher.

Pai makes it a ritual to spend every Thursday in the enlightening company of the dying professor. The pearls of wisdom that Prof Sapre casts are relevant to today's stress-ridden society.


The AdaptationA drama is essentially meant for enactment, staging or performance.

Vinay Dhrawadkar- all translations of plays from one language to another failed miserably on the performance criterion.

The problem of ‘performability’ of an adapted text is more complex- to translate the text as a purely literary text, or to try to translate it in its function as one element in another, more complex system

In a play, spectacle plays a significant role and text and performance are in such an integral relationship with each other

dialogue, time and space are integrated in the extralinguistic situation


Adaptation contd….Translator must hear the voice that speaks & take into account the ‘gesture’ of the language, the cadence rhythm & pauses that occur when the written text is spoken

Out of the three types of translations ,this translation can be described as interlingual or translation proper

It can also be described as a Vertical translation, after Folena, as it is translation from a language that enjoys prestige value to a vernacular language.

The method adopted is Ciceronian-sense for sense method.

Bacon too speaks about how translation can link two co-existing but different literary systems.


Adaptation contd….

Translation, whether vertical or horizontal

is viewed as a skill, inextricably bound up

with modes of reading and interpreting the

original text, which is proper source

material for the writer to draw upon as he

thinks fit.


Adaptation: PlotNovel -The novel goes through all the stages of development like the exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and denouement.

Same development is noticed in the adaptation too.

into several parts occurring as various incidents/ events in the narrative. Some names of the chapters are metaphorical (The Curriculum, The Syllabus, etc) and later on these are named as Tuesdays-from first to fourteenth (when it is time to say goodbye). For example, “The Curriculum” tells that there will be a class taught, on the meaning of life, by a teacher who is dying; his death would come at the end of the course.

The play is divided into Two Acts.


Adaptation: PlotThere are two conflicts in this story: the first being Morrie’s struggle with his fatal disease, ALS; the second being Mitch’s struggle with himself in dealing with the person he has become and the person who he wishes to be and the new life he wants to lead.

Two conflicts in the play- Prof. Sapre and his student Vidyadhar Pai

The story is told in the first person, limited point of view. In the first person, the narrator does participate in the action of the story;

The point of view is also limited because Albom’s knowledge is limited to only himself and he is not all knowing or omniscient.


Adaptation: Plot

In the Marathi play, Vidyadhar Pai acts as the Sutradhar and comments on the action. The coherence is provided by him to the action as many things can not be depicted on the stage.

Janhavi’s character has been used effectively to report the developments in the play. Pai narrates to her all the details of his meeting with Prof Sapre and that is how, the audience learns about it. Mitch’s wife, Janine, does not play that active role in the novel.


Plot: Motifs

Same Motifs-all important motifs recur in the adaptation.

The name of the original novel is partly eponymous.

The name of the teacher protagonist is Morrie & because the classes of this great teacher are held on every Tuesday, the title is Tuesdays with Morrie.

Marathi adaptation, the focus has shifted from the teacher to his profession & the meeting is held on every Thursday instead of Tuesday & that is why, it has been entitled “Wah! Guru”. The Marathi title is a tribute to the ‘Guru’, especially in the light of the ‘Guru-shishya parampara’ that is revered in Indian society and values.


Plot: MotifsMorrie realizes that his time is running out, and that he must share his wisdom on "The Meaning of Life" with the world before it is too late to do so. Mitch serves as a vehicle through which he can convey this wisdom, to Mitch personally, and, more indirectly, to a larger audience which he reaches after his death by means of the book itself. He and Mitch plan for the book during his dying days, deeming it their "final thesis together." (Life becomes the thesis).

He is also able to reach a vast audience through his interviews with Ted Koppel, which are broadcast nation-wide on ABC-TV's "Nightline."


Plot: Motifs

Dilip Prabhavalkar as Prof Sapre/ Morrie and Advaita Dadarkar as his student Pai/ Mitch Albom have given superb performances in the play. These two thoughtful actors, one an experienced and professional and the other a young amateur artist have infused these characters with human qualities. The play is a touching, life-affirming, deeply emotional drama with a generous dose of humor.

Sapre teaches Pai how to cry & express emotions, significance of life and meaning of commitment.


Plot: CharacterizationNames have been changed in keeping with the language in which the play has been adapted- Maharashtrian names, both of the teacher and taught, teacher’s wife, Sudha- enacted by Girija Katdare and learner’s girlfriend, Janhavi, played by Purnima Talwalkar

Prof Maurie has two sons (Rob and Jon) and his wife, Charlotte, is a working professional in the play. In the Marathi play, the Sapre couple is childless. Prof Sapre has married Sudha, a love marriage, knowing well in advance of her inability to conceive. Why has this change been made? In the Indian set up, children, especially male child, is given importance as he carries the family name further. The issue of infertility is not even mentioned once in original text.


Plot: Characterization

Pai is in love with Janhavi but is running away from commitment under some pretext or other. Mitch is married but is reluctant to shoulder the responsibility of the children.

The story of the relationship of Morrie and his brother David and that of Mitch and his younger brother Peter, Morrie always felt that life was a pull of opposites and in it, love always wins. He explains, “There is no formula to relationships. They have to be negotiated in loving ways, with room for both parties, what they want and what they need, what they can do and what their life is like” (Morrie, 178).

The story of the death of the mother, behaviour of father & role of stepmother -same for both, Morrie & Sapre.


Plot: Characterization

Subject of the teacher has been changed. Instead of Sociology, his subject is Psychology.

The nature of the profession and other things are more or less similar.

The venue is in Maharashtra, again in keeping with the language of the adaptation.

The nature of the disease has been simplified. Instead of ALS, Prof Sapre is shown as suffering from Motor Neuron Disease. As such, both these diseases involve debilitation of motor control and perhaps keeping in mind the limitations with which the play can be enacted; it has been simplified to a certain extent.


Adaptation

Subject of the teacher has been changed. Instead of Sociology, his subject is Psychology.

The nature of the profession and other things are more or less similar.

The venue is in Maharashtra, again in keeping with the language of the adaptation.

The nature of the disease has been simplified. Instead of ALS, Prof Sapre is shown as suffering from Motor Neuron Disease. As such, both these diseases involve debilitation of motor control and perhaps keeping in mind the limitations with which the play can be enacted; it has been simplified to a certain extent.


Symbols

In the original, as Morrie's body deteriorates, so does the condition of the hibiscus plant. The plant's pink petals wither and fall as Morrie grows increasingly dependent on his aides and on oxygen. As his death approaches, so does the death of the plant. It is continually used as a metaphor for Morrie's life and for life itself. Like the plant, humans, Morrie in particular, experience a natural life cycle, which inevitably ends in death. Morrie must accept this inevitable fate, as must Mitch.

In the play, it is a champa tree (chafa). The leaves of the tress remind Prof of how many breaths he has left in him. He counts their number in one breath. This part of the play is strongly reminiscent of The Last Leaf.


Symbols

Morrie recounts a story about a small wave seeing the waves ahead of him crash on the shore, disappearing into nothingness. He suddenly brims with fear upon the realization that he too will soon 'crash on the shore' and, die as the wave fears he will. This little wave confides his fear in another wave who comforts him with the news that he will not crash and die, but will instead return to become a small part of the larger ocean. This small wave is symbolic of Morrie, as he too is on the brink of crashing into a theoretical shore, a symbolic embodiment of his death. Like the wave, Morrie is comforted by the knowledge that he will soon return to something larger in the afterlife. Morrie's affinity for the parable denotes his belief in a form of reincarnation, which he understands as intrinsic part of the natural life cycle. Prof Sapre too narrates this story. It is the philosophy of Karmayog.


Symbols

Morrie mentions the bird on the shoulder many times in the oeuvre. This symbol has been borrowed from Buddhism. Morrie says, “Every day, have a little bird on your shoulder that asks, ‘Is today that day? Am I ready? Am I doing all I need to do? Am I being the person I want to be?” Sapre is also often seen quoting about this bird in the play. It brings out the philosophical aspect of the text.


Symbols

Morrie believes in reincarnation .He would like to be born as a gazelle. He shares this with Mitch. Prof Sapre, in his first meeting with Janhavi, confides in her and tells her that he would like to be born as a ‘kaalveet’ who would be followed by female ‘kaalveets’, having agile, softness, beautiful eyes, graceful in status and walk.


Aphorisms

Morrie's aphorism, "When you're in bed, you're dead," eventually comes true.

This aphorism is used by Sapre umpteen number of times in English (Code Mixing).

In addition, many other aphorisms from the original novel have been retained in the adaptation. "What's wrong with being number two?" (p.159), "Don't let go too soon but, but don't hang on too long" (p.162), and "When you learn how to die, you learn how to live" (p.104) , etc are employed in the Marathi play.


Cultural Aspect

Morrie quotes W.H. Auden, E.E. Cummings, and Lou Gehrig. Fond of dancing too

Prof Sapre -fond of singing & dancing. He loves old melodies. He is quite good at playing the mouth organ, renders well on his organ is “Main zindagi ka saath nibhata chala gaya”,Dilip Prabhvalkar has very ably played that song on the organ twice in the course of the play. He is very fond of Shankar Jaikishan’s music and adores “Kabhi na kabhi kabhi koi na koi to aayega”.The writer-adapter has made appropriate use of Hindi songs in the play. Janhavi, in her maiden meeting with him, sings for him the song “Yaa sukhano yaa.” That song is an apt metaphor for that particular situation. Another song which has been employed very aptly is “Aaj jane kee zidd na karo”. Morrie wanted to be a musician but could not become one. In the adaptation, Sapre and his wife enact scenes from “Lagnachi Bedi” written by P.K. Atre. In the course of the play, Prof Sapre quotes Mangesh Padgaonkar’s poem on old age and a poem by Vasant Bapat.


Cultural Aspect

Each Tuesday, Mitch brings with him a bag of food from the grocery store for Morrie to enjoy, as he knows that his professor's favorite hobby, second to dancing, is eating. Morrie can no longer dance, and soon, he can no longer eat the food that Mitch brings him, either, as his health and strength have deteriorated so much, he can no longer ingest solids.

Mitch also feels that food is the only gift he can give to Morrie, and feels helpless as to how to soothe him any other way.

Vidyadhar brings foodstuffs such as bhel, chat, vada-paav and missal for his teacher.


Perfect Day

In the play, Sapre describes his idea of a perfect day. He would like to spend the day in the company of his friends, by a riverside, in the shade of a tree, listening to the songs of Kishor Kumar. As he is describing it, one by one, in the background the melodious songs of the legendary singer are being played.

Morrie wants to get up in the morning, perform his exercise, have a lovely breakfast, then swim and spend the rest of his day in meeting his friends in ones and twos and talk about how much they mean to one another. Then he would go for a walk in a garden with some trees, watch their colours, watch the birds and just take in nature. In the evening, he would go to a restaurant to eat pasta and duck and then dance till he is exhausted.


Living Funeral

After the death of his friend at Brandeis (his workplace), Morrie gets depressed. He feels sad that his friend was unable to hear all those wonderful things that were said about him in his condolence meeting. Morrie has a better idea. He decides upon a date and makes some calls. On a cold Sunday afternoon, he is joined in his home by a small group of friends and family for a “living funeral”. Each of them pays a tribute to him. Some cry. Some laugh. Morrie too cries and laughs with them. His “living funeral” is a rousing success. Morrie says all those wonderful things that never get said to the loved ones on that day. This living condolence meeting is also held in the Marathi adaptation. It is attended by all family and friends. Mrs. Sapre and Prof Sapre report it on the stage to Pai and the audience. Mrs Sapre narrates stories of all her suitors in the condolence meet and how Prof Sapre was jealous of them all.


Evaluative Aspects

Thus, Additions & deletions, considerable alterations in the main text, editing and shortening, etc are all noticed in the adaptation.

The interviews with Kopel and Kopel’s attachment to his subject do not figure in the adaptation.

Story of Sudha’s other suitors & her inability to conceive are not in the oeuvre.

Morrie’s replies to his admirers & fans do not figure in the adaptation.

The adaptation has been restructured for a Marathi audience and the motifs are gradually unfolded through action, dialogues and inter-personal relationships. The adaptation seems to focus on playability, adoption of accepted theatre conventions of the period (here Marathi theatre) and depiction of inter-personal relationships between and among the characters.


Evaluative Aspects

Morrie is shown replying to the correspondence with the help of his sons or others. His replies to the letters are very interesting. This part of correspondence is not mentioned in the play. The play has to be restricted in time and number of acts too. Marathi plays are usually restricted to two acts. A novel is lengthy and a play is time bound.

A play exists in the network of auditive and visual signs.

The theatre operates at many levels other than linguistic.

The performance aspect of the play and its relationship with the audience assume supreme importance and the success of the present adaptation on this particular criterion is absolute.


Evaluative Aspects

The skill of the translator in adopting the cultural grids of the target audience and target language and his manipulation of the target language is simply amazing. The creativity of Dr. Phansalkar in the adaptation, is thus, a complex creative process. In a very positive view, translation (vis-à-vis its adaptation) ensures the survival of the text. It becomes ‘the afterlife of the text’. It is a new ‘original’ in another language. Thus, this adaptation of Tuesdays with Morrie can be viewed as an act of inter-cultural and inter-temporal communication.


And…………………

Thank you

Translation, creativity & criticism-Wah! Guru As an Adaptation of Tuesdays with Morrie : Creativity...

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