Exploring Dissatisfaction and the Quest for Perfection in Girish Karnad’s Hayavadana

Abstract

This study presents the constant feeling of dissatisfaction and the quest for perfection in humans with the help of Girish Karnad's novel Hayavadana. Humans are not satisfied with what they have been doing to achieve their goals and desires. In other words, humans become the most dissatisfied beings in the world because their desires grow exponentially. As seen by the difficulties faced by the protagonists in this story, this unquenchable desire for more frequently results in a cycle of unmet expectations. Karnad beautifully illustrates how this constant desire may distort identity and create internal conflict, ultimately calling into question the fundamental basis of what it means to be entire. The phrase "I want exactly what I want" corrupted the human mind for a prolonged span of time, which made them forget the gratitude of life. In Hayavadana, Girish Karnad's view of a particular character shares the idea of how humans are filled with discontent with what they have in the present. This paper examines the causes of discontent and the need for perfection and offers strategies for overcoming this feeling.