A Students Handbook of Indian Aesthetics

Product Description

Art and life in India have been inextricably intertwined from ancient times to the present day. Art as a way of life, as ritual, as decoration and as unity with the Sublime bore testament to the socio-cultural milieu; the high level of sophistication that developed in ancient India was reflected in the arts in a holistic light. The arts, thus, strived to hone mans intellectual sensibilities, thus raising him to the level of the transcendental, which in India was Brahma or ultimate reality. This book brings forth the popular theories of Indian aesthetics and Indian poetics. Bharatmuni, Abhinavgupta, Anandvardhana and a number of seers have given substantial dimensions to the concept as found in Natryashastra, Dhvanyavloka, and Abhinavbharati, among other texts. It represents primarily a compilation of commentaries and criticism of these texts, and will serve as a preliminary guide to students, beginners and researchers of Indian aesthetics and poetics. The appendices bring together a number of papers on Indian aesthetics, while there is also an informative and comprehensive bibliography and an exhaustive glossary to provide added aid for non-Sanskrit speakers.

About the Author

Dr Neerja A. Gupta is currently the Principal of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavans Sheth R.A. PG College of Arts and Commerce, India, and Syndicate Member of Gujarat University, India. The Global Academic Chair for the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin, she is also Director of the Study Abroad Program and Diaspora Research at Gujarat University. At present she is on the academic and administrative panels of 16 international universities and several Indian universities and public service commissions. She is the Chief-Editor of the international journal of Indian studies Bharatiya Manyaprad, and has published 15 books and over 45 research articles on topics such as English literature, Indian poetics, Indian diaspora studies, Gandhian thought and Indian cultural heritage.