Cultural Studies (137)

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    Cinema Through Rasa by: Prachand Praveer 1,350.00

    Cinema Through Rasa discusses the important works of the world cinema in the light of Rasa Siddhānta of the Indian classical aesthetics. Rasa Siddhānta was first mentioned in Bharata Muni’s Nāṭyaśāstra – the ancient treatise on dramaturgy. This book catalogues the major cinematic works in the light of Abhinavabhāratī – a tenth-century commentary on the Nāṭyaśāstra by the great Kashmiri Śaivite philosopher Abhinavagupta. Further, it outlines the links between puruṣārtha, the cultural value system of life pursuits in Indian tradition, and aesthetics while citing examples from the works of major directors such as Orson Welles, Luis Buñuel, Ingmar Bergman, Akira Kurosawa, Andrei Tarkovsky, Alfred Hitchcock, Carl Dreyer, Charlie Chaplin, Sergei Eisenstein, Robert Bresson and Satyajit Ray.
    Using contemporary scholars’ interpretation of non-dualistic Kashmir Śaivism tradition, Cinema Through Rasa aims to serve as a tribute to Abhinavagupta’s genius, a commentary on important ideas such as rasa, nature of emotions, cinema and beauty along with a tryst with the masterpieces of the world cinema. The meaning of this book is summarized by this verse – na hi rasād r̥te kaścid arthaḥ pravartate – the medium of cinema, though modern, should be seen as resting in the power of rasa without which nothing makes any sense.
    This book is a translation of the original Hindi book Abhinava Cinema, which was first published in 2016. Abhinava Cinema was lauded as innovative, path-breaking and a must-read for students of literature and cinema studies by scholars and critics.

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    Cinema Through Rasa (PB) by: Prachand Praveer 720.00

    Cinema Through Rasa discusses the important works of the world cinema in the light of Rasa Siddhānta of the Indian classical aesthetics. Rasa Siddhānta was first mentioned in Bharata Muni’s Nāṭyaśāstra – the ancient treatise on dramaturgy. This book catalogues the major cinematic works in the light of Abhinavabhāratī – a tenth-century commentary on the Nāṭyaśāstra by the great Kashmiri Śaivite philosopher Abhinavagupta. Further, it outlines the links between puruṣārtha, the cultural value system of life pursuits in Indian tradition, and aesthetics while citing examples from the works of major directors such as Orson Welles, Luis Buñuel, Ingmar Bergman, Akira Kurosawa, Andrei Tarkovsky, Alfred Hitchcock, Carl Dreyer, Charlie Chaplin, Sergei Eisenstein, Robert Bresson and Satyajit Ray.
    Using contemporary scholars’ interpretation of non-dualistic Kashmir Śaivism tradition, Cinema Through Rasa aims to serve as a tribute to Abhinavagupta’s genius, a commentary on important ideas such as rasa, nature of emotions, cinema and beauty along with a tryst with the masterpieces of the world cinema. The meaning of this book is summarized by this verse – na hi rasād r̥te kaścid arthaḥ pravartate – the medium of cinema, though modern, should be seen as resting in the power of rasa without which nothing makes any sense.
    This book is a translation of the original Hindi book Abhinava Cinema, which was first published in 2016. Abhinava Cinema was lauded as innovative, path-breaking and a must-read for students of literature and cinema studies by scholars and critics.

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    This book stresses the persistence of cultural diversity despite the homogenizing pressure of globalization, but argue that this diversity need not lead to conflict and may be our greatest resource. It contains essays on the idea of India and the American dream, as well as discussing broader questions raised by the meeting of different ways of knowing and being in an enigmatic world.

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    Clasp of Civilizations by: Richard Alan Hartz 675.00

    Our planet seems to be getting smaller and smaller. We now interact all the time with our once-distant neighbours around the globe. Yet our cultures remain almost as different as ever. Civilizations are the largest widely recognized units of this diversity. Over the centuries, each has evolved its own distinctive contributions to human life. But differences can be a source of conflict as well as mutual enrichment. Since the end of the Cold War, and even more in the aftermath of the events of September 11, 2001, the scenario of a “clash of civilizations” has struck many people as plausible.
    Proposing the alternative scenario of a “clasp of civilizations”, these essays stress the persistence of cultural diversity despite the homogenizing pressure of globalization, but argue that this diversity need not lead to conflict and may be our greatest resource. Given the centrality of religion to many cultures, much depends on the replacement of outdated attitudes of religious exclusivism by a pluralism that embraces the other. A historical landmark in the emergence of religious pluralism was the Parliament of Religions that opened in Chicago on 11 September 1893. This book brings out its significance as a global cultural event, too far ahead of its time to be fully understood by its contemporaries.
    The Parliament brought several notable exponents of Asian spirituality to America, including the charismatic Swami Vivekananda from India. Thus began the contact between these two countries which continues to deepen to this day. Written by an American living in India, the book contains essays on the idea of India and the American dream, as well as discussing broader questions raised by the meeting of different ways of knowing and being in an enigmatic world.

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    The book, a Festschrift volume in honour of Prof. Trichur S. Rukmani, focuses on diverse themes: Patanjali’s Yogasutras, Advaita Vedanta, Gaudiya Vaishnavism, Shaivism, grammar and epic literature. It also addresses issues of contemporary relevance relating broadly to non-violence, environment, gender and syncretism.

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    Classical and Contemporary Issues in Indian Studies by: P. Pratap Kumar, Jonathan Duquette, 1,350.00

    This book is a Festschrift volume in honour of Prof. Trichur S. Rukmani that reflects the plethora of issues which she studied in her scholastic life. It includes twenty-four essays by distinguished scholars on various classical and contemporary issues pertaining to Indian studies. While the volume discusses current research in the field of Yoga — Prof. Rukmani’s primary research field — it also invites further reflection on other areas of Indian thought which have attracted her attention in the course of her long and fruitful academic career.
    The volume is divided thematically into six sections. The first two sections deal with the interpretation of the Yoga, Vedanta and Gaudiya-Vaishnava traditions, exploring issues of hermeneutics, methodology and philosophical analysis. The third section addresses issues of continuity within the Indian tradition and includes essays on tantric Shaivism, Mimamsa and the Bhagavad-Gita. The next two sections feature essays on the Sanskrit philosophical discourse, grammar, epic literature and renunciation in the Indian tradition. The last section of the volume takes up issues of contemporary relevance such as the insights from the Hindu tradition towards environmental ethics, the Svadhyaya movement and its dharmic ecology, non-violence, gender, cultural identity as well as syncretism.
    The volume, including essays as diverse as Prof. Trichur S. Rukmani’s own scholarly interests, will certainly benefit all scholars and students of Indology, especially those concerned with the religious and philosophical traditions of India.

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    Two centuries of British rule gave English educated Indians a peculiar mindset that tended to undervalue their native ethos and moorings, and make English culture more attractive. This tendency is called “colonial syndrome”. This book attempts to define and elucidate this syndrome and its ill effects, and suggests means to contain and overcome it.

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    Colonial Syndrome by: K. Ramakrishna Rao 900.00

    Two centuries of British rule crystallized in the minds of English educated Indians a peculiar mindset that tended to undervalue their native ethos and moorings, and make English culture more attractive. This tendency is called the “colonial syndrome”. This syndrome has infected the modern Indian elite, who abandon their cultural roots and imitating the Western ways. This situation has drained them off their intrinsic creative capabilities and rendered them less likely to make any significant original contributions to nation building.
    This book, an outcome of Prof. K. Ramakrishna Rao’s work as a National Fellow of Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), attempts to define and elucidate this syndrome and its ill effects on the modern Indian mindset, and suggests means to contain and overcome it. It alerts people and the leadership about the negative and cascading effects of colonial syndrome, and pleads for Indianization of education, philosophy and psychology, among others in the country. Mahatma Gandhi’s concept of svadeœÁ is the driving force here. It has no negative attributes, only positive self-assertion for common good.
    Colonial Syndrome goes on to analyses Gandhi’s concept of svadeœÁ, and attempts to make clear the difference between education in India and Indian education, Indian philosophy and philosophy in India, and psychology in India and Indian psychology and emphasizes that India had its own unique standing on education, philosophy and psychology which needs to be revived and nurtured for fast social and economic development.

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    The book surveys the Vedic literature, epics, Puranas, classical Sanskrit poetry and prose and the vast Sastras to throw light on diverse facets — from politics, religion and philosophy to agriculture, botany and architecture — of ancient Indian culture.

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    Cultural Glory of Ancient India by: Sures Chandra Banerji 630.00

    India is a land of communities, and Kashmiri Pandits are one of them. Though they are the original inhabitants of the Kashmir valley famous the world over for its beauty and learning, they are living in their own country as refugees since 1989 due to religious persecution, ethnic cleansing and terrorism — their only fault lay in their religion, Hinduism. This book describes basically the life and times of the half-a-million people of this community living in peace and harmony with nature. It also delves into the march of the people from medieval times into the modern age and the impact of transport and communication technologies that opened a window for information flow into the valley cocooned for so long due to the high mountains all around. Customs and traditions are described in a changing scenario brought about by the introduction of the English language in the late 19th century.

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    The book throws light on the socio-economic and cultural life of the people of Kinnaur in the trans-Himalayan region including a study of their customs and architectural heritage. It also deals with the universe under the various indigenous deities of cults like those of Vishnu, Shaiva and Shakti based on the Shu Republic in 15 deshang (villages) of Kinnaur.

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    Cultural Heritage of the Trans-Himalaya (Kinnaur) by: P.S. Negi 2,880.00

    The work is a study of the cultural heritage of the trans-Himalayan area of Himachal Pradesh, especially Kinnaur, that involves documentation of traditional institutions like temples, monasteries, Bon chos, artefacts, forts and old dialects of various ethnic groups.
    Relying on field studies, the volume throws light on the socio-economic and cultural life of the people of the region of Kinnaur including a study of their customs and architectural heritage. It discusses the indigenous deities (“Shu” on rathang or Shu Republic) that rule and run the administration of the ethnic communities alongside the development administration and democratic set-up from the Panchayats upwards. It deals with the universe under the various indigenous deities of cults like those of Vishnu, Shaiva and Shakti based on an actual field study of the public proceedings of the Shu Republic in 15 deshang or villages of Kinnaur and the U-Khyang and Dhang-U-Khyang, i.e. the festival of flowers and the festival of the Dakhrain, in some deshang. With reference to the deshang, it provides more than a glimpse into their administrative set-up and customary laws and traditions, and describes various architectural designs of the native residential buildings. The book emphasizes the need for necessary conservation measures for the preservation of the cultural heritage of Kinnaur. It would be useful to scholars and students concerned with the study of cultural heritage of India.

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    This book gives a comprehensive account of the various aspects of the cultural history of the various tribes and races — and the significant historical incidents that have taken place in their lives — in the central Himalayan region, particularly in Uttrakhand.

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    Cultural History of Uttarakhand by: D.D. Sharma 1,350.00

    Cultural History of Uttarakhand is an out-come of many years of keen observation of the linguistic and cultural phenomena of the whole Himalayan region, right from Ladakh in the west to Bhutan in the east and an intensive study of ancient Indian literature and of the historical incidents that have taken place in these Central Himalayan regions, particularly in the land termed as Uttarakhand. Though there are some works, both in Hindi and English, on the history and culture of this land, they pertain either to a specific region or to some particular aspect of it. This is for the first time that exhaustive chronological accounts of the history and culture of the inhabitants of Uttarakhand, including various ancient and modern tribes and races, right from Tons and Yamuna in the west to Mahakali/Sarada in the east, and from Bhotantic Himalayan regions in the north to Tarai-Bhabar area in the south, considered to be a `Cultural Area’ of Uttarakhand, have been taken into account for this study, in which an effort has been made to unfold various layers of the history of this land in a comprehensive way.
    As such, this volume on the Cultural History of Uttarakhand is supposed to provide a rare opportunity to students, as well as to readers in general, to have an intimate knowledge of various aspects of the cultural history of various tribes and races inhabiting Uttarakhand from pre-historic periods to modern times.

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    This collection of scholarly papers focuses on the centrality of the Indian contribution in defining the Asian cultural matrix and brings under one rubric the views of Indian as well as Eurasian experts on the subject.

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    Cultural Interface of India with Asia by: Anupa Pande, Parul Pandya Dhar, 3,150.00

    The reality of the Indian presence in Asian cultures is undeniable. Recent scholarship in the field of Asian cultural studies has laid much stress on the essential oneness of the substratum that defines what may be termed as an Asian identity. Buddhism and Hinduism, having originated in India, travelled beyond the frontiers of the land of their origin, and in many ways, moulded the beliefs and faith of the people of Asia. Trade, political ambitions, and religious pursuits led to a dissemination of Indian ‘ideas’ and ‘forms’ across Asia. In each area of Indian influence, the assimilation of Indian traditions with indigenous practices led to the development of a new idiom of expression with a distinctive localized identity. This collection of scholarly papers focuses on the centrality of the Indian contribution to Asian cultures and brings under one rubric, the views of experts from India, Nepal, Tibet, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia, Mongolia, China, Korea, Japan, Belgium, Bulgaria, and the United Kingdom. Such an international representation, the consequence of a Seminar held in the National Museum Institute in collaboration with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, New Delhi, is unique not only in providing the Indian point of view but also in revealing Eurasian perspectives on the subject of India’s pivotal role in defining the Asian cultural matrix.

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    The book explores various facets of Indian social and cultural thought and life that make the country an attractive tourist site: its people, history, arts, food and drink, customs and lifestyle. It includes a variety of discussions and data on tourism: tourism-related organisations and conventions, eco-tourism and India’s wildlife scenario, for instance.

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    Cultural Tourism in India by: S.P. Gupta, Krishna Lal, Mahua Bhattacharyya, 801.001,215.00

    The book is a detailed exploration of various facets of Indian thought and life that make it a popular cultural tourist site for visitors from all over the world. It presents an account of India’s people, history, national flag and national anthem, dance, drama, music, painting, textile, pottery, food and drink, and customs and lifestyle that comprise the multifaceted components of India’s culture. It describes all the major places of pilgrimage and festivals and scenic beauty in India, and lists state-wise a number of historical cities and sites that stud the length and breadth of the country, its attractive monuments steeped in history and its museums laden with treasures from the past. It brings out the special attractions in India for the western tourist who is primarily interested in those aspects of Indian culture that give a deeper meaning to life at physical, spiritual, mental and moral levels. The work offers, for students of tourism, data on various aspects to cover their syllabus: national and international tourist flow, tourism-related organisations and conventions, eco-tourism, India’s natural heritage as, for instance, its wildlife. It also gives an account of historical evolution of tourism in the world context. For professionals in tourism, there is information on organisation of package tours, tour circuits, tour planning, training of guides and marketing of tourism. Appendices discuss institutions where tourism is taught, tourist information centres in India and abroad, and tourism related periodicals.

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