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immediately clear that the text concerned is written in Prakrit. This scholarly attempt by Tieken should invite the attention of veteran scholars in the field of editing of Prakrit works, for the methodology he has adopted for the reconstruction of the text of this highly popular work of anthological poetry, and his views pertaining to its interpretation and translation. N.M.K
THE THEATRES OF BHARATA AND SOME ASPECTS OF SANSKRIT PLAYPRODUCTION by Govardhan Panchal, with a Foreword by Dr. Kapila Vatsyayana, Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Pvt. Ltd., Delhi, 1996, pp. xviii + 162, Rs. 450/
The efforts to reconstruct the Theatres of Bharata described in chapter II of the Nātyaśāstra go back even beyond the time of Abhinavagupta (10th cent. A. D.), the commentator of the work of Bharata, for he too mentions the opinions of his predecessors about some of the elements concerning these theatres, which fact shows that these theatres had gone out of existence long before his time.
Panchal has evolved his own methodology for reconstruction of these theatres. Bharata's theatres are entirely different, in form and spirit, from the modern proscenium theatre. A clear understanding of the nature of Nātya of Bharata is also very vital, because it was for the presentation of this Natya that these theatres were created and for which the plays were written. Our own regional traditional forms still exist and are crying to be noticed and they would immediately make clear the fundamental nature of Nātya which links them to the classical tradition having certain common conventions. A close look at the Kuttapalama would immediately clear all cobwebs surrounding it and some other elements of the theatres of Bharata. It is also necessary to understand the deep relationship between the plays and the theatre in which they were produced in a particular period. The style of the plays and the production technique, stagedirections and the conventions used in the plays cannot be understood without the knowledge of the theatre for which the plays were written and produced. To recreate Bharata's theatres mentally and physically, or on paper, it is necessary to have the basic knowledge of draughtmanship. Without the clarity of drawing which could be read like a script, much confusion can result, and has resulted in most of the writings where attempts to illustrate them have been made. It is necessary to understand that every dot or line and its shape and size, when applied to a drawing, acquires a definite meaning and is a help or hindrance in clearly understanding the element attempted to be clarified. It is
