Arts

One of the most important contributions of the second edition is the article titled, ‘Aesthetics and Interconnectedness of the Daśa-rūpakas, Upa-rūpakas, and Nṛtya Traditions’.

This article is a very exhaustive one, both in terms of data and insights. This article gets a robust start with the analysis of the terms Anukaraṇa and Anukīrtana.  This talks about the difference between classical arts and non-classical arts, between art becoming alaukika or remaining mundane and so on.

Prekṣaṇīyam is authored by Śatāvadhānī Dr. R Ganesh and translated to English with additional material by Arjun Bharadwaj. This is a book on the Essays on Indian Classical Dance and Theatre. It was my fortune that I was invited to speak on the contents of the books on the occasion of the release of its second edition, which was an improvised version of the first edition in terms of inclusion of additional essays, footnotes in more detail and also giving a section for glossary and indices.

The daśa-rūpakas and many upa-rūpakas need to be staged using mārga-karaṇas, mārga-cārīs, and mārga-sthānakas; these have to come along with nṛtta-hastas as well; aṅgahāras may be employed as necessary. Thus, mastery over the grammar of the mārga-tradition is extremely important.   Similarly, in the case of quite a few upa-rūpakas and forms of nṛtya documented in the treatises on saṅgīta-śāstra, mastery over the deśī grammar is important.

Chalika, cillī, cillikā, cillī-karma, or cillī-mārga – Abhinava-gupta defines this as a kind of upa-rūpaka rooted in śuddha-nṛtta – pure, non-representational dance.

Upa-rūpakas (Continued)

Upa-rūpakas (Continued)

Prahasana[1], vīthī, and bhāṇa tickle the insides of the connoisseurs in different ways. Vīthī portrays the commotion, transactions, and humour that take place on the streets of cities.

Let us look at the Indian theatrical tradition with the above perspective in mind; it will help us gain new and novel insights.

Daśa-rūpakas[1]

Bharata, through the words of Brahmā, defines nāṭya thus – trailokyasyāsya sarvasya nāṭyaṃ bhāvānukīrtanam. Nāṭya or theatrical presentation is an artistic activity which captures the exalted imitation of the emotions of the three worlds[1]. Emotions are, after all, the very essence of life.