Arts

The daśa-rūpakas and many upa-rūpakas need to be staged using mārga-karaṇas, mārga-cārīs, and mārga-sthānakas; these have to come along with nṛtta-hastas as well; aṅgahāras may be employed as necessary. Thus, mastery over the grammar of the mārga-tradition is extremely important.   Similarly, in the case of quite a few upa-rūpakas and forms of nṛtya documented in the treatises on saṅgīta-śāstra, mastery over the deśī grammar is important.

Chalika, cillī, cillikā, cillī-karma, or cillī-mārga – Abhinava-gupta defines this as a kind of upa-rūpaka rooted in śuddha-nṛtta – pure, non-representational dance.

Upa-rūpakas (Continued)

Upa-rūpakas (Continued)

Prahasana[1], vīthī, and bhāṇa tickle the insides of the connoisseurs in different ways. Vīthī portrays the commotion, transactions, and humour that take place on the streets of cities.

Let us look at the Indian theatrical tradition with the above perspective in mind; it will help us gain new and novel insights.

Daśa-rūpakas[1]

Bharata, through the words of Brahmā, defines nāṭya thus – trailokyasyāsya sarvasya nāṭyaṃ bhāvānukīrtanam. Nāṭya or theatrical presentation is an artistic activity which captures the exalted imitation of the emotions of the three worlds[1]. Emotions are, after all, the very essence of life.

• Just as a person has a mother tongue that lends itself for his natural expression, a certain pitch is natural for a singer. This sahaja-śruti, i.e., natural pitch is usually comfortable for the singer and he can bring out the best of his creativity and melody. Singing is an art – mere vocal acrobatics including speed, leaps and jumps are unaesthetic. Acrobatics may help an artiste show off his strength but are certainly not artistic.

Yakṣagāna artistes should bring in newer maṭṭus and saṅgatis that can cater to all different emotions[1]; to do so, they must take refuge in the classical rāgas. The maṭṭus of Yakṣagāna are usually designed to begin from the pañcama and go higher. Their movement is largely in the higher octaves. This was necessary in the past because music had to be heard by a large number of people in the audience in the absence of microphones.