(A comprehensive research paper presented by Ashwin, Roll No. 202554) Introduction to Rasa Theory Bharata Muni’s ‘Rasa’ theory initially originated in his Sanskrit treatise written on the performing arts-Natyashastra. According to the Natyashastra, the goals of theatre and its elements are to empower aesthetic experience and deliver emotional rasa. It has its roots in the Vedic period, in Rig Veda as well as Atharvaveda. The theory advocates that entertainment is the desired effect of performance arts but not the primary goal, and the primary goal is to transport the individuals present in the audience into another parallel reality, full of wonder and bliss, where he/she experiences the essence of his/her consciousness and reflects on spiritual and moral aspects. It suggests that every object and meaning has an emotional effect that diverts the human mind with its experience and controls the heart and mind of an individual. To facilitate the understanding of this theo...
Act I Act 1 takes place in the forest on the foothills of the Himalayas and moves to the hermitage of the great sage Kanva, by the river Malini. The King Duhsanta appears, followed by his Charioteer, in hot pursuit of a deer, specifically a Blackbuck, which is a sacred animal. Duhsanta is stopped in his hunt by an ascetic who reminds him of his duty This deer is of the Hermitage, O King! He should not be killed…no…no…do not strike him down. How fragile the life of this deer! How cruel your sharp- pointed arrows, swift-winged! Never should they fall on his tender frame like tongues of flame on a heap of flowers. Quickly withdraw your well-aimed arrow, bound to protect the distressed, not strike the pure. (p. 173) Furthermore, Duhsanta has entered the sacred Hermitage, where such slaughter is sacrilegious. At the ascetic surging, Duhsanta decides to go to the Hermitage of Kanva, to pay his respect as well enjoy the hospitality offered there. As they near the Hermitag...
Ngangom’s “The Strange Affair of Robin S. Ngangom" is one of his longest poems. It describes a visit to his native place, Manipur, which was ravaged in the conflict between Indian armed forces and the insurgents. Though the poem is autobiographical in nature, in him is found the capability of transforming his personal experiences in a conflict ravaged land to the generalised experiences of people belonging to many parts of North-East India. It is a critique on how the powerless has to remain subdued and succumb to the wishes of the powerful even if that dispossesses them from their rights and freedom. The poem is divided into four parts. The first part of the poem (lines 1-61) is a description of how the ‘pristine’ native land of his boyhood have been turned into ‘murderous’ in the present with pervading hunger, distrust and destruction. The second part of the poem (lines 62-105) gives a description of how the Indian armed forces through their ‘appliances of death and destru...
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