Rupa-Pratirupa: Mind Man and Mask

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Various cultures have comprehended the Universe – its space, time, form, primal elements and the incessant movement of chaos and order – through the ‘Mind’, a unique faculty that allows us to reflect and communicate innumerable world-views. An Ancient hymn from India describes Man’s first conscious reflection on creation as: ".. the contemplative Mind conceives of everything from no-thing…only Mind was there … neither existent nor nonexistent.. That the Truth is hidden in a golden jar… That which covers the Truth, the Mind, and the Man, is the Mask". This Hymn illustrates from only one traditional culture among so many all over the world that have certain distinct paradigms which form their basic ground of existence. From this theoretical base several questions may be raised within the contemporary cultural context when alternative ways of future scenarios are being considered: Who is Man? What is the Person/Self ? The answers may be given in terms of purusha (Cosmic Man) – in India: in Greece the word Prosopon and the Latin word Persona assumed the meaning of personage. Thus Mind, Man and Person are closely interlinked; and in this context there are diverse concepts, notions and paradigms to the query – "What is Mask? It is clear to all that the Mask has the power to reveal as also the power to conceal the â€˜self/Selfâ€™. The papers in this edited volume were presented during an International Seminar, Rupa-Pratirupa: Mind, Man and Mask, held in February, 1998. It was part of the ongoing programme of the IGNCA which has earlier taken up such themes as Time (kala), Space (Akasa), From (Akara), Primal elements (Prakrti), Chaos and Order (Rta-Rtu) and Sound (Dhvani). This Seminar reflects a turning point in the series since it now deals directly with the human being, and how humankind has attempted to move into the inner realm of the self, Self and the Mind of Man. Contributors have responded from the viewpoint of their own field of specialisation and reflect views of many diverse cultures and societies.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR S.C. Malik

S.C. Malik retired as a UGC Professorial Research Scientist in Anthropology (1988-1997). Earlier, he was associates with the Institute of Advanced Study (1966-1989), Shimla; M.S. University of Baroda (1956-1971); and was the Fulbright Smith-Mundt Scholar at the University of Chicago (1963-65). His major contribution is in pioneering multidisciplinary research methodologies and theoretical models for the study of Indian civilization and lately within the framework of philosophical anthropology for a study of modern civilization. Some of his major books are: India Civilization: The Formative Period (1968); Understanding Indian Civilization: A Framework of Enquiry (1975); Modern Civilization: A Crisis of Fragmentation (1989); Reconceptualising the Sciences and the Humanities: An Integral Approach (1995). There are several edited volumes and significant papers to his credit.