Showing 41–50 of 72 results
The book contains precise characteristics of dances in India, fundamental questions about the nature of dancing, delving deep into its origin, extending over 2000 years. It makes an exhaustive comparative study, the first of its kind, tracing the growth, techniques and forms of dancing and its expansion by contact with peripheral regional styles, including the foreign ones.
The antiquity of dance in India is well known but its precise characteristics are not. What, exactly, constituted dancing? How was it distinguished from other performing arts? These and other fundamental questions about the nature of dancing can best be answered by delving into the rich corpus of extant Sanskrit treatises on dancing, which extend over two thousand years. Of all sources of the history of dancing, these works remain the most eloquent witness, for they record not only the precepts of the art but also the details of its practice. The present book reconstructs the evolving discourse on dancing in India by making an exhaustive comparative study, the first of its kind, of all available Sanskrit works. The author traces the growth of the techniques and forms of dancing and shows how the central tradition of the art, and also the oldest, expanded by contact with peripheral regional styles, including foreign ones, and eventually merged with them into a synthesis that forms the basis of present-day classical dances of India. Mandakranta Bose’s research in the Sanskritic tradition of Indian dance and drama has led her to view these arts equally in their historical, theoretical and performance aspects. For back of the cover Her canvas is wide, almost wider than that of late Dr. V. Raghavan who was the first to bring to light the wealth of material in Sanskrit relating to dance, music and theatre . . . The work needs to be read very carefully by all serious students of and researchers on dance. Dr Kapila Vatsyayan
The book delves into the place of music in the Vedas and the role of temples, particularly in south India, in preserving and promoting musical traditions. It also concentrates on both vocal and instrumental music and dance forms as rituals in temples and temple festivals.
The book presents a wealth of information on the music rituals in temples at various places in south India. Following visits to a number of temples and based on interviews with temple artistes, the author shows that the musical traditions of temples differ from temple to temple, particularly from Vaishnavite to Shaivite temples.
Beginning with the place of music in the Vedas, the book discusses music itself as a form of worship and the role of temples in promoting it. It focuses on the musical contributions of Nayanmars and Alvars whose hymns are sung today as a daily ritual in many temples, and compares their music. It concentrates on both vocal and instrumental music, dance forms as rituals in temples, and music and singing involved in temple festivals. Many interesting inscriptions and sculptures related to dance and music have also been taken up for discussion. In a fascinating attempt, the author has dealt with unique music traditions in some temples of south India like ragas associated with specific temples only and the tradition of nadasvaram playing in Tiruvarur temple.
The volume will enthral scholars of Indology, particularly those involved in study of religious art and music traditions.
Natankusa of an unknown author is a unique work furnishing a first-hand account of Kerala theatre as practised in the medieval period. It also provides vivid account of Sanskrit plays like Ascaryacudamani of Saktibhadra as taken up in performance. In his attempt at critiquing the contemporary theatre, the author makes a threadbare analysis of the practices of cakyaras – the actors of Sanskrit theatre during his times. Kudiyattam, the Sanskrit theatre of Kerala has survived in actual theatre practice for about one millennium. It is recognized as a world heritage. Offering a brilliant critique of Kudiyattam, the author of Natankusa raises fundamental questions with regard to the relationship between the sastra and the loka – the theory and the practice. The present edition of Natankusa is based on fresh manuscript material will go a long way with the students and researchers of classical Indian theatre and will also serve as a manual for the practitioners of Indian theatre according to Bharata’s Naṭyasastra.
Natyapradipa covers all the topics of dramaturgy and with an all-encompassing range and inclusivity evinces a sound understanding of the structure of Sanskrit drama. It offers novel interpretations on a number of aspects of drama. Natyapradipa is one of the richest storehouses of references to several Sanskrit plays.
The experiences and knowledge from our past are recorded in manuscripts which have been handed down to us over several thousand years. The Government of India, through the Department of Culture, took note of the importance of the vast tangible heritage and, in order to preserve and conserve as well as to make access to this wealth easy, established the National Mission for Manuscripts. In order to disseminate the knowledge content of manuscripts, the Mission has taken up several programmes such as lectures, seminars and workshops. The Mission has published the proceedings of the above-said programmes under the following series: Samrakshika (on conservation), Tattvabodha (comprises lectures based on some manuscripts delivered by eminent scholars), Samiksika (research-oriented papers as presented in the seminars), and Kritibodha (transcribed and edited text prepared at advance level manuscriptology workshops conducted by the NMM.
The National Mission for Manuscripts has taken up a project for publishing rare and unpublished manuscripts in three formats (a) Facsimile, (b) Critical edition (illustrated and single copy manuscript), and (c) Critical edition with annotation and translation. This new series has been named as Prakashika. Natyapradipa critically edited by Prof. Radhavallabh Tripathi comes under this Prakashika series.
Natyapradipa is an unpublished and original work on the principles of dramaturgy. The author Sundaramishra flourished during the sixteenth-seventeenth century. Besides Natyapradipa, he had also written a play Abhiramamani on Ramayana theme.
The unique quality of Natyapradipa lies in its comprehensive nature, it covers all the topics of dramaturgy and with an all- encompassing range and inclusivity evinces a sound understanding of the structure of Sanskrit drama. Sundaramishra offers novel interpretations on a number of aspects of drama. He has made a unique proposition through his theory of joint-dominance of two rasas in a play. He has also attempted a brilliant analysis of the pervasiveness of bindu (the point amongst the natures of the plot) with respect to all the joints and acts of a play. He frankly and reasonably criticizes such stalwarts like Dhanika and Raghavabhatta. His contribution to Sanskrit dramaturgy also lies in applying the whole theoretical framework of dramaturgy to several classical Sanskrit plays and his own play Abhiramamani.
Natyapradipa is one of the richest storehouses of references to several Sanskrit plays and with the publication of this work, Sundaramishra joins the galaxy of great stalwarts in the field of the art of drama and theatre.
This book talks about the divergent views on Natyasastra Þ its origin, concepts, philosophy, history, vritti, impact on traditional stages, relevance in modern age and stage, and its applicability in post-modern stage. It interlinks Natyasastra and the regional theatre forms with specific focus on south India.
Natyasastra of Bharatamuni, considered as the fifth Veda, has remained a Samhita with a systematic presentation of conceptual frameworks, theories and practices of Indian theatre for a few millennium years. Every performing art of India (dancedrama) has drawn both theoretical and aesthetics values from Bharata and his Natyasastra, giving continuity to a legacy, as it was written to set models and standards for actors, artisans, and the playwrights. Natyasastras discovery in the nineteenth century was a milestone in the world history of aesthetics and theatre. The subsequent researches made Bharata and his theatre a vibrant topic of global dialogue and researches. This has resulted in the discovery of different versions of the Natyasastra.
This volume discusses in detail the divergent views on Natyasastra its origin, concepts, philosophy, history, vrtti, impact on traditional stages, relevance in modern age and stage, and its applicability in post-modern stage. It also vividly talks about the interlinks between Natyasastra and the regional theatre forms with specific focus on south India. It therefore reinstates the fact that the regional theatric traditions have considerably contributed to the restructuring of Natyasastra texts.
With deliberations on varied topics, this book proudly announces that Natyasastra is not just a text, but a tradition of theatre that has remained vibrant till today, reminiscent of Indian world-view. And this makes this volume a must-study for ßwho is whoû in the theatric domain.
The book studies the evolution of ancient Indian theatre: it deals with the dramatic troupes, abhinaya, the stage and auditorium and visuals depicting scenes etched on temples and caves. It examines the kinds of performing artistes and their contributions.
Theatre in ancient India or natya incorporated various aspects of art and different branches of knowledge in its very definition not only histrionics but also dance, music and fine arts and branches of learning like history, philosophy and science. This work traces the evolution of the ancient Indian theatre, focusing on the contributions of the performing artistes. This scholarly treatise deals at length with aspects of dramatic performance like nature, kinds and members of dramatic troupes, abhinaya, the stage and auditorium, incorporating a number of visuals to depict the dramatic scenes etched by artists on pillars, temple walls, caves and objects. It classifies the different kinds and levels of performers: actors like Sailusa, Sailalin, Mankh Kusilava, Nata and Bharata, and actresses like professional actresses, courtesan actresses, divine actresses and so on. It refers to Natyasastra and other noted works on dramaturgy and their authors, and gives examples and illustrations from the famous epics, Buddhist and Jain literature and other works like the Arthasastra to throw light on values associated with drama and its actual performance in ancient times. The book, presenting well-researched facts and giving an insightful analysis, will prove useful to researchers and teachers of classical Indian art.
The book is a study of traditional Balinese performance culture with special focus on dance and drama forms thriving in the present, their links with tourists, the economy of performing for tourists, and the role of state-run institutions in the performance culture.
This book is about the culture of performing traditional dance, drama and musical forms for tourists, and is based on the research carried out at Ubud (Bali/Indonesia). This book argues that the achievements made by the custodians of the Balinese performance culture in Ubud need to be given a greater consideration because of: (a) existence and condition of traditional dance, drama and musical forms in several geo-cultural spaces throughout the world, (b) emergence of eco-cultural tourism, and (c) exigency of practising art and knowledge of performing and managing traditional dance and drama forms in changed social and cultural contexts.
This book argues that religious and cultural faith associated with certain traditional dance, drama and musical forms alone cannot help the later ones to flourish in their multiple forms. To carve out a secure future for such cultural art forms, individual talents need to invent and intervene from within.
This book makes a suggestion that the people of the Asian countries should not only live with feelings of sharing similar traditional art forms of the olden days but should also look at the present reality of the times when transformations are taking place in such traditional art forms because of the cross-cultural movements of people, especially those of the tourists.
Cover illustrations
Front: A moment when audiences find themselves intensely watching a performance.
Back: A board mentioning about the schedule for performance put in front of the Banjar building in the Monkey Forest area.
This book is a systematic and contemporary exploration of the uniquely Indian phenomenon of raga, which forms the foundation of the musical culture of India. It attempts to extend the scope of the enquiry to cover several facets of ragas examining the manner in which they participate in the cultural process.
This book is a systematic and contemporary exploration of the uniquely Indian phenomenon of raga, which forms the foundation of the musical culture of India.
Maestros speak with total conviction of a raga as having a personality. A raga must therefore be viewed not only as the governing authority of musical performance, but also as an archetype pregnant with cultural meaning. The exploration of raga-ness, therefore, can begin with the grammatical coordinates of ragas, but cannot stop there. This book attempts to extend the scope of the enquiry to cover several other facets of ragas examining the manner in which they participate in the cultural process. As such, this book provides valuable insights to scholars, researchers, connoisseurs, as well as performing musicians.
Written by an author of established credentials as a musician, researcher and writer with three acclaimed works to his credit, this book explores the subject through conceptual essays in Part I, and case studies of fifty-one ragas in Part II. The case studies of ragas are supported with references to authoritative texts and reviews of recordings by recent and contemporary maestros.
Written in the author’s lucid and masterly style, this book makes complex musicological concepts accessible to non-academic readers, and contributes significantly to widening the understanding of the role of ragas in the musical culture.
This composition of the sixteenth century, edited and commentated upon by Acharya Bhagawat Sharan Sukhla, introduces eighty-seven ragas, some are famous such as Bhairav, Bhairavi, Vasant, Tohri and Malkauns, and some are little known like Rodika, Saurashtri, Aothi, Yogi Bangalika and Kurai. It is part of the ongoing efforts of the National Mission for Manuscripts, giving exposure to the unpublished Sanskrit volumes.
The experiences and knowledge from our past are recorded in manuscripts which have been handed down to us over several thousand years. The Government of India, through the Department of Culture, took note of the importance of the vast tangible heritage and in order to preserve and conserve as well as to make access to this wealth easy, established the National Mission for Manuscripts. In order to disseminate the knowledge content of manuscripts, the Mission has taken up several programmes such as lectures, seminars and workshops. The Mission has published the proceedings of the above-said programmes under the following series: Samrakshika (on conservation), Kritibodha (critically edited texts), Tattvabodha (comprises lectures based on some manuscripts delivered by eminent scholars) and Samiksika (research-oriented papers as presented in the seminars). This year, the National Mission for Manuscripts has taken up a project for publishing rare and unpublished manuscripts in three formats (a) Facsimile, (b) Critical edition (illustrated and single copy manuscript), (c) Critical edition with annotation and translation. This new series has been named as Prakashika. Ragarnavam, critically edited by Acharya Bhagawat Sharan Shukla, comes under this series.
The happiness from the knowledge of music is well-known. From the very beginning of creation, music was the part and parcel of human civilization. Its relevance to our lives is known from the Vedic period. Besides nataka, Rishi Bharata is considered as the acarya of music too. To enrich this knowledge, many saint-composers devoted themselves to shastraic compositions. Ragarnavam is one of such compositions. Though no details are available on the compositor, this work is a sufficient proof of the composer’s mastery.
Ragarnavam, it is believed, was composed somewhere in the sixteenth century. It is a collection of eighty lyrics. Acharya Bhagawat Sharan Shukla has edited and written commentary on it, in the backdrop of the two available manuscripts of this composition. This composition introduces nearly eighty-seven ragas some are famous, some are little known. While this composition details famous ragas like Bhairav, Bhairavi, Vasant, Torhi, and Malkosh, it features ragas like Rodika, Saurashtri, Aothi, Yogi Bangalika, Kurai, as well.
This book will definitely be a boon to the music lovers. It can even entice researchers on music. This volume is part of the ongoing efforts of the National Mission for Manuscripts, giving exposure to the unpublished Sanskrit volumes.
