Description
My paper reveals the profound impact of Philip Glass’s portrayal of the concept of “Satyagraha” (“truth force”) that shaped a movement that ultimately led India to independence in 1947. The term was coined by a figure synonymous with both Indian and world history, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, or "Mahatma" ("great-souled") Gandhi. His contributions to the Indian freedom movement have transcended generations and geopolitical borders. This is illustrated in Glass’s opera Satyagraha, inspired by Gandhi's years living in South Africa as a young lawyer from 1893 to 1914, during British colonial rule. The Indian community in South Africa primarily composed of slaves brought by the British to work on sugarcane plantations. It was during this period that Gandhi developed the principles of Satyagraha that would shape his legacy. My research analyzes Glass’s compositional process of Satyagraha alongside Constance DeJong’s libretto, which draws from the Hindu scriptures, the Mahabharata and Bhagavad Gita, to weave the narrative of colonial India and the quest for independence into a Western opera. Glass establishes a parallel between Gandhi’s journey and Arjuna, the warrior from the Mahabharata, and therefore presents Gandhi’s life as a quasi-mythological epic. Glass also maintains a consistent undertone of various Indian art forms in Satyagraha, such as paralleling a Hindu mythological narrative, borrowing raag from Hindustani music, and employing exaggerated painted faces resembling those seen in South Indian Kathakali dances. This opera results in a depiction of Gandhi that is rich with cultural depth, utilizing a larger ensemble to create a dramatic tapestry that reflects his struggles, and the broader context of Indian slaves under British rule. As an Indian Hindu, I draw upon my lived experiences and deep understanding of Indian culture and folklore to inform this research, partly employing an autoethnographic approach to the analysis of how Satyagraha became a transformative force.
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