1 Copyright © Canadian Academy of Oriental and Occidental Culture ISSN 1712-8358[Print] ISSN 1923-6700[Online] www.cscanada.net www.cscanada.org Cross-Cultural Communication Vol. 12, No. 8, 2016, pp. 1-8 DOI:10.3968/8707 The Dominance of Power and Mythological Representations in Girish Karnad’s The Fire and the Rain G. Sankar [a],* ; R. Soundararajan [b] ; S. P. Suresh Kumar [c] [a] Assistant Professor, Department of English, PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore-India. [b] Associate Professor, Department of English, National College (Autonomous), Tiruchirappalli-Tamilnadu, India. [c] Head & Associate Professor, Department of English, PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore-India. * Corresponding author. Received 30 May 2016; accepted 4 July 2016 Published online 26 August 2016 Abstract This Research paper Focuses on Dominance of power and mythological creatures in the The play The Fire and the Rain, Which occurs in a small region of India long ago that has experienced a lack of rain for ten years. The king proposed to propitiate the Gods through fire sacrifice. So that God would be pleased and send rain to the parched land. In this fire sacrifice Paravasu the son of a learned Brahmin Raibhya, was appointed as the Chief Priest. And the play deals with this appointment and the disappointments of certain other characters. One disappointment definitely with reference to the father going by ancient Indian tradition, a lot of emphasis was put on age seniority i.e. age has always been respected. Older people have always been considered wiser because of their wider experience. Going by this tradition the learned Raibhya should have been appointed as the chief Priest but for practical reasons longevity of life span, the King chose to appoint Paravasu, the elder son as the Chief Priest. This appointment had disappointed and agonized the senior. The high priest of the temple, Paravasu is eager to perform a ceremony to bring rain. the play The Fire and The Rain opens with the representative of an actor`s group expressing their desire to give a dramatic performance as a means of entertainment for the Gods. After much discussion the group is given permission to perform at the fire sacrifice. Key words: Dominance; Power; Region; Performance; Entertainment; Mythology Sankar, G., Soundararajan, R., & Suresh Kumar, S. P. (2016). The Dominance of Power and Mythological Representations in Girish Karnad’s The Fire and the Rain . Cross-Cultural Communication, 12 (8), 1-8. Available from: http//www.cscanada.net/index.php/ccc/article/view/8707 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3968/8707 INTRODUCTION The play The Fire and the Rain performed by this group of actors has a dual audience. First group performing the fire sacrifices as well as the survivors of the drought stricken kingdom. Second group the actual audience watching the play. In this sense the play performed by the group of actors is the play incorporated within the main frame of the play The Fire and the Rain. Meanwhile, Paravasu’s younger brother Aravasu is romancing Nittali. Aravasu is a Brahmin, but Nittilai is of a lower cast, and there is a difference between Brahmin and Tribal customs. Tribals are more free, more open in making a marriage proposal or declaration. Declaration of being fit normal and willing to marry had to be made in front of the entire village as per tribal customs. Aravasu a Brahmin was unaccustomed to this idea and was both nervous and embarrassed about following this tribal custom. Aravasu has very clear idea about his position with reference to his family that he is inferior and therefore considered quite worthless by everyone. He is also clear about the one thing that he wanted in his life is to dance, sing, act, and be with his beloved Nittilai. Paravasu has marital problems of his own, having abandoned his spouse Vishaka, who is establishing a liaison with Yavakri, Paravasu’s first cousin. Yavakri, who has just returned from ten years of meditation, believes that Paravasu is unfit to be the high priest. His actual behavior and words are far from those of a purified and enlightened person. After all the penance and sacrifice