This volume of the HISTORY OF INDIAN THEATRE presents most enhanting and colourful panorama of folk and traditional theatre flourishing in India since time immemorial. Utilising various sources the author meticulously and systematically builds up the theatre history, which spans over several centuries. It is for the first time an elaborate account of dramatic rituals associated with the Bhuta or the Cult of Spirits is given here. This will enable the students of theatre understand and relationship of ritual and dramatic performance in its correct perspective. Various ritualistic theatre forms such as Teyyam are described and discussed. The book also tells us how the teachnique of ballad singing was dramatized and finally evolved into full-fledged drama in the course of time. The history of narrative forms is traced from the Vedic times to the present. With the emergence of Bhakti cult the spics were dramatized. This gave rise to the Leela Theatre which dedicated itself to portraying the divine acts of incarnations such as Krishna and Rama. Various forms of Leela Theatre are described in the book. Audiences turn to theatre for entertainment. A class of folk theatre arose in India whose main function was secular entertainment. Swang, Tamasha, Nautanki, Khyal entertained the people with dance, music and song, as well as with humour and pathos, love and war. Their enchanting story is narrated here.

This work discusses why so many western theatre workers have come to India and what they were looking for. It identifies Indian theatre as a site of reappraisal and renewal both in India and in the world of performance.

Indian Theatre expands the boundaries of what is usually regarded as theatre in order to explore the multiple dimensions of theatrical performance in India. From rural festivals to contemporary urban theatre, from dramatic rituals and devotional performances to dance-dramas and classical Sanskrit plays, this volume is a vivid introduction to the colourful and often surprising world of Indian performance. Besides mapping the vast range of performance traditions, the volume provides in-depth treatment of representative genres, including well-known forms such as Kathakali and ram lila and little-knowa performances such as tamasha. Each of these chapters explains the historical background of the theatre form under consideration and interprets its dramatic literature, probes its ritual or religious significance, and, where relevant, explores its social and political implications. Moreover, each chapter, except for those on the origins of Indian theatre, concludes with performance notes describing the actual experience of seeing a live performance in its original context. Based on extensive fieldwork, Indian Theatre is the first comprehensive account of the subject to be written by Western specialists and addressed to the needs of readers in the West. It will be a valuable resource for all students of Indian culture and a standard work in the history of theatre and performance for years to come.

This book looks at adaptations, translations and performance of Shakespeare's productions in India from the mid-18th century, when British officers in India staged Shakespeare's plays along with other English playwrights for entertainment, through various Indian adaptations of his plays during the colonial period to post-Independence period. It studies Shakespeare in Bengali and Parsi theatre at length. Other theatre traditions, such as Marathi, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi, have been included. The book dwells on the fascinating story of the languages of India that have absorbed Shakespeare's work and have transformed the original educated Indian's Shakespeare into the popular Shakespeare practice of the 19th and 20th centuries, and the unique urban-folkish tradition in postcolonial India.

‘Rabindranath Tagore's Drama in the Perspective of Indian Theatre’ maps Tagore’s place in the Indian dramatic/performance traditions by examining unexplored critical perspectives on his drama such as his texts as performance texts; their exploration in multimedia; reflections of Indian culture in his plays; comparison with playwrights; theatrical links to his world of music and performance genres; his plays in the context of cross-cultural, intercultural theatre; the playwright as a poet-performer-composer and their interconnections and his drama on the Indian stage.

This book interrogates the vocabulary used in theorizing about Indian cinema to reach into the deeper cultural meanings of philosophies and traditions from which it derives its influences. It re-examines terms and concepts used in film criticism and contextualizes them within the aesthetics, poetics and politics of Indian cinema. The book looks at terms and concepts borrowed from the scholarship on American and world cinema and explores their use and relevance in describing the characteristics and evolution of cinema in India. It highlights how realism, romance and melodrama in the context of India appear in a culturally singular way and how the aggregation of constituent elements – like songs, action, comedy – in Indian film can be traced to classical theatre and other diverse religious and philosophical influences. These influences have characterized popular film and drama in India which present all aspects of life for a diverse nation. The author explores concepts like ‘fantasy’, ‘family’ and ‘patriotism’ by using various examples from films in India and outside, as well as practices in the other arts. He identifies the fundamental logic behind the choices made by film-makers in India and discusses concepts which allow for a fresh theorizing on Indian cinema’s characteristics. This book will be of great interest to students and researchers of film studies, media studies, cultural studies, literature, cultural history and South Asian studies. It will also be useful for general readers who are interested in learning more about Indian cinema, its forms, origins and influences.

This book is about the popular cinema of North India ("Bollywood") and how it recasts literary classics. It addresses questions about the interface of film and literature, such as how Bollywood movies rework literary themes, offer different (broader or narrower) interpretations, shift plots, stories, and characters to accommodate the medium and the economics of the genre, sometimes even changing the way literature is read. This book addresses the socio-political implications of popular reinterpretations of "elite culture", exploring gender issues and the perceived "sexism" of the North Indian popular film and how that plays out when literature is reworked into film. Written by an international group of experts on Indian literature and film, the chapters in this book focus on these central questions, but also cover a wide range of literary works that have been adapted in film. Each part of the book discusses how a particular genre of literature has been "recast" into film. The individual chapters focus on comparisons and close studies of individual films or film songs inspired by "classics" of literature. The book will be of interest to those studying Indian film and literature and South Asian popular culture more generally.

1.Magbook series deals with the preliminary examinations for civil series. 2.It?s a 2 in 1 series offers advantages of both Magazine and book. 3.The entire syllabus of Indian History divided into 29 chapters. 4.Focuses on the Topics and Trends of question asked in Previous Years? Questions. 5.Offers Chapterwise Practice and well detailed explanations the previous Years? questions. 6.More than 3000 MCQs for the revision of the topics. 7.5 Practice sets and 2 Previous Years solved Papers sets for thorough practice. 8.The book uses easy language for quick understanding. Preparing for the examinations like UPSC, State PCS or any other civil Services papers students need to have a comprehensive, complete and concrete knowledge about their subjects from the point of view exam. Arihant MAGBOOK Series is a must for Civil Services (Pre) Examination State PCS & Other Comprehensive Examinations. It?s a 2 in 1 series that provides all the study material in concise and brief manner offering unique advantage of both Magazines and Books. It comprehensively covers the syllabus of General Studies portion of the UPSC and State PCS Preliminary Examination. The current edition of ?Magbook Indian History? covers every topic of History (Ancient, Medieval and Modern Indian History).The whole syllabus has been divided into 29 chapters in this book. It focuses on the Topics and Trends of questions which are asked in previous Years? Civil Services Examinations, further it provides Chapterwise practice of the questions that build self confidence and Skill Adaption in the candidates and lastly it offers detailed explanations of Previous Years? Civil Services examination in a easy language for quick understanding. Apart from Topical coverage and Previous Years? Question, this book also focuses on practice by providing with more than 3000 MCQs and 5 Practice Sets that help students to know latest pattern of the paper as well as its difficulty level. This book is a must for the civil services aspirants as it help them to move a step ahead towards their aim. TABLE OF CONTENT ANCIENT, MEDIVAL AND MODERN HISTORY ? The Stone Age, Indus Valley Civilisation, The Vedic Age, The First Territorial States, The Religious Movement of Mahajanapadas Age, The Mauryan Empire, The Sangam Age, Post Mauryan Period (200 BC ? AD 300), The Gupta Age, The Post ? Gupta Era (AD 550 -750), The Sultanate of Delhi, Provincial Kingdoms, Religious Movement, The Mughal Empire, The Maratha Empire, Mughal Decline and Rise of Regional States, Emergence of European Powers in India, Tribal and Peasant Uprisings, Governor Generals and Viceroys, Development of Modern Education and Press, Revolt of 1857, Social and Religion Reforms, Movements, Growth of Nationalism and Struggle for Independence (1885 ? 1919), Struggle for Independence Second Phase (1919 ? 1927), Struggle for Independence Third Phase (1927-1939), Struggle for Forth Phase (1940-1947), Religion and Philosophy, Music, Dance, Theatre, and Festivals, Indian Architecture and Festivals, Indian Architecture and painting Schools, Chronological Panorama of Indian History, Glossary, Practice Sets (1-5), Previous Years? Solved Papers Set 1, Previous Years? Solved Papers Set 2.

This collection of essays by subject specialists examines the politics of violence, communalism, and terrorism as negotiated in cinema; the representations of identitarian politics; and the complex ideological underpinnings of literary adaptations.