Bharata Natyam

Bharata Natyam, the most popular classical Indian dance-form, has received universal approbation as one of the subtlest expressions of Indian culture. Its intimate connection with the temple, as a ritualistic art, mirroring the imperceptible feelings of a devotee reflects the inwardness of Hindu culture. Its amazing inner resilience has once again come to the fore. And thanks to some of the great gurus and performing artistes, a few dedicated visionaries, and pioneers, it has, after its initial revival some six decades ago, gained unprecedented popularity. One of the most beautiful, subtle, sophisticated, and graceful dance-forms in the world, Bharata Natyam is performed according to the most delicate nuances of a musical piece, or a poem, through the vehicle of a body. Reflecting the principles laid down in the Natyashastra treatises, it has survived in India in all its variegated splendour of the form and moods which it has gathered unto itself throughout the centuries. The present revised third edition captures the rhythms and beauty of an integral art in a visually exciting and fascinating manner. Written by Dr. Sunil Kothari, dance scholar, historian, and critic, it has important contributions from pioneers like Rukmini Devi and Professor P. Sambamurthy. Dr Mulk Raj Anand in his evocative words stresses the values of this inheritance for today and the hope for refulgence of the ecstasy of dance in our mundane world. Dancer and research scholar Dr Padma Subrahmanyam has contributed an essay on dance notation of the basic dance units—the adavus on the lines of staff notation of Western music. Dr Sunil Kothari’s fieldwork and researches in the dance-drama-forms complete the total picture of Bharata Natyam as seen in its varied aspects. This volume ends with an overview of the legendary and present day exponents of Bharata Natyam. Photographers such as Subodhchandra, David May, Lance Dane, Avinash Pasricha, Dasharath Patel, S. Anwar, V.K. Rajamani, and others, have captured the many-splendoured beauty of Bharata Natyam in the third eye of their camera.