Satish Alekar’s Mahanirvan (The Dread Departure) occupies a significant place in modern Marathi theatre for its sharp political satire, existential depth, and innovative use of absurdism. Though the play ostensibly revolves around the death of an ordinary man, it transcends the personal to emerge as a powerful critique of bureaucratic authority, social rituals, and political power structures. This paper examines how Mahanirvan stimulates political consciousness through its portrayal of administrative absurdity, the dehumanization of individuals by institutional systems, and the complex intersection of personal grief with political control. By employing satire, symbolism, and absurdist techniques, Alekar transforms death into a political metaphor, exposing the hollowness of governance and the erosion of human dignity. The study argues that Mahanirvan functions as a form of political theatre that critiques authoritarian tendencies, bureaucratic indifference, and societal complicity, making it profoundly relevant in contemporary sociopolitical contexts.
Hiwarde et al. (Thu,) studied this question.