Yayati, Girish Karnad’s first play – was written in 1960, when he was 23 years old – and immediately established his ability to turn an epic mythological story into an exciting dramatic experience. Yayati was an instant success, staged in Kannada and in many other Indian languages. In this play, King Yayati’s story from the Mahabharata becomes a roller coaster ride of events, sparked off by one sexual encounter. When it was written, strong women characters were not acceptable in traditional Indian theatre and this play has four of them. Four strong women who assert their rights alongside a son who wishes to rebel against the path set out for him and a father willing to sacrifice his son’s youth in his quest for immortality. Set against a background of lust, jealousy and social prejudice, six strong characters fight to assert their own rights