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Amarushataka...
Amarushataka
A Centennial of Love Songs by: Harsha V. Dehejia , Subhash Behelke , Prakriti Kashyap , Uday Indurkar , Narmada Prasad UpadhyayaThis volume, based on the paintings at Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sanghralaya, formerly Prince of Wales Museum, Mumbai, makes us travel through the bright and radiant world of the many splendours of Malwa painting and its silent pages are alive with the whispers of romantic love.
₹3,150.00
ISBN: 9788124608906
Year Of Publication: 2017
Edition: 1st Edition
Pages : 216
Language : English
Binding : Hardcover
Publisher: D.K. Printworld Pvt. Ltd.
Size: 29
Weight: 1250
Amarushataka is considered to be one of the finest poetic creations in Sanskrit in ancient India and is a watershed development in the genre of Shringara Rasa. We do not know who the poet Amaru was, but a number of legends abound and it is believed that he lived in the seventh century. In Amarus poetic gems love is not measured but experienced, it is not evaluated socially but felt in the deepest recesses of the mind and heart. He paints the varied moods and nuances of love with words that evoke vivid colours and rhythms that are sonorous with music. Amarushataka basks in a sunlit space, fragrant with the aroma of love, brilliant with the hues of a throbbing heart and within the minute compass of the few lines of a verse we are privy to a whole universe of romance. Amarus lovers inhabit a non-descript space, so that our attention is entirely on them and not on the surroundings. Amarus lovers are driven by desire, devoid of guilt, finding their fulfilment in a passionate embrace or a loving gaze. Using traditional Prakrit romantic idioms Amaru prepares us for the feast both for the eyes and the ears that is to follow, for the muktakas of Amaru create an emotionally charged world, where every nuance of romantic love is explored, where the pangs and pleasures, pathos and poignancy, of amorous dalliances are sensitively portrayed, where neither the restraint of dharma nor the restriction of samsara is allowed to interfere with a glorious celebration of love. Whatever its origins, for 1,300 years this work has retained its reputation in India as one of the foundational collections of poetry. Poets and critics still use its verses as a template against which to consider other poems. Such was the impact of Amarushataka, especially in Malwa of the seventeenth century, that it was transformed into miniature paintings in the evocative Malwa style. The one room chamber with strong monochromatic colours and robust figures marks the painting. The book also traces the history of Malwa painting. An interesting side light of the book is an attempt to demonstrate that the verses of Amaru were also perhaps responsible for amorous sculptures in Khajuraho and other temples. The book is richly illustrated, has the verses of Amaru in Sanskrit and English and is a source book of Shringara Rasa for scholars and students alike.
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““This book is an autobiographical essay of a man who rose from a humble beginning in a remote village with one room elementary school to attend the University of Chicago, with its impressive Gothic structures ranked among the best in the world; and to become the Chancellor of a prestigious university in the country. Dr Rao attributes all this to destiny. Destiny in this view constitutes the circumstances in which one is situated; but it is the deftness with which one manoeuvres himself through the maze of circumstances that really matters in the final analysis.
The book is offered as a possible source to inspire the aspiring individual not only to set noble goals but also find possible ways of reaching them. Blessed is the one who moves his way upward without hurting himself or others in the process. This has been the guiding principle of Dr Rao.”
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The basic aim of the book is to expose the major contributions of artisans and craftsmen in portraying the society in different perspectives. These artisans and craftsmen, were drawn mostly from the shudras, lower caste of the community, suppressed and have-nots section of the society, but were highly talented. The work is also designed to create interest among the reader and scholars alike, to understand the society of the period under reference through the immortal art of these creative people. The artisans such as potters, weavers, carpenters, architects, sculptors, brick-makers, metallurgy and metal workers, leather workers, painters, and the workers engaged in the profession of ivory, glass and mirror, perfume and cosmetic, musical instrument, oil, salt and liquor makers, etc. were the heroes of that time, who not only met the day-to-day requirement of the then society, but also portrayed different aspects of their life, in its true color, through their workmanship. It was the architect who designed and constructed houses to live in, as well as water tank, well and channel, royal building, stupa, temple and fort, bridge, pillar and rock-edict etc., which met the need of the society.
Today, we feel proud of the rich heritage of old Indian art and architecture, credit for which solely goes to the then artisan who crafted immortal creations. However, the invaluable contribution made by the historians in immortalizing their creations, by putting them in black and white, is no less important. It is the historian, whose mighty pen has immortalized not only Ashoka the great, as a king but also the creators of the stupas of his times on equal footings. It is with this aim in view that the present book has been presented to the posterity, in order to pay rich tributes to the creators of our rich cultural heritage.
Unluckly there was no proper institutionalized provision for the education of artisans and craftsmen, so generally the former adopted the occupation of their parents and hereditary skill was enhances as it was transferred from father to son, and generation to generation. Contemporary sources reveal that the social stautus of artisan class was based on the nature and economic conditions of a particular profession. -
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Recalling the different facets of Nawab Wajid Ali’s life, the book explores the state and fame of Lucknow, of his times, where the Nawab lived a life of refinement and pomp, and attracted the best talents in arts and crafts. It also portrays how were dance and music enjoying pride of place during his reign.
While presenting a penetrating account of Ali Shah’s poetry, the book revisits his musical scholarship, history of his times and presents his poems with English translation. It as well showcases the best paintings centring around his personal and cultural life, and guides one go through the religious and cultural harmony prevailed in Awadh where a lot of factors were at play effecting acculturation between the Hindus and the Muslims, popularly known as the Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb. -
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