HARVEST: REVISED AND EXPANDED EDITION
Manjula Padmanabhan's provocative play offers a scathing examination of a world stripped bare of ethical conviction. What unfolds is a bleak comedy about desperation and greed, wrapped in the guise of a cautionary tale. When an impoverished household encounters a powerful multinational willing to bankroll their dreams, the catch is brutally simple: surrender a body part, gain riches beyond measure. The arrival of Ginni, a wealthy American eyeing those very organs through a video screen in their cramped flat, becomes the catalyst for something far more unsettling. Padmanabhan strips away pretence to expose how even our most sacred bonds reduce themselves to transactions. The play's staying power speaks volumes, having premiered internationally and captivated audiences across theatres worldwide since the late 1990s. This expanded edition introduces something genuinely intriguing: a version where gender roles are flipped entirely. The result is uncomfortably revealing, forcing readers to confront the prejudices and social conditioning that shape how we think about identity. Dark, unflinching, and occasionally darkly comic, this isn't comfortable reading. Yet it cuts through modern apathy with precision.
- Author: Manjula Padmanabhan
- Publisher: Hachette India
- Genre: Plays & Drama
- ISBN: 978-9350095140
- Pages: 284 pages