DRAMA. Mahomedan countries have never cultivated the drama, if we except the passion play of Hagan and Husain in Persia and Bombay, which is rather a religious comniemoration than a drama proper. The older Semitic literature contains no dramatic pieces at all. With Hindus, and with the Buddhists of Burma and China, the drama has formed a branch of literature and the per formances have been an amusement to the people from the most ancient times. In 1877, 102 dramas were published in India ; and there were 196 works of fiction and 697 works of poetry. The dramas of the Hindus intermingle various dialects, as also prose and verse.
The dramatic performances in South India possess many interestina. features which would be creditable to the actois of any nation. The histrionic art is extensively practised, but so seldom receives substantial encouragement from the purses of its admirers, it is matter for astonish ment that it should have made any progress at all. The graceful modulations of voice, expression of countenance, propriety of gesture,—not to speak of the grotesque dress, and the peculiar music of the performers,—rivet a stranger's attention.
Like every other trade or profession in India, acting is confined to one particular caste, though it sometitnes happens that outsiders join a dramatic corps, which has no settled abode, but strolls from place to place in quest of employmeat. Tanjore has the largest number of these itinerant actors, and their performances are reputed to be the best in South India. Female performers are rarely to be met with in districts farther south ; but their places are easily supplied by young men of effeminate appearance, who have been trained from infancy to speak in a high-pitched, melodious tone of voice. The actresses of Tanjore have their headquarters at Arnmanpettah, in the same district. They frequently play a heroic part on the stage, by personating kings, rishis, and heralds, especially in a popular historical play called Markandan's Nadagam. Both men and women
sometimes assume strange and objectless charac ters, to the infinite gratification of their patrons. About the year 1870, in Madras and Bombay, dramas were largely acted, and attracted crowds.
In the Tamil drama, anything like the scientific divisions of tragedy and comedy, and the nicer classifications which obtain among more advanced nations, is nowhere to be seen. Nor have the Hindus been more careful in dividing a play into acts and scenes, or in portioning out a piece among different actors.
The best of the ancient Sanskrit dramas have been translated into Tamil and other languages. Portions of tl3ese are sometimes acted at weddings. When a nautch is given, a drama is occasionally performed. Generally, however, in the south of India, the drama is humble as to its attendants, owing, perhaps, to the extraordinary fondness of the people for the splendid processions, and night festivals of temples, and their ceretnonies. The Toy Cart was written in Sanskrit about the com mencement of the Christian era. In it the king is dethroned for tyranny, by a cowherd. In the Uttara Rama Charitya, the great monarch Rama is compelled by the clamours of his people to banish his beloved queen. The Pui of the Burmese is their favourite dramatic display, and no festival is deemed complete without a perform ance of this kind ; the entire race are passion ately fond of them. The puppet - shows or marionettes, however, is their legitimate high art drama. The figures are 2 to 3 feet high, and they are cleverly moved on a bamboo platforn3, —animals, ships, supernatural beings ; and the dialogue is in polished language.—Forbes, p. 152 ; Gaz. ; TVard, iv.