The Wada Trilogy

A dramatic cycle that follows a single family amid the profound transformation of their country. In The Wada Trilogy, Mahesh Elkunchwar delivers a remarkable cycle of plays that traces the rise and fall of one family against the dramatic upheavals of twentieth-century India. The Deshpande family of Dharangaon, once wealthy landowners, comes to battle financial struggles and a fading legacy. Different generations of the Deshpande family confront their past and future in distinct ways. The trilogy is a rich and intimate portrait of India’s transition into modernity, reflecting the country’s deep-rooted traditions, its upheavals, and its ongoing search for renewal.   In her English translation of Elkunchwar’s plays, Shanta Gokhale uses her deep understanding of Marathi theater to illuminate the human stories at the heart of the trilogy.