On Rasa & Rasam

Ameya and Kiran muse over rasam recipes while diving deep into the foundations of Rasa theory in the Natya Sastra in Part 1 of this special two-episode arc. They discuss how it is understood today and present a compelling alternative theory from ancient Tamil Literature.

Call to action: What changes would you make to the Navarasa list? 

Dive deeper:  

●      Mandakranta Bose – Movement and Mimesis: Idea of Dance in the Sanskritic Tradition

●      B. M. Chaturvedi and Sriramachandrudu Pullela – Some unexplored aspects of rasa theory

●      Bharata’s Natya Shastra – Chapter 6, which is on rasa (Ameya’s go-to edition is the 4-volume set by Pushpendra Kumar) 

●      S. Raghuraman - History of Tamil’s Dance (Translated into English by Lakshmi Ramaswamy)

●      V. Murugan - Tolkāppiyam in English

Today’s episode would not have been possible without the support and encouragement of many, including

●      We Edit Podcasts for audio engineering 

●      Sangeetha Kowsik for graphic design of our logo

●      Catwalk Institute for Kiran’s studio space

●      Sarada Jammi for Ameya’s studio space

●      Drs. V. Arasu, Lakshmi Ramaswamy, S. Raghuraman, and V. Murugan for their critical insights into Tolkāppiyam and the contributions of Tamil Literature to Indian dance & aesthetics

●      Drs. Yashoda Thakore and Anupama Kylash for their incisive and comprehensive review of the nuances of rasa theory and its evolution through Sanskrit literature

●      A special thanks to Wesley Beeks & Bertel King, Jr.

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