Question- Wite the character sketch's of Mr. Kashikar.

Answer - 

Character Sketch of Mr. Kashikar is given below:

Spreads social awareness : Mr. Kashikar plays a very important role in Tendulkar's play Silence! The Court is in Session. He is the chairman of the amateur group of players belonging to the Sonar Moti Tenement progressive Association from Bombay. He is a social worker and his group enacts plays having social significance. His prime objective is spreading enlightenment among the people about social awareness. His group is very popular for enacting its 'Living Law court'. He comes to a suburban village of Bombay with his term to stage a trial on President Johnson for producing atom bomb. Miss Benare in a tone of banter refers about Mr. Kashikar to Samant as 'Mr. Prime, Objective for Kashikar can not take a step without a Prime Objective. His wife Mrs. Kashikar is also a member of the dramatic troupe headed by him.

A Happy Married life: Though Kashikar is married, he is not blessed with a child. His married life with Mrs. Kashikar runs smooth in spite of the fact that they do not have a child to give them real meaning and joy. He tries to fill up the vacuum in his life by taking to active social work and enacting plays with his wife and a term of friends drawn from different walks of life. In order to safeguard him and his wife, he has adopted a poor boy. Balu Rokde and is educating him. He has also involved his adopted son Rokde in his dramatic troupe activities by making him look after the stage properties etc. He has also assigned him a role as usher of the court. In spite of the fact that Kashikar is a social worker and his wife Mrs. Kashikar is quite uneducated. They are both full of life. Mr. Kashikar buys garland for Mrs. Kashikar and she in turn buys readymade bush-shirts for him. It really makes one feel nice to see it, says Miss Benare to Karnik in Act One. But karnik has a doubt that their public display of affection may be mask to hide their private parents disappointments. But Rokde objects to Karnik's war ped view of his foster parents by saying that the effect of modern theatre makes him see everything through coloured glasses. Benare during her confidential meeting with Ponkshe in the Udipi because Restaurant near her school tells that 'Kashikar torments poor Rokde because he constantly suspects an entanglement between him and his wife.

Dedicated to his Profession: As the chairman of his dramatic troupe he is very much devoted to his profession. He wants his co-artists to understand that a play is not a joke and they owe a moral responsibility to the audience. His concern for the proper staging of the play makes him tease Rokde whether he has brought all the important things necessary for the play. In spite of his repeated alerts, Rokde forgets to bring the Bible and the Geeta and brings the Oxford Dictionary by mistake for oath taking 'in the court'. This results in a comic situation in the court when Ponkshe takes his court by the Oxford Dictionary. He is also very much concerned about the absence of Prof. Damle and Rawte, But Sukhatme suggests the alternatives to solve the problem. He will himself play the role of the defense counsel and let Samant play as the fourth witness instead of Rawte. Thus he has to shepherd his flock properly to perform a show very effectively. In fact the success of the mock trial mainly depends on the execllent leadership of Kashikar.

A Comic Character: As a judge of the mock-trial Kashikar contributes much to the coinic effect of the play. Though he insists on everyone in the court to be serious get down to his or her business, he himself lacks the seriousness of the judge of a criminal court. He is found to be picking either his ear or his tooth with his earpick when the public prosecutor is examining his witnesses against Miss Benare accused of the crime of infanticide. During the course of the trial Kashikar gets busy chewing masala pan and letting others also doing it in the court without a sense of violating the propriety of the court. He even permits adjournment of the court to the public prosecutor for spitting pan by him and others. But as a judge, he asks the opinion of the defense counsel about granting adjournment for quarter of a minute as requested by the public prosecutor. In order to verify the exact time taken for spitting pan, he himself moves out of his seat and goes to the inner room to spit. He then asks the court clerk Karnik for the precedent in the above matter, Karnik points out that there is no precedent was established in that matter because there was no evidence of any court procedure being conducted by chewing pan. The frivolous conduct of the judge comes infor severe criticism from the hands of the accused Miss Benare herself. She questions the public prosector Sukhatme whether it is a court of low or spitting contest. Further Kashikar as a judge allows Ponkshe to smoke his pipe and let out curls of smoke as he gives out his witness. He does not give a reprimand to Ponkshe for smoking. But he gives reprimands to Miss Benare for her flippant remarks.

A Rich Source of Humour : Kashikar contributes to the rich humour and horseplay in Tendulkar's Silence! The Court is in Session. By his frequent tiffs with his wife in the open court, he converts the court into an extension of his house. By his own chewing pan and letting others to do so and smoke cigarettes and beedies even in the court, he converts in to a pan and cigarette shop. He himself breaks the rules of the court, which he expects others to follow. He breaks the convention of the court to appear as a witness to harm Miss Benare by informing the court that she will receive her dismissal order from her management soon. Thus he blows hot and cold. He tries to fish for complements from Sukhatme for his lofty opinions and quotes! As a judge of the mock trial, Kahsikar does his role quiet well by providing an enehaustible stock of laughter. He combiness seriousness with levity knowledge with hypocrisy positive views for the walfare of the society with negative and sadistic approaches. In all, he is a very dynamic and lively character.

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