Could it be Sheshappa Iyer?

who was real shakespeare?

by Kulamarva Balakrishna

Vienna,15-09-2007:Could it have been an Indian
from Kerala,who wrote the English plays? The
assertion was made about fifty years ago in Bombay
a group of articulate waiters of South Indian eateries
at the inauguration of "Society for the Promotion
of English Everywhere". Since they were the founders
of the society, I had concluded they were only trying
to pull the legs of Bombay´s two politicians. The city´s
Mayor Dr.Mayur Shah and the State´s Chief Minister
the late Marotirao Kannamwar.
But reading a BBC news report that almost three
hundred British theater personalities have pleaded
for research on who was real William Shakespeare
made me recall the incident and give a moment´s
thought that when the door is open for investigation
the possibility of an Indian chef cooking spicy food
being the author could be also checked.
The BBC report had said the theater personalities
included Sir Derek Jacobi and Mark Rylance,who
doubted that Startford-upon- Avon born William
Shakespeare in 1564, had left no traces of his
literary faculties other than his will which he left
his wife "my second best bed with furniture".
The Shakespeare Authorship Coalition felt that it
is not possible the plays could have been penned
by the 16th Century commoner raised in an illiterate
household.
The most of Shakespeare plays are set among the upper
classes and there is no mention of Startford-upon-Avon
to be found.The unanswered question remains:
"How did he become so familiar with
all things Italian so that even obscure details
in these plays are accurate?"
Speculation existed since the 18th Century who
could have used Shakespeare as pen name pointing
out playwright Christopher Marlowe, nobleman Edward
de Vere and Francis Bacon.Now would it not be
correct then also examine the possibility of Kerala
chef Sheshappa Iyer´s candidacy?
The brahmin master cook,who landed in Venice
to teach the use of spices in culinary art, may have
observed with his sensitive eyes as a foreigner the
European nobility,to record them in the plays.
Back to Bombay´s St.Xavier High School Auditorium,
where the Society for the Promotion of English
Everywhere was inaugurated by Chief Minister
Kannamwar,which I had witnessed.There was no
dicernable audience other than two press reporters,
myself and colleague Behram Contractor of The Times
of India with two of our photographer colleagues.
We reported the news in weekly edition of The
Bharat Jyoti and The Times of India that the Chief
Minister inaugurating and the Mayor presiding
had addressed over six hundred fifty empty chairs
in the auditorium!
But in the light of new questioning who could indeed
have been the English playwright,we should note
the great tradition of playwrights India had from
Bhasa and Kalidasa onwards.Indeed Kalidasa was
nicknamed by Indologists as Indian Shakespeare,
who lived during early Christian era!
According to BBC , the Coalition had presented
Dr.William Leahy,head of English at London´s Brunel
University and convenor of the first MA in
Shakespeare authorship studies, to be launched
later this month. (end)