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Shri Mahavir Jain Aradhana Kendra
www.kobatirth.org
Acharya Shri Kailassagarsuri Gyanmandir
had been held in high esteem by the kings and richly awarded for their excellence in the art, and they in turn, made donations for the upkeep or extension of parts of the temple in which they served. Not to mention the countless number of cases where courtesans all through history have won high regard in the courts and in the aristocracy for their sensual charms, glamorous beauty, poetic eloquence, literary prowess, musical excellence and dance expertise. During early 17th century, a courtesan, Ramabhadramba, wrote a Sanskrit mahakavya or an epic poem glorifying her husband and King Raghunath of Tanjore (Narayanarao and Shulman 1989:122).
While traditional genres of Indian performance continue to project the brahmanical notions of idealized gender, several contemporary women dancers and choreographers, namely Kalanidhi Narayan, Chandralekha, Kumudini Lakhia, Sonal Mansingh, Swapna Sundari, Mrinalini Sarabhai, Mallika Sarabhai, Daksha Sheth, to name a few, have opened pathways for younger generations to be able to think objectively, work independently, reflecting upon and presenting issues of contemporary social, political, and cultural concern. The neo-classical dances of India still have to go a long way to meet with the contemporary expressions of our time.
Foot-Notes
1.
Ashtanayika literally meaning, the eight kinds of heroines: Chapter 24 of Natyasastra (henceforth NS) describes the ashtanayika as, 1) vasakasajja: one who is dressed and adorned in anticipation of the arrival of her lover; 2) virahotkanthita: one who is distressed in separation and is longing for her lover; 3) svadhinapatika: one who has dominance over her lover, where her lover stays by her side; 4) kalahantarita: one whose relationship with her lover is estranged because of a quarrel; 5) khandita: one who is heart-broken and enraged upon discovering that her lover has been with another woman; 6) vipralabdha: one who is disappointed and frustrated that her lover did not appear for the tryst; 7) prositabhartrika: one whose lover is gone on a journey to distant lands; and 8) abhisarika: one who is love-sick, and abandons all modesty, caution and fear in order to meet with her lover in the dark of the night (Ghosh 1967; NS XXIV:210-219). See section on female impersonation in this essay for titles awarded to male Kuchipudi danceractors for their expertise in playing female roles. For example, devadasi Muddupalani's (1730-90) collection of 584 poems titled Radhika Santvanam focusing on Radha's advice to her daughter in the ways of erotic love towards Lord Krishna never saw the light of the day until late 19th century only to be censured heavily before publication, which in turn was eventually banned during the British rule (Tharu and Lalita 1991). Andal was the only woman among the twelve Alvar saints. "The title Antal as "she who rules (the lord)” was assigned to her because she achieved the closest possible relationship with Lord Vishnu" (Dehejia 1990:2). A sutradhara is the producer, director, and narrator of the play. As a master of ceremonies, he initiates the preliminary invocations to the Gods. He connects all the threads in the play by way of narrating, acting, dancing, singing, introducing the actors, commenting on the action, and
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: 4. 24, bis 3-8,
sai. 2006 - HZ, 2006
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