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06. CULTURE |
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The Natya Shastra |
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The basis of the rasas (moods) is a fourth-century treatise called
the Natya Shastra. It codifies the various moods, mudras(gestures),
expressions, talas(rhythms) and lays down prescriptions for their
usage and accompaniment, right down to the time of day and season
of each raga (melodic pattern). These guidelines were to be applied
to all sangeet, i.e., all arts that combined rhythm, music and (rhythmic)
movement. In later centuries, the rasas came to be applied also
to literary arts and painting. It is thus not unusual to find a
seventeenth century miniature embodying a particular raga, or an
epic poem by Kalidasa circling through the nine moods. It is this
rich admixture that makes Indian art so distinctive, so different
from the Western dichotomy of tragic and comic. For, in the Indian
paradigm, magic and comic are subsumed within the nine-fold parameters
that also include the erotic, the pathetic, the odious, the marvelous,
the fearsome, the quiescent and the brave. Long associated with
venerated temple and voluptuous court, it is the tradition of patronage
that's ensured the revival of classical arts in modern times.
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Schools of Music
By and large, Indian classical music follows one of
two schools--- the Hindustani (primarily North Indian)
and the Carnatic (South Indian). However, the former
has since spread across regions, while the latter retains
a regional following. Initially taught orally within
a strictly disciplined guru-shishya parampara (maestro-disciple
tradition), the foundation of Hindustani classical music
is the raga, each following a specific tala. The building
blocks are the saptakas of seven notes identified with
the calls of seven animals (sharaj, reeshav, gandhar,
madhyam, pancham, dhaivat and neeshad; or sa-re-ga-ma-pa-dha-nee
for short). Starting with the very basic (undimensional)
and proceeding to the most complex, there are over a
hundred ragas. In addition, within the two categories
there are various gharanas, or traditions.
Hindustani Classical
Music, to the Indian ear, is not just vocal - a glorious
tradition of instrumental music has brought forth many
ustads and pandits. Perhaps best-known in the West is
Pandit Ravi Shankar, who popularized Indian
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Classical
music worldwide, holding audiences spellbound with his
sitar, a string instrument constructed of twin gourds.
Ustaad Amjad Ali Khan excels on the sarod, developed
by his grandfather from the mediaeval Asian lute called
the rabab. His sons Amaan and Ayaan Ali Bangash now
promise to continue the family tradition. Ustaads, Bismillah
Khan, exponent of the shehnai (a reed pipe), and Zakir
Hussain on the tabla (a twin percussion instrument )
have made celebrities of instruments that are more frequently
seen as a part of an orchestra or dancer's accompaniment.
Classical vocalists include such maestros as Kishori
Amonkar, Gangubai Hangal and Bhimsen Joshi.
Carnatic
Renowned South Indian vocalist M.S.Subbulakshmi upholds
the younger Carnatic school, which shares the talas
and ragas of Hindustani but is almost exclusively devotional.
The instruments are different and the melody develops
in a more structured manner, with great emphasis on
rhythm. In the 18th and 19th centuries, Thyagaraja,
Syama Sastri and Muthuswami Dikshitar
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composed
over 2500 songs between them, in Sanskrit and Telugu, giving
definition to the genre. The sitar is here superseded by the
delicate veena, the tabla by the ghatam ( a clay pot), thavil(drum)
and mridangam(a two-headed drum), the shehnai by the flute.
Western instruments such as the violin and the saxophone also
make the appearance.
Dances of India
Based again on the Natya Shastra, the
forms of classical dance vary with the region. Bharatnatyam
from Tamil Nadu specializes in eloquent mudras and symmetrical
stances, while the Andhra Kuchipudi is a highly dramatic vehicle
for tales from the epics. Odissi, with its sculptural poses,
remains reminiscent of its temple home. Complex footwork and
pirouettes characterize Kathak, the dance of the northern
courts. While the hallmark of of the veiled and stiff-skirted
Manipuri dancer's repertoire are legends of Krishna's courtship
of Radha, Mohiniattam takes its cue from Vishnu's sensous
form of Mohini.
Each form above has its peculiar costume
and the ornaments worn with them are traditional. The distinctive
'story-play' of Kathakali features elaborate facial expressions,
enhanced by stylized make-up. Octogenarian Odissi guru Kelucharan
Mahapatra is the grand old man of Indian dance.
Folk Rhythms
The folk musicians and dancers of India are too numerous to
name, but the harvest songs, boatmen's lays and mystic chants
colour the very air. Celebratory dances like northern teej,
western dandia and Assamese bibu bring the community together
in joy, while the more acrobatic Rajasthani ghoomars and Bengali
boburoopis and bauls are a livelihood in themselves.
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