In Indian classical dramaturgy, the performing arts have been called drishya kaavya, visual poetry. For centuries, Indian dramatists and actors have attempted to ‘decode’ the visual meaning of theatrical terms as described in the Naatyashaastra of Bharata Muni. Rasa Bhaava Darshan, too, attempts to transform text into image, and it brings back into contemporary life the quintessential principles of rasa, rapture and bhaava, sentiment. This book has pooled the accomplished talents of a scholar, an actor and a photographer. While the scholar interprets the classical concepts giving translation of relevant Sanskrit verses both in English and Hindi, the actor demonstrates the shades of emotion through his mobile facial expressions, and the photographer captures each visual import of the written text which is explored verse by verse covering the entire gamut of expressions for each of the 8 rasas and 49 bhaavas through both the intellect and eye. Dedicated to Prithviraj Kapoor and with a foreword by Krishna Chaitanya, the text as well as the illustrative material of this book–the 215 black and white photographs–will prove invaluable for performing artistes. Students of the naatyashaastra will gain immense visual insight into the various terms and concepts that a study of classical dramaturgy entails. In its integration of timeless tradition with modernity, and intellectual understanding with visual realisation, Rasa Bhaava Darshan is a beautiful and highly successful experiment.
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