Tracing Myth and Modernity in Karnad's The Fire and the Rain

This study examines how myth and modernity interact in Girish Karnad’s The Fire and the Rain, with a particular emphasis on how it reimagines a lesser-known episode from the Mahabharata. To explore the timeless conflicts between tradition and change, ritual and reason, fate and agency, Karnad reconstructs an old story from an occurrence in the Vana Parva into a contemporary play. The study examines how Karnad uses ancient stories to address the moral, social, and psychological issues of modern life by looking at the play's use of myth. In addition to being mythological beings, characters like Yavakri, Paravasu, and Arvasu are also seen as symbols of contemporary alienation, spiritual disillusionment, and the quest for identity.