Colloquium on Natyashastra Lo! The profundity of Natyashastra
Monday, February 6, 2023
  • Circulation
  • Advertise
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
Organiser
  • ‌
  • Bharat
  • World
  • G20
  • Editorial
  • Analysis
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • More
    • Defence
    • RSS in News
    • Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav
    • My States
    • Vocal4Local
    • Business
    • Special Report
    • Culture
    • Sci & Tech
    • Entertainment
    • Education
    • Books
    • Interviews
    • Travel
    • Health
    • Obituary
SUBSCRIBE
No Result
View All Result
  • ‌
  • Bharat
  • World
  • G20
  • Editorial
  • Analysis
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • More
    • Defence
    • RSS in News
    • Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav
    • My States
    • Vocal4Local
    • Business
    • Special Report
    • Culture
    • Sci & Tech
    • Entertainment
    • Education
    • Books
    • Interviews
    • Travel
    • Health
    • Obituary
No Result
View All Result
Organiser
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Bharat
  • World
  • G20
  • Editorial
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Culture
  • Defence
  • RSS in News
  • My States
  • Vocal4Local
  • Subscribe
Home General

Colloquium on Natyashastra Lo! The profundity of Natyashastra

Archive Manager by WEB DESK
May 31, 2009, 12:00 am IST
in General
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterTelegramEmail

Delhi hosted a five-day long workshop on Bharat Muni’s Natyashastra at Triveni Kala Sangam. Prof Bharat Gupt, a litterateur and an acclaimed historian of comparative cultures delivered the lectures. Prof Gupt has been lecturing on Natyashastra in India and abroad for almost two decades. Art impresario Jayaprabha Menon brought forth a joint venture of International Academy of Mohiniyattam and Sahitya Kala Parishad to apprise the art aficionados of the magnanimity of Natyashastra.

Bharat’s Natyashastra, Kautilya’s Arthashastra and Vatsyayan’s Kamasutra form the edifice of Indian culture to attain the purusharthas of dharma (righteousness), artha (wealth), kama (fleshly desires) and moksha (salvation), feels Prof Gupt. Thus Natyashastra forms a bastion of Indian society. A shastra is a discipline to govern some integral part of human society. Knowledge of Natyashastra is imperative as it ‘covers creation of beauty in all aspects of life’. Veritably, ‘the whole cosmos becomes part of natya’ declares Shri Gupt. Natyashastra is for the well being of jiva and doesn’t kowtow any particular sect or lineage. It is not a doctrine of dogmas but a template that can be integrated upon diverse things to recreate a proactive form culminating in totality of art thereby attaining siddhi–both daivi and manushi.

Prof Gupt came down heavily on the displaced notion of the Indian populace on Natyashastra. Natya of yore encompassed music and sculpture as well. And thus Natyashastra is not merely a primer on India’s dramaturgy but turned out a cornerstone for all these three genres. Prof Gupt was emphatic, ‘Indian sculpture is a direct implication of Natyashastra’. During his entire lecture, Prof Gupt heavily resorted upon Abhinavabharati by Abhinavagupta, the first treatise upon Natyashastra to lay bare the nitty-gritty of it. The charisma of rasas, Indian aesthetics has pervaded its geographical precincts. ‘The responsibility of theatre education is culture education. Natya is not merely acting but conveying an idea from one place to another’. He clarified during the lecture that bhavas can be explored in multifarious ways. ‘Bhava is not merely emotion but thoughts as well’.

Bharat Muni envisages dasharupa, ten kinds of plays, out of which five or six have disappeared. Prof Gupt shattered several myths, calling the so-called Sanskrit dramas to be verily multilingual dramas – ‘No musical composition ever existed in Sanskrit’ came revelations upon another. ‘All dhruvaganas were in Prakrit. Only some characters spoke in Sanskrit, rest songs and all were said in local dialects’. Also, they were the only multilingual dramas in the world at that time. During Natyashastra period there were no linguistic categories in India.

The fecundity of Natyashastra can be surmised from a quote from Prof Gupt’s book, Dramatic Concepts Greek and Indian—“The Indian performance began with an attractive preamble of song and dance (git adiprakriya) called purvaranga. It was meant to make the spectators forget their world of stress and care; in the worlds of Abhinaya ‘to untie the knots of grief, anger and loss in their hearts’. The total run of purvaranga was done in a succession of 19 steps. The first nine steps were performed while the curtain (yavanika) was held somewhere mid-stage”.

Natyashastra gives us the oldest map of languages –Avantika, Prachya, Saurashtri among others’ elucidate the evolution trajectory followed by modern languages. Prof Gupt deplored certain historical developments. The karanas that were at initially108 of them; now hardly 25 to 28 karanas are extant. ‘With the advent of Europeans, literature ceased to be musical’

The five-day workshop saw an avid interaction of audience with the scholar speaker. The audience had some leading art cognoscenti, danseuses, academicians and art impresarios of the likes of Komala Vardan, Leila Venkataraman, Madhavi Mudgal, Pummiji from Attic and Prof Chandra Mohan who all made a beeline to glean upon Natyashastra.

ShareTweetSendShareSend
Previous News

Youth for Seva Experience the joy of sharing

Next News

Opinion Only Swadeshi and Hindutva can revive BJP

Related News

“No salary, no Hygienic water” : Doctors at Delhi’s Rajan Babu and Hindu Rao hospitals to go on strike from Feb 6

“No salary, no Hygienic water” : Doctors at Delhi’s Rajan Babu and Hindu Rao hospitals to go on strike from Feb 6

Organiser e-copy – 12 February 2023

Organiser e-copy – 12 February 2023

Chhattisgarh: BJP leader hacked to death by Maoist in Bijapur’s Usur

Chhattisgarh: BJP leader hacked to death by Maoist in Bijapur’s Usur

PM Modi interacts with participants in Jaipur Mahakhel

PM Modi interacts with participants in Jaipur Mahakhel

Budget 2023: Laying foundation of future Bharat

Budget 2023: Laying foundation of future Bharat

Budget 2023: Focus on ‘Amrit Kaal ‘and Green Growth

Budget 2023: Focus on ‘Amrit Kaal ‘and Green Growth

Comments

The comments posted here/below/in the given space are not on behalf of Organiser. The person posting the comment will be in sole ownership of its responsibility. According to the central government's IT rules, obscene or offensive statement made against a person, religion, community or nation is a punishable offense, and legal action would be taken against people who indulge in such activities.

Latest News

“No salary, no Hygienic water” : Doctors at Delhi’s Rajan Babu and Hindu Rao hospitals to go on strike from Feb 6

“No salary, no Hygienic water” : Doctors at Delhi’s Rajan Babu and Hindu Rao hospitals to go on strike from Feb 6

Chhattisgarh: BJP leader hacked to death by Maoist in Bijapur’s Usur

Chhattisgarh: BJP leader hacked to death by Maoist in Bijapur’s Usur

PM Modi interacts with participants in Jaipur Mahakhel

PM Modi interacts with participants in Jaipur Mahakhel

Budget 2023: Laying foundation of future Bharat

Budget 2023: Laying foundation of future Bharat

Budget 2023: Focus on ‘Amrit Kaal ‘and Green Growth

Budget 2023: Focus on ‘Amrit Kaal ‘and Green Growth

Band, baaja, bulldozer: Groom arrives at his wedding atop a JCB in Gujarat’s Navsari

Band, baaja, bulldozer: Groom arrives at his wedding atop a JCB in Gujarat’s Navsari

BBC documentary on PM Modi: A conspiracy by external adversaries

BBC documentary on PM Modi: A conspiracy by external adversaries

Former Pak President and LeT “biggest supporter” Pervez Musharraf died in Dubai

Former Pak President and LeT “biggest supporter” Pervez Musharraf died in Dubai

President appoints five new judges to the Supreme Court

President appoints five new judges to the Supreme Court

Wanted Maoist held in Aurangabad; security forces unearthed Maoist dump in Odisha’s Kalahandi

Wanted Maoist held in Aurangabad; security forces unearthed Maoist dump in Odisha’s Kalahandi

  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Cookie Policy
  • Refund and Cancellation
  • Delivery and Shipping

© Bharat Prakashan (Delhi) Limited.
Tech-enabled by Ananthapuri Technologies

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Bharat
  • World
  • Editorial
  • Analysis
  • Opinion
  • Defence
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Business
  • RSS in News
  • My States
  • Vocal4Local
  • Special Report
  • Sci & Tech
  • Entertainment
  • Education
  • Books
  • Interviews
  • Travel
  • Health
  • Obituary
  • Subscribe
  • Advertise
  • Circulation
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Refund and Cancellation

© Bharat Prakashan (Delhi) Limited.
Tech-enabled by Ananthapuri Technologies